Musical Lists

13 Western Musicals – The Full List of Shows

Whether you’re auditioning for musicals, setting up your rep book, or simply looking for some new musicals to get into, it’s good to get familiar with what’s out there. And that’s why we’ve put together this full list of western musicals for you below.

There is often a blurred distinction between country musicals and western musicals. However, the ones listed below primarily focus on stories set during the American Wild West, incorporating elements such as saloons, horses, cowboys, and outlaws. Additionally, these musicals typically feature country music within their scores.


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Western Musicals

Annie Get Your Gun

Music/Lyrics: Irving Berlin  Book: Dorothy Fields, Herbert Fields

Musical Type: Golden Age (1946)

Genre: Western


Calamity Jane

Music: Sammy Fain  Lyrics: Paul Francis Webster  Adaptation: Ronald Hanmer, Phil Park

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1961)

Genre: Western


Desperate Measures

Music: David Friedman  Lyrics/Book: Peter Kellogg

Musical Type: Contemporary (2004)

Genre: Western


Destry Rides Again

Music/Lyrics: Harold Rome  Book: Leonard Gershe

Musical Type: Golden Age (1959)

Genre: Western


Little Mary Sunshine

Music/Lyrics/Book: Rick Besoyan

Musical Type: Golden Age (1959)

Genre: Parody


Oklahoma!

Music: Richard Rodgers  Lyrics/Book: Oscar Hammerstein II

Musical Type: Golden Age (1943)

Genre: Western/Romance


Paint Your Wagon

Music: Frederick Loewe  Lyrics/Book: Alan Jay Lerner

Musical Type: Golden Age (1951)

Genre: Comedy


Roadside

Music: Harvey Schmidt  Lyrics/Book: Tom Jones

Musical Type: Contemporary (2001)

Genre: Western


Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

Music/Lyrics: Gene de Paul, Al Kasha, Joel Hirschhorn  Lyrics: Johnny Mercer  Book: Lawrence Kasha, David Landay

Musical Type: 1954 Film/Pre-Contemporary Musical (1982)

Genre: Rom-Com


The Robber Bridegroom

Music: Robert Waldman  Lyrics/Book: Alfred Uhry

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1975)

Genre: Fairy Tale


The Trail to Oregon!

Music/Lyrics/Book: Jeff Blim  Book: Matt Lang, Nick Lang

Musical Type: Contemporary (2014)

Genre: Parody


The Unsinkable Molly Brown

Music/Lyrics: Meredith Willson  Book: Richard Morris

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1960)

Genre: Dramedy


Wildcat

Music: Cy Coleman  Lyrics: Carolyn Leigh  Book: N. Richard Nash

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1960)

Genre: Dramedy


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Which of these western musicals is your favorite?

Or have you ever played a role in any of the above western musicals? Feel free to share in the comments below! And if you enjoy exploring these lists, check out the musical database, where you can discover musicals organized by composer, theme, setting, and much more!


Stacy Karyn, Author of Western Musicals.
Author: Stacy Karyn

Stacy Karyn is the founder of Theatre Trip, author of The Thespian’s Bucket List, and creator of The Cast Album List. She holds a BA in theatre and a TESOL drama certificate, with experience working and interning in Broadway and Off-Broadway theaters.


 

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