14 Western Musicals – The Full List of Stage 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 musicals 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
Music/Lyrics: Irving Berlin Book: Dorothy Fields, Herbert Fields
Musical Type: Golden Age (1946)
Genre: Western
Music: Sammy Fain Lyrics: Paul Francis Webster Adaptation: Ronald Hanmer, Phil Park
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1961)
Genre: Western
Music: David Friedman Lyrics/Book: Peter Kellogg
Musical Type: Contemporary (2004)
Genre: Western
Music/Lyrics: Harold Rome Book: Leonard Gershe
Musical Type: Golden Age (1959)
Genre: Western
Music/Lyrics/Book: Rick Besoyan
Musical Type: Golden Age (1959)
Genre: Parody
Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics/Book: Oscar Hammerstein II
Musical Type: Golden Age (1943)
Genre: Western/Romance
Music: Frederick Loewe Lyrics/Book: Alan Jay Lerner
Musical Type: Golden Age (1951)
Genre: Comedy
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
Music: Robert Waldman Lyrics/Book: Alfred Uhry
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1975)
Genre: Fairy Tale
Music/Lyrics/Book: Jeff Blim Book: Matt Lang, Nick Lang
Musical Type: Contemporary (2014)
Genre: Parody
Music/Lyrics: Meredith Willson Book: Richard Morris
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1960)
Genre: Dramedy
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 like these types of lists, check out the musical database. That’s where you’ll find musicals sorted by composer, theme, setting, and more!
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, a TESOL drama certificate, and has worked and interned with Broadway and Off-Broadway theaters.