THEATERLE

Musicals by decade

Broadway musicals of the 1950s

The height of the Golden Age: Guys and Dolls, The King and I, My Fair Lady, West Side Story, and Gypsy all opened this decade, and their characters remain staples of school and community productions.

Below are the shows in our library that first opened on Broadway in the 1950s, in order of premiere. Tap any title for the full show guide.

10 musicals on this list.

  • Guys and Dolls1950 · Frank Loesser · Golden AgeGuys and Dolls is a classic Broadway comedy about gamblers, showgirls, and mismatched romance on the streets of 1940s New York.
  • The King and I1951 · Richard Rodgers · Golden AgeThe King and I is a Rodgers and Hammerstein classic that pairs a sweeping romantic score with a story of two strong-willed people from very different worlds finding…
  • Peter Pan1954 · Charlap & Styne · Golden AgePeter Pan brings J.M. Barrie's timeless tale of the boy who never grows up to musical life, whisking the Darling children off to the eternal adventures of Neverland.
  • The Pajama Game1954 · Adler & Ross · Golden AgeThe Pajama Game is a 1954 workplace romance and labor comedy set inside a Midwestern pajama factory, pairing a new superintendent against the union grievance chair he…
  • Damn Yankees1955 · Adler & Ross · Golden AgeDamn Yankees is the classic baseball comedy that asks how far a devoted fan might go for a pennant, wrapping a Faustian bargain in Golden Age Broadway charm.
  • My Fair Lady1956 · Frederick Loewe · Golden AgeMy Fair Lady is the classic Golden Age musical that transforms George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion into one of Broadway's most elegant and enduring romances.
  • The Music Man1957 · Meredith Willson · Golden AgeThe Music Man is a warm, comic slice of Americana about a charming con artist whose scheme to swindle a small Iowa town gets complicated by an unexpected dose of…
  • West Side Story1957 · Leonard Bernstein · Golden AgeWest Side Story is a landmark of the Golden Age of Broadway, transposing the tragedy of star-crossed lovers into a story of rival gangs on the streets of 1950s New York.
  • Gypsy1959 · Jule Styne · Golden AgeGypsy is a dramatic, music-driven look at the fierce stage mother Rose and her two daughters as they climb through the fading world of vaudeville.
  • The Sound of Music1959 · Richard Rodgers · Golden AgeThe Sound of Music is a beloved Golden Age classic that blends soaring melodies with the true story of a family finding courage and unity in the shadow of history.

More lists of musicals

All Broadway musicals A to ZMusicals by composer