All-Women Musicals

From best friends to co-workers to matriarchs across generations, the women in these musicals cover the full range of the human experience through song and dance. Whether you need a show for lots of talented women or simply want to uplift their stories, these musicals feature an all-female cast – or can be performed by only women.

27 Rue de Fleurus by Ted Sod & Lisa Koch (US)
(Full-Length Musical, Dramatic Comedy / 5w)
In this contemporary chamber musical derived from the imagination of Alice B. Toklas, Alice sets the record straight about being Gertrude Stein’s wife and partner for nearly 40 years. As the musical progresses, the celebrated partners confront one another about love, marriage, jealousy and genius – as Pablo Picasso, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Mabel Dodge, Sylvia Beach and even Jean Harlow drop by for a visit (as portrayed by women, of course).

A… My Name Is Alice by Joan Micklin Silver and Julianne Boyd (US)
(Musical Revue, Comedy / 5w)
This slick and lively revue created by a wide variety of comedy writers, lyricists and composers – which enjoyed a long run at the Village Gate off-Broadway – offers a marvelous kaleidoscope of contemporary women. Sophisticated, bawdy, funny and insightful, the 20 numbers portray friends, rivals, sisters and even members of an all-women’s basketball team. Their adventures continue in two more musicals for women, including A… My Name Is Still Alice (US/UK) and A… My Name Will Always Be Alice (US/UK).

A Night with Janis Joplin by Randy Johnson (US/UK)
(Full-Length Musical, Drama / 5w)
The voice, the music, the legend. From her humble beginnings in Port Arthur, Texas to worldwide stardom, Janis Joplin reminisces about how music became the love of her life. Told through a series of songs by the Chantels and Joplinaires, duets with masters of the blues, and featuring Janis’ biggest hits “Piece of My Heart,” “Me and Bobby McGee” and more, this powerhouse musical will have you rocking out and leaving the theatre with your heart full.

A Taste of Things to Come by Debra Barsha and Hollye Levin (US/UK)
(Full-Length Musical, Dramatic Comedy / 4w)
A laugh-out-loud, fabulously fun romp exploring women’s history and celebrating the friendships of four very different women. In 1957, four friends enter a Betty Crocker Cooking Contest in hopes of changing their lives. When they meet up again in 1967, they get more than what they bargained for… just a little taste of things to come. An all-female cast and band bring a saucy zest to this exciting new musical comedy with a score reflective of the chart-topping songs from the ’50s & ’60s, inspired by the pop, soul, folk and R&B grooves of the time – but also some serious food for thought about sociopolitical changes spanning the era.

Bernarda Alba by Michael John LaChiusa (US/UK)
(Full-Length Musical, Drama / 10w)
After burying her second husband, a domineering matriarch imposes a strict rule on her five daughters: “Not a breath of outside air is going to enter this house. It’s going to feel like we’ve bricked up the doors and windows,” she proclaims. But before long, the outside world begins to permeate their isolated existence. This powerful musical for ten women is adapted from Federico García Lorca’s play The House of Bernarda Alba.

Cowgirls by Betsy Howie and Mary Murfitt (US)
(Full-Length Musical, Comedy / 6w)
Jo is in a pickle: She has 24 hours to save Hiram Hall – her father’s once-famous country-western saloon in Rexford, Kansas – from foreclosure. But what will pack in a crowd to make the money she needs? The Cowgirl Trio – but the problem is there is no Cowgirl Trio. The group that shows is the Coghill Trio, three classical musicians currently on a reunion tour. It’s classical versus country, but can they meet in the middle? A knee-slapping gem of a musical that “should run until the cows come home” (New York Post).

December Songs by Maury Yeston (US/UK)
(Musical Revue / Cabaret, Drama / 1w)
Inspired by the Schubert tale Die Winterreise (A Winter’s Journey), this Yeston song cycle centers on a brokenhearted young woman of the modern age wandering the snowy paths of Central Park. In this contemporary musical portrayal of her journey, she finds the strength to recover and begin her life anew.

Fame Takes a Holiday by Cassandra Danz, Mary Fulham and Warren Leight (US)
(Full-Length Musical, Comedy / 4w)
This light-hearted charmer of a musical tells the story of the High Heeled Women, a four-girl cabaret act, on the two worst nights of their show biz lives (including one in New Jersey). Onstage, the High Heeled Women perform a tight knit, madcap comedy revue with songs and sketches; backstage, they struggle desperately to keep their act together. By the show’s end, the High Heeled Women have lost everything, including their clothing, but they have learned the true meaning of success.

First Daughter Suite by Michael John LaChiusa (US/UK)
(Full-Length Musical, Dramatic Comedy / 7w)
A historical fantasia in four parts, First Daughter Suite follows Patricia Nixon and daughters Tricia and Julie, Rosalynn and Amy Carter, Betty and Susan Ford, Patti Davis and mom Nancy Reagan, and Barbara Bush and daughter-in-law Laura as they strive to live meaningful lives in the public eye. This wholly captivating musical with a lush, sweeping score is a deeply felt new work about mothers, daughters and the surprising discoveries we make about one another as we grow.

LaChiusa’s companion piece, First Lady Suite (US/UK), written for four women and one man, contains the following short musical for an all-female cast:

Eleanor Sleeps Here by Michael John LaChiusa (US)
(Short Musical, Dramatic Comedy / 3w)
A heartrending examination of the relationship between Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickok as they’re being flown over Washington by Amelia Earhart. This show places the FLOTUS into the spotlight where she belongs.

Goblin Market by Peggy Harmon, Polly Pen and Christina Rossetti (US/UK)
(Full-Length Musical, Drama / 2w)
Blending music, poetry and entrancing imagery, this brilliantly atmospheric, totally original musical probes into the sexually charged fantasies of two proper Victorian sisters – both now grown women and mothers – who return to their childhood nursery to relive the haunting memories of their youth and end up transported back to their girlhood in an imaginary world peopled by seductive goblins.

GRITS: The Musical (Girls Raised in the South) by Erica Allen McGee (US)
(Full-Length Musical, Comedy / 4w)
A delectable celebration of Southern life, y’all! Based on the popular book GRITS (Girls Raised in the South) Friends Are Forevah, this original musical follows four Southern women from four different generations as they reminisce about their pasts and speak to their futures. Equal parts funny and heartwarming with Southern charm to spare! Their adventures continue in a holiday version for four women called Cinnamon GRITS: Christmas in the South (US).

Honky Tonk Angels by Ted Swindley (US)
(Full-Length Musical, Comedy / 3w)
In this rollicking country jukebox musical, join the Honky Tonk Angels (Angela, Darlene and Sue Ellen) as they make the decision to follow their dreams of country music stardom all the way to Nashville. With songs ranging from “These Boots Are Made For Walking” and “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” the fun and the memories won’t stop in this “down-home treat for country music fans” (Orlando Sentinel). Their adventures continue in the holiday companion musical, Honky Tonk Angels Holiday Hoedown (US).

Honky Tonk Laundry by Roger Bean (US)
(Full-Length Musical, Comedy / 2w)
Move over, Thelma and Louise! When Lana Mae Hopkins, owner and proprietress of the Wishy Washy Washateria, hires Katie to help out in the laundromat, they soon find themselves up to their elbows in soap, suds and cheatin’ hearts. Watch these two country angels join forces to turn their good ol’ laundromat into a boot-scootin’ honky-tonk and exact a touch of revenge against those that done ’em wrong, all while guaranteeing every customer a good, clean time! Take a ride to Nashville heaven in this new musical from the author of The Marvelous Wonderettes.

I Can’t Keep Running in Place by Barbara Schottenfeld (US)
(Full-Length Musical, Dramatic Comedy / 7w)
In this compassionate, touching, extremely funny musical, a psychologist helps six women express their needs through a dynamic role-playing workshop. The seven women learn to express their needs in a theatrically exciting way, propelling the ensemble, their newly separated leader, and the audience to a compelling climax.

In the Green by Grace McLean (US)
(Full-Length Musical, Drama / 5w)
As a young girl, medieval saint, healer, visionary, exorcist and composer Hildegard von Bingen was locked in a cloister’s cell after demonstrating a preternatural sensitivity to the world around her. Sequestered with Hildegard is Jutta, a woman who has spent her life secluded in an effort to recover a whole self after deepest trauma. Under Jutta’s guidance, Hildegard attempts to reassemble her own fragmented self while her mentor proselytizes a rejection of brokenness. This lyrical musical is an astonishing, sonically sophisticated saga of two exceptional women broken by the world and their journey of healing that changed history.

Inside Out by Doug Haverty and Adryan Russ (US)
(Full-Length Musical, Dramatic Comedy / 6w)
A women’s therapy group is transformed forever when a new member becomes a catalyst for change in the lives of the others. This insightful, moving and hilarious musical features six dynamic roles for women, a tuneful pop/rock score and a delightful, entertaining book.

Jerry’s Girls by Jerry Herman, Larry Alford and Wayne Cilento (US/UK)
(Full-Length Musical / 3w + optional ensemble)
In this dynamic musical revue, three women celebrate the music of Jerry Herman, highlighting the broad spectrum of thrilling material he wrote specifically for women. The show includes songs from immortal musicals like Mame, Hello Dolly!, Milk and Honey, Mack and Mabel, A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine and La Cage Aux Folles.

Jewish Girlz by Elizabeth Swados (US/UK)
(Full-Length Musical, Dramatic Comedy / 14w)
During a weekend retreat, adolescent Jewish girls from all types of families and backgrounds share stories and songs transcending stereotypes to explore what it means to be a girl – not just a Jewish girl – in modern society.  Meet the loner with the inflatable mattress, the rich girl, the observant young woman with the gay brother, the anarchist, the all-too mature teen and an intriguing mix of other vivid personalities with songs ranging from contemporary to pop tunes to upbeat numbers based on religious liturgy.

Judith Viorst’s Love and Shrimp by Shelly Markham and Judith Viorst (US)
(Musical Revue, Dramatic Comedy / 3w)
In songs, poems and musings with wit, wisdom and rue, three women take us on an emotional journey from young to not so young, from dumb to not so dumb, from single to married, from parenthood to upper eyelid droop. Set in the living rooms, bedrooms, kitchens and car pools of our imagination (in actuality, on three stools), Love and Shrimp examines the often hilarious and sometimes painful clashes between expectations and our realities.

Lizzie by Steven Cheslik-DeMeyer, Tim Maner and Alan Stevens Hewitt (US/UK)
(Full-Length Musical, Drama / 4w)
Rage! Sex! Betrayal! BLOODY MURDER! A rock-show retelling of the bloody legend of America’s first and favorite axe-wielding double-murderess and hometown girl, Lizzie Borden. This all-woman musical sets American mythology to a searing rock score – complete with riffs on the historical record – to explore the heady and heated days leading up to the historical murder and Lizzie’s controversial acquittal of all charges.

Love, Linda (The Life of Mrs. Cole Porter) with music and lyrics by Cole Porter, book by Stevie Holland with Gary William Friendman (US/UK)
(Full-Length Musical, Dramatic Comedy / 1w)
In this sensational show, Linda Lee Thomas recounts her life’s journey with Cole Porter. Though Porter was gay, their companionship lasted through 35 years of a spectacular, glamour-filled marriage. The music of Cole Porter weaves through compelling narrative, examining the darker sides of their life, while also celebrating the deep love in their unconventional relationship.

Motherhood the Musical by Sue Fabisch Errico (US/UK)
(Full-Length Musical, Drama / 4w)
Having a baby is just the beginning; motherhood is for life! In this charming, original musical, four women share their insights, challenges and pleasures at a baby shower. Over 90 minutes of fun, you’ll get a peek into the powerful friendship of Amy, a soon-to-be first-time mom; Brooke, a hard-working lawyer; Barb, a stressed-out mother of five; and Tina, a single mom seeking to balance work, her family and her divorce.

2010 Cherry Lane Theatre production of Nunsense (Courtesy of Dan Goggin)

Nunsense by Dan Goggin (US/UK)
(Full-Length Musical, Comedy / 5w)
A zany, wholesome, hilarious musical revue presented by the Little Sisters of Hoboken, Nunsense is a heavenly delight! The show is a fundraiser the Little Sisters are presenting to raise enough money to bury fellow sisters accidentally poisoned by the convent cook, Sister Julia (Child of God). Danny Goggin’s series of wacky musical comedies about the Little Sisters of Hoboken is divine. Other habit-forming shows in the same universe guaranteed to keep audiences laughing include the Hollywood trip Nunset Boulevard (US/UK) and the one-woman tour-de-force Sister Robert Anne’s Cabaret Class (US/UK).

For more adventures with the Little Sisters of Hoboken, see The Nunsense Collection (US/UK).

Penelope by Alex Bechtel, Grace McLean and Eva Steinmetz (US/UK)
(Full-Length Musical, Drama / 1w)
Penelope has been waiting… and waiting… and waiting for her husband, Odysseus, to return from a decade-long war. Given the rest of the soldiers came home years ago – forgive her, but she’s going to need a drink while she tells you about it. With a beautiful folk-inflected pop score backed by an onstage band of strings, piano and drums, Penelope opens up about her loneliness, her son’s disappearance, her suitors, her gods, her faith in her marriage – and ultimately, the faith that she must have in herself.

Quilters by Molly Newman, Barbara Damashek, Patricia Cooper and Norma Bradley Allen (US/UK)
(Full-Length Musical, Drama / 7w + optional ensemble)
The story of a pioneer woman and her six daughters, Quilters blends a series of interrelated scenes into a rich mosaic capturing the harsh challenges and abiding rewards of frontier life. This joyous and moving celebration of American womanhood combines music, dance, movement and scenes of vivid dramatic intensity as it pays eloquent tribute to the courage and spirit of our nation’s pioneering women.

Ruthless! by Joel Paley & Marvin Laird (US/UK)
(Full-Length Musical, Comedy / 7w)
With the the innocence of Shirley Temple and the deviousness of Damien, eight-year-old Tina Denmark knows she was born to play Pippi Longstocking, and she will do anything to win the part in her school musical. “Anything” includes murdering the leading lady! This aggressively outrageous musical hit garnered rave reviews during its long off-Broadway run. Poking fun at the “idyllic” 50s lifestyle for women and girls, this hilarious musical loaded with campy wit features a classic Broadway sound that enhances its witty undercurrent and offers a wonderful star vehicle for several actresses.

SIX: TEEN EDITION by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss (US/UK)
(Full-Length Musical, Dramatic Comedy / 6w + ensemble)
A full-length adaptation of Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss’ international phenomenon SIX, modified for performance by teen actors for family audiences. Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived. From Tudor Queens to Pop Princesses, the SIX wives of Henry VIII take the mic to remix five hundred years of historical heartbreak into an exuberant celebration of 21st-century girl power! This new original musical is the global sensation that everyone is losing their head over.

Swingtime Canteen by Charles Busch, Linda Thorsen Bond and William Repicci (US)
(Full-Length Musical, Comedy / 5w)
What better way to feature women than with an all-female band? In this wartime musical revue, MGM star Marian Ames and her all-girl band from the Hollywood Canteen entertain the troops in 1944 London. The rip-roaringest canteen show of them all features a wide variety of women: still-glamorous movie legend Marian Ames, her drum-playing stand-in Jo Sterling, her skittish niece Katie, solid-as-a-rock piano-playing riveter Topeka Abotelli, and leggy chorine Lilly McBain. These five archetypal film characters prove their mettle while singing over 30 vintage wartime classics, from “I’ll Be Seeing You” to a fast paced, 12-song Andrews Sisters medley.

Tell Me on a Sunday by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Don Black (US)
(Full-Length Musical, Dramatic Comedy / 1w)
A young English girl who has recently landed in New York sets out to seek success, companionship and, of course, love. But as she weaves her way through the maze of the city and her own anxieties, frustrations and heartaches, she begins to wonder whether – in fact – she’s been looking for love in all the wrong places.
 This intimate one-woman song cycle featuring some of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s most-treasured songs, including “Tell Me on a Sunday,” “Come Back with the Same Look in Your Eyes” and “Nothing Like You’ve Ever Known.”

The Bikinis by Joseph Baker, Ray Roderick & James Hindman (US)
(Full-Length Musical, Comedy / 4w)
It’s the new millennium, and the girl group that everyone loves is bringing back the sun, fun and all the great songs they sang down on the boardwalk at the Jersey Shore… all to raise money for the good folks at Sandy Shores RV Resort. In front of a live audience, The Bikinis relive their heyday and beyond, beginning in the summer of ’64 when the group got their name by winning the Belmar Beach Talent Contest in their bikinis! Featuring hits like “Yellow Polka Dot Bikini,” “Under The Boardwalk,” “These Boots Were Made For Walkin’,” “It’s Raining Men” and many more, this musical is a nonstop celebration that promises to get audiences dancing in the aisles!

The Club by Alexandra Ivanoff and Eve Merriam (US)
(Musical Revue, Dramatic Comedy / 7w)
Circa 1905, members of a stuffy all-male club tap dance and sing 14 songs of the era, all indicative of male smugness and superiority. During the finale, the audience discovers that the top hats, white ties and rails are actually being worn by women in this wickedly witty, delicious musical with verve.

The Marvelous Wonderettes by Roger Bean (US)
(Full-Length Musical, Comedy / 4w)
This smash off-Broadway hit takes you to the 1958 Springfield High School prom, where four teenage friends have hopes and dreams as big as their crinoline skirts! Featuring over 30 classic ’50s and ’60s hits, The Marvelous Wonderettes will keep you smiling in this must-take musical trip down memory lane. Their adventures continue in the festive Winter Wonderettes (US). For even more all-girl adventures with the Wonderettes, visit The Wonderettes Collection (US).

Unexpected Joy by Bill Russell and Janet Hood (US/UK)
(Full-Length Musical, Dramatic Comedy / 4w)
The story of three generations of female singers, long-held family tensions, and a week together where change is in the air. In modern-day Cape Cod, Joy, a baby boomer and proud hippie, is holding a memorial concert for the other half of her popular musical duo, Jump & Joy. When her tightly wound, conservative daughter and her sweet, rebellious granddaughter arrive from Oklahoma, sparks fly. A heartfelt and hilarious musical that celebrates diversity and acceptance by weaving folk-rock, pop and blues while bringing together a family that hasn’t experienced true joy in decades.

Vanities: The Musical by Jack Heifner and David Kirshenbaum (US/UK)
(Full-Length Musical, Dramatic Comedy / 3w)
Based on the hit play Vanities (US), this dynamic musical chronicles the life-affirming journey of three vivacious Texas teens from cheerleaders to sorority sisters to housewives to liberated women and beyond. The show captures a snapshot-sharp portrait of the lives, loves, disappointments and dreams of these young women as they grow up during the turbulent ’60s and ’70s and reconnect in the late 1980s.

Well-Behaved Women by Carmel Dean (US/UK)
(Musical Revue, Drama / 9w)
This contemporary song cycle for 4 to 20+ women is a celebration of many historic women who fought to have their voices heard and bravely made their mark on the world. Woman such as Billie Jean King, Frida Kahlo, Harriet Tubman, Cleopatra and Malala Yousafzai bring their incredible stories to life through powerful, emotional and often hilarious songs, leaving audiences entertained, moved and inspired.

Why Do Fools Fall in Love? by Roger Bean (US)
(Full-Length Musical, Dramatic Comedy / 4w)
Millie’s getting married! At her impromptu bachelorette party, Millie and her best friends dive into age-old questions about love, marriage and the overwhelming dating game. As the celebration picks up steam and the drinks flow, the girls reveal scintillating secrets about their love lives, as they poke fun and challenge each other to take control of their lives. Featuring smash pop-hits from the 1960s such as “My Boy Lollipop,” “I Will Follow Him,” ”You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me” and “Hey There Lonely Boy,” this uplifting show reaffirms that during life’s struggles, true friendship will unveil its everlasting strength – and often with a real rockin’ beat!

To bring one of the above shows to your stage, visit Concord Theatricals in the US or the UK.

For more recommendations for shows that cast luminous light on the ladies, check out our Women in the Spotlight series on Breaking Character.