Jukebox musical
Encyclopedia
A jukebox musical is a stage
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...

  or film musical
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...

 that uses previously released popular songs as its musical score. Usually the songs have in common a connection with a particular popular music
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...

ian or group — either because they were written by, or for, the artists in question, or were at least covered by them. The songs are contextualized into a drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...

tic plot: often the biographical
Biography
A biography is a detailed description or account of someone's life. More than a list of basic facts , biography also portrays the subject's experience of those events...

 story of the performer(s) whose music is featured, although in some cases the plot does not revolve around the particular group at all. Although jukebox musicals had achieved success for years (for instance Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story
Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story
Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story is a jukebox musical in two acts with a book written by Alan Janes, and music and lyrics by a variety of songwriters. Based on the life and career of early rock and roller Buddy Holly, the musical hews closer to Holly's actual life story than the 1978 film version...

, the musical about the life of Buddy Holly
Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley , known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll...

 which ran in the West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...

 for 13 years from 1989 to 2003) their recent surge in popularity was led by the success of Mamma Mia!
Mamma Mia!
Mamma Mia! is a stage musical written by British playwright Catherine Johnson, based on the songs of ABBA, composed by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, former members of the band. Although the title of the musical is taken from the group's 1975 chart-topper "Mamma Mia", the plot is fictional, not...

, built around the music of ABBA
ABBA
ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...

.

The critical and commercial success of jukebox musicals has been uneven. Some (such as Lennon
Lennon (musical)
Lennon is a musical with music and lyrics by John Lennon and book by Don Scardino, who also directed its premiere. The musical is about the life of John Lennon and was notable for Scardino's choice to be almost exclusively-based on Lennon's own words and to focus on Lennon's solo career, with no...

) have closed after a short season, while others (e.g. Movin' Out
Movin' Out (musical)
Movin' Out is a jukebox musical featuring the songs of Billy Joel.Conceived by Twyla Tharp, the musical tells the story of a generation of American youth growing up on Long Island during the 1960s and their experiences with the Vietnam War...

, Mamma Mia!
Mamma Mia!
Mamma Mia! is a stage musical written by British playwright Catherine Johnson, based on the songs of ABBA, composed by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, former members of the band. Although the title of the musical is taken from the group's 1975 chart-topper "Mamma Mia", the plot is fictional, not...

, and Jersey Boys
Jersey Boys
Jersey Boys is a jukebox musical with music by Bob Gaudio, lyrics by Bob Crewe and book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice. It is a documentary-style musical, based on one of the most successful 1960s rock 'n roll groups, the Four Seasons...

) become hugely successful. The idea of using familiar songs, with or without new lyrics, in a stage production dates back at least to the Beggar's Opera of 1728, sometimes called "the first musical."

The term "jukebox musical" was first coined in the 1940s in reference to motion pictures consisting largely of hit recordings. Examples are Jam Session (1944), Rock Around the Clock
Rock Around the Clock
"Rock Around the Clock" is a 12-bar-blues-based song written by Max C. Freedman and James E. Myers in 1952. The best-known and most successful rendition was recorded by Bill Haley and His Comets in 1954...

 (1956), Juke Box Rhythm (1959), and A Hard Day's Night
A Hard Day's Night (film)
A Hard Day's Night is a 1964 British black-and-white comedy film directed by Richard Lester and starring The Beatles—John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr—during the height of Beatlemania. It was written by Alun Owen and originally released by United Artists...

 (1964).

List of jukebox musicals

  • The Night That Made America Famous
    The Night That Made America Famous
    The Night That Made America Famous is a musical written by folk singer Harry Chapin. After fourteen previews, the production opened at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on February 26, 1975 and closed on April 6 of that year, after 75 performances. Chapin's brothers Tom and Stephen, in addition to...

     (1975), the songs of Harry Chapin
    Harry Chapin
    Harry Forster Chapin was an American singer-songwriter best known in particular for his folk rock songs including "Taxi", "W*O*L*D", and the number-one hit "Cat's in the Cradle". Chapin was also a dedicated humanitarian who fought to end world hunger; he was a key player in the creation of the...

  • Elvis
    Elvis (musical)
    Elvis is a jukebox musical based upon the life of Elvis Presley, conceived and directed by Jack Good and Ray Cooney. The original cast included Shakin' Stevens, who later became one of the top selling UK singles artist of the 1980s.-Production history:...

     (1977), music of Elvis Presley
    Elvis Presley
    Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....

  • "Ain't Misbehavin'" (1978), songs by the black musicians of the Harlem Renaissance
    Harlem Renaissance
    The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned the 1920s and 1930s. At the time, it was known as the "New Negro Movement", named after the 1925 anthology by Alain Locke...

    , which was going on in the 1920s and '30s
  • Leader of the Pack
    Leader of the Pack (musical)
    Leader of the Pack is a musical with liner notes by Anne Beatts and additional material by Jack Heifner, music by Ellie Greenwich, and lyrics by Greenwich, Jeff Barry, Phil Spector, George "Shadow" Morton, Jeff Kent, and Ellen Foley.-Background:...

     (1984), music of Ellie Greenwich
    Ellie Greenwich
    Eleanor Louise "Ellie" Greenwich was an American pop music singer, songwriter, and record producer. She wrote or co-wrote "Be My Baby", "Christmas ", "Da Doo Ron Ron", "Leader of the Pack", "Do Wah Diddy Diddy", and "River Deep, Mountain High", among many others...

    , Jeff Barry
    Jeff Barry
    Jeff Barry is an American pop music songwriter, singer, and record producer.-Early career:...

    , and Phil Spector
    Phil Spector
    Phillip Harvey "Phil" Spector is an American record producer and songwriter, later known for his conviction in the murder of actress Lana Clarkson....

  • Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story (1989), music covered by Buddy Holly
    Buddy Holly
    Charles Hardin Holley , known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll...

     (including many early rock "standards")
  • Return to the Forbidden Planet
    Return to the Forbidden Planet
    Return to the Forbidden Planet is a Jukebox musical by playwright Bob Carlton based on Shakespeare's The Tempest and the 1950s science fiction film Forbidden Planet ....

     (1989)
  • Forever Plaid
    Forever Plaid
    Forever Plaid is an off-Broadway musical revue written by Stuart Ross in New York in 1990 and now performed internationally. The show is a revue of the close-harmony "guy groups" that reached the height of their popularity during the 1950s. Personifying the clean-cut genre are the Plaids...

     (1990)
  • Smokey Joe's Cafe
    Smokey Joe's Cafe
    Smokey Joe's Cafe is a musical revue showcasing 39 pop standards, including rock and roll, rhythm and blues songs written by songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller...

     (1995), music of Leiber and Stoller
  • Boogie Nights
    Boogie Nights (musical)
    Boogie Nights is a British musical, based upon the pop music of the 1970s, written by Jon Conway with Shane Richie and Terry Morrison.-Plot:...

     (1997), music of the seventies
  • Disco Inferno
    Disco Inferno (musical)
    Disco Inferno is a modern 70s style musical usually performed by small-scale theatre companies and schools. Set in 1976. the show features memorable songs of the 70s era, including Boogie Nights, Celebration and Hot Stuff...

     (1999), music of the 70s era.
  • Mamma Mia!
    Mamma Mia!
    Mamma Mia! is a stage musical written by British playwright Catherine Johnson, based on the songs of ABBA, composed by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, former members of the band. Although the title of the musical is taken from the group's 1975 chart-topper "Mamma Mia", the plot is fictional, not...

     (1999), music of ABBA
    ABBA
    ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...

  • The Marvelous Wonderettes
    The Marvelous Wonderettes
    The Marvelous Wonderettes is a musical comedy with a book by Roger Bean. It was recently played off-Broadway at the Westside Theatre in New York. The show, which uses pop songs from the '50s and '60s as a vehicle to tell its story, pays homage to the high school Songleader squads of the 1950s...

     (1999), music of the 50s and 60s
  • Moulin Rouge!
    Moulin Rouge!
    Moulin Rouge! is a 2001 romantic jukebox musical film directed, produced, and co-written by Baz Luhrmann. Following the Red Curtain Cinema principles, the film is based on the Orphean myth, La Traviata, and La Bohème...

     (2001)
  • Love, Janis
    Love, Janis
    Love, Janis is a collection, released in 2001, of Janis Joplin's performances interspersed with readings of her personal letters to her family throughout her career...

     (2001), music of Janis Joplin
    Janis Joplin
    Janis Lyn Joplin was an American singer, songwriter, painter, dancer and music arranger. She rose to prominence in the late 1960s as the lead singer of Big Brother and the Holding Company and later as a solo artist with her backing groups, The Kozmic Blues Band and The Full Tilt Boogie Band...

  • Route 66
    Cars (film)
    Cars is a 2006 American animated family film produced by Pixar and directed by John Lasseter and co-directed by Joe Ranft. It is the seventh Disney·Pixar feature film, and Pixar's final, independently-produced motion picture before its purchase by Disney...

     (2001), music about the people & places along Route 66
  • We Will Rock You
    We Will Rock You (musical)
    We Will Rock You is a jukebox musical, based on the songs of Queen and named after their hit single of the same name. The musical was written by British comedian and author Ben Elton in collaboration with Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor...

     (2002), music of Queen
    Queen (band)
    Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...

  • Our House
    Our House (musical)
    Our House is a musical with music and lyrics from Madness and the book by Tim Firth. The show featured songs from the ska/pop band Madness, and was named after one of their popular hit singles, "Our House"...

     (2002), music of Madness
    Madness (band)
    In 1979, the band recorded the Lee Thompson composition "The Prince". The song, like the band's name, paid homage to their idol, Prince Buster. The song was released through 2 Tone Records, the label of The Specials founder Jerry Dammers. The song was a surprise hit, peaking in the UK music charts...

  • Movin' Out
    Movin' Out (musical)
    Movin' Out is a jukebox musical featuring the songs of Billy Joel.Conceived by Twyla Tharp, the musical tells the story of a generation of American youth growing up on Long Island during the 1960s and their experiences with the Vietnam War...

     (2002), music of Billy Joel
    Billy Joel
    William Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to...

  • The Boy from Oz
    The Boy from Oz
    The Boy from Oz is a jukebox musical based on the life of singer/songwriter Peter Allen and featuring songs written by him. The book is by Nick Enright. The production had its world premiere, directed by Gale Edwards, at Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney, Australia, on 5 March 1998 and toured Brisbane,...

     (2003), music of Peter Allen
    Peter Allen
    Peter Allen was an Australian songwriter and entertainer. His songs were made popular by many recording artists, including Elkie Brooks, Melissa Manchester and Olivia Newton-John, with one, Arthur's Theme, winning an Academy Award in 1981...

  • Tonight's The Night
    Tonight's The Night (2003 musical)
    Tonight's the Night is a "compilation musical" by comedian Ben Elton, based on the music of Rod Stewart. It opened in October 2003 at the Victoria Palace Theatre, and ran for just over a year...

     (2003), music of Rod Stewart
    Rod Stewart
    Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....

  • Winter Wonderettes
    Winter Wonderettes
    Winter Wonderettes is a musical comedy written by Roger Bean. It is the sequel to the musical, The Marvelous Wonderettes, also written by Bean...

     (2003), holiday music, 60s
  • On the Record
    On the Record (musical revue)
    On the Record is a jukebox musical revue featuring many classic songs from a variety of live action and animated films and television series produced by Walt Disney Pictures, Broadway musical plays produced by Walt Disney Theatrical, and even Disneyland attractions...

     (2004), music of the Walt Disney Company
    The Walt Disney Company
    The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...

  • Saturday Night Fever
    Saturday Night Fever (musical)
    This is an article about the stage musical. For the article on the 1977 film, see Saturday Night FeverSaturday Night Fever is a musical with a book by Nan Knighton and music and lyrics by the Bee Gees.Based on Nik Cohn's 1975 New York Magazine article "Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night" and...

     (2004), music of Bee Gees
    Bee Gees
    The Bee Gees are a musical group that originally comprised three brothers: Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio was successful for most of their 40-plus years of recording music, but they had two distinct periods of exceptional success: as a pop act in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and as a...

  • The Andrews Brothers
    The Andrews Brothers
    The Andrews Brothers is a new '40s musical by Roger Bean, creator of The Marvelous Wonderettes. The show, which uses pop songs from the '40s as a vehicle to tell its story, pays homage to the USO Entertainers of World War II...

     (2005), music covered by The Andrews Sisters
    The Andrews Sisters
    The Andrews Sisters were a highly successful close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras. The group consisted of three sisters: contralto LaVerne Sophia Andrews , soprano Maxene Angelyn Andrews , and mezzo-soprano Patricia Marie "Patty" Andrews...

     (including many other 40s "standards")
  • Back to the 80's! (2005), Music of the 80s era.
  • Lennon
    Lennon (musical)
    Lennon is a musical with music and lyrics by John Lennon and book by Don Scardino, who also directed its premiere. The musical is about the life of John Lennon and was notable for Scardino's choice to be almost exclusively-based on Lennon's own words and to focus on Lennon's solo career, with no...

     (2005), music of John Lennon
    John Lennon
    John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...

  • Good Vibrations
    Good Vibrations (musical)
    Good Vibrations is a Broadway jukebox musical featuring the music of Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys. It opened February 2, 2005, at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre and ran for 94 performances before closing on April 24, 2005. The musical follows the tale of three high school friends who want to...

     (2005), music of The Beach Boys
    The Beach Boys
    The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...

  • All Shook Up
    All Shook Up (musical)
    All Shook Up is a jukebox musical with Elvis Presley music, with a book by Joe DiPietro. The story is based on William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.-Production history:...

     (2005), music of Elvis Presley
    Elvis Presley
    Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....

  • Honky Tonk Laundry
    Honky Tonk Laundry
    Honky Tonk Laundry is a musical written by Roger Bean, creator of The Marvelous Wonderettes. The show, which uses some of the most beloved county songs of all time to relay its story, focusses on the struggles of two everyday women who run a laundromat....

     (2005), country music made famous by female country stars
  • Jersey Boys
    Jersey Boys
    Jersey Boys is a jukebox musical with music by Bob Gaudio, lyrics by Bob Crewe and book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice. It is a documentary-style musical, based on one of the most successful 1960s rock 'n roll groups, the Four Seasons...

     (2005), music of Frankie Valli
    Frankie Valli
    Frankie Valli is an American musician, most famous as frontman of The Four Seasons. He is well-known for his unusually powerful falsetto singing voice...

     and Four Seasons
    The Four Seasons (group)
    The Four Seasons are an American rock and pop band who became internationally successful in the mid-1960s. The Vocal Group Hall of Fame has stated that the group was the most popular rock band before The Beatles...

  • Hoy no me puedo levantar
    Hoy No Me Puedo Levantar
    Hoy no me puedo levantar is a Spanish musical, with music and lyrics by Nacho Cano, former member of the band Mecano. Based on 32 of the band's greatest hits and named after their first single, the musical centers on a pair of impoverished musicians trying to be part of La Movida Madrileña, after...

     (2005), music of Spanish group Mecano
    Mecano
    Mecano was a Spanish pop band whose debut coincided with La Movida Madrileña , a sociocultural movement that occurred in Madrid, Spain during the 1980s...

  • Bésame Mucho
    Bésame Mucho
    "Bésame Mucho" is a Spanish language song written in 1940 by Mexican songwriter Consuelo Velázquez.-Inspiration:According to Velázquez herself, she wrote this song even though she had never been kissed yet at the time, and kissing as she heard was considered a sin.She was inspired by the piano...

     (2005), Mexican and Cuba Boleros Various Artist
  • Hot Feet
    Hot Feet
    Hot Feet is a jukebox musical featuring the music of Earth, Wind & Fire, a book by Heru Ptah and was conceived, directed, and choreographed by Maurice Hines. The musical opened on Broadway at the Foxwoods Theatre on April 30, 2006 and closed on July 23, 2006.Hot Feet is about a beautiful young...

     (2006), music of Earth, Wind & Fire
    Earth, Wind & Fire
    Earth, Wind & Fire is an American soul and R&B band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1969 by Verdine and Maurice White. Also known as EWF, the band has won six Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards. They have been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Vocal Group Hall of...

  • Priscilla Queen of the Desert – the Musical (2006), Various Artists
  • Daddy Cool
    Daddy Cool (musical)
    Daddy Cool is a musical based upon the works of Boney M and other Frank Farian produced artists. It premiered in the West End in 2006, followed by UK and international tours.The musical tells the story of Sunny, a young man who lives for his music...

     (2006), music of Boney M
    Boney M
    Boney M. is a Eurodisco group created by German record producer Frank Farian. Originally based in Germany, the four original members of the group's official line-up were Jamaicans Liz Mitchell and Marcia Barrett, Maizie Williams from Montserrat and Bobby Farrell from Aruba...

  • Ring of Fire
    Ring of Fire (musical)
    Ring of Fire is a jukebox musical based on the music of Johnny Cash.It opened on Broadway on at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on March 12, 2006. Due to poor reviews and critical reception, as well as low ticket sales, the final performances were in April 2006, only one month after opening.-External...

     (2006), music of Johnny Cash
    Johnny Cash
    John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...

  • Rock of Ages
    Rock of Ages (musical)
    Rock of Ages is a rock/jukebox musical, with a book by Chris D'Arienzo, built around classic rock hits from the 1980s, especially from the famous glam metal bands of the decade. The musical features songs from Styx, Journey, Bon Jovi, Pat Benatar, Twisted Sister, Steve Perry, Poison and Asia, among...

     (2006), music of the 80s era.
  • Thriller - Live (2006), Music from Michael Jackson
    Michael Jackson
    Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...

  • The Times They Are A-Changin'
    The Times They Are A-Changin' (musical)
    The Times They Are A-Changin' is a musical, conceived, directed and choreographed by Twyla Tharp.Mixing the theatre, dance and the musical stylings of Bob Dylan, Twyla Tharp tells a coming-of-age story that takes place inside a low-rent traveling circus found within a dark and humorous dream...

     (2006), music of Bob Dylan
    Bob Dylan
    Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...

  • The Onion Cellar
    The Onion Cellar
    The Onion Cellar is a play that premiered at the Zero Arrow Theater , in Cambridge, Massachusetts from December 9, 2006 to January 13, 2007. It is a cross between a musical, cabaret show, rock concert and drama. It was the brain child of Amanda Palmer who based the title of the production on a...

     (2006), music of The Dresden Dolls
    The Dresden Dolls
    The Dresden Dolls are an American musical duo from Boston, Massachusetts. Formed in 2000, the group consists of Amanda Palmer and Brian Viglione...

  • Why Do Fools Fall In Love? (2006), music hits of the 60s, various artists
  • Never Forget
    Never Forget (musical)
    Never Forget is a jukebox musical with a book written by Guy Jones and Ed Curtis, with screenwriter Danny Brocklehurst acting as story advisor, based on the 1990s songs of boyband Take That, written by Gary Barlow...

     (2007), music of Take That
    Take That
    Take That are a British five-piece vocal pop group comprising Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams. Barlow acts as the lead singer and primary songwriter...

  • The Slide
    The Slide (musical)
    The Slide is a jukebox musical featuring the songs of The Beautiful South. It was premiered at the Phoenix Theatre, Swindon.The show follows the exploits of its main character Philip ‘Baddie’ Badwick, who receives funding from his employer to study engineering at a northern university as a mature...

     (2007) music of The Beautiful South
    The Beautiful South
    The Beautiful South were an English alternative rock group formed at the end of the 1980s by two former members of Hull group The Housemartins, Paul Heaton and Dave Hemingway. The duo were initially joined by Sean Welch , Dave Stead and Dave Rotheray , all of whom stayed with the group throughout...

  • All the Fun of the Fair
    All the Fun of the Fair
    All the Fun of the Fair is a jukebox musical with a book by Jon Conway, based on the songs of David Essex. The title of the musical is taken from David Essex's 1975 album All the Fun of the Fair. The plot is fictional, not autobiographical...

     (2008) music of David Essex
    David Essex
    David Essex OBE is an English musician, singer-songwriter and actor. Since the 1970s, Essex has attained nineteen Top 40 singles in the UK , and sixteen Top 40 albums...

  • Dreamboats and Petticoats
    Dreamboats and Petticoats
    Dreamboats and Petticoats is a jukebox musical based on popular songs from the fifties and early sixties. The musical, featuring those songs of the rock 'n' roll era, is set around the years 1957 to 1963 and was written by Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran....

     (2009), based on the album featuring music of the 1960s
  • Mentiras el musical
    Mentiras el musical
    Mentiras, el musical, is a 2009 Mexican Jukebox musical based on popular songs from the 1980s written and directed by Jose Manuel Lopez Velarde. It is produced by OCESA, with Federico Gonzalez Compean and Morris Gilbert as Executive Producers. The Musical celebrated 600 shows in November 2010, and...

     (2009), Mexican songs from 1980s era Various Artists
  • Fela!
    Fela!
    Fela! is a musical with a book by Bill T. Jones and Jim Lewis, based on music and lyrics by the late Nigerian singer Fela Kuti, with additional music by Aaron Johnson and Jordan Mclean and additional lyrics by Jim Lewis. It is based on events in the life of groundbreaking Nigerian composer and...

     (2009), Music of Fela Kuti
    Fela Kuti
    Fela Anikulapo Kuti , or simply Fela , was a Nigerian multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, pioneer of Afrobeat music, human rights activist, and political maverick.-Biography:...

  • Life Could Be a Dream
    Life Could Be a Dream (musical)
    Life Could Be a Dream is a jukebox musical written and directed by Roger Bean, creator of The Marvelous Wonderettes, and produced by David Elzer...

     (2009), doo-wop music circa 1960
  • Everyday Rapture
    Everyday Rapture
    Everyday Rapture is a musical with a book written by Sherie Rene Scott and Dick Scanlan and music by various composers. It ran Off-Broadway in 2009 and opened on Broadway in 2010...

     (2010), Music from Various Artists (ranging from Judy Garland
    Judy Garland
    Judy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...

     and The Supremes
    The Supremes
    The Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco...

    , to Mr. Rogers)
  • Come Fly Away
    Come Fly Away
    Come Fly Away is a dance revue conceived, directed and choreographed by Twyla Tharp, around the songs of Frank Sinatra. The musical, set in a New York City nightclub, follows four couples as they look for love....

     (2010), music of Frank Sinatra
    Frank Sinatra
    Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...

  • Million Dollar Quartet
    Million Dollar Quartet (musical)
    Million Dollar Quartet is a jukebox musical written by Floyd Mutrux and Colin Escott. It dramatizes the Million Dollar Quartet recording session of December 4, 1956, among early Rock and roll stars Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins, and newcomer Jerry Lee Lewis...

    , music of Elvis Presley
    Elvis Presley
    Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....

    , Jerry Lee Lewis
    Jerry Lee Lewis
    Jerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer-songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis's career faltered after he married his young cousin, and he afterwards made a career extension to country and western music. He is known by the nickname 'The...

    , Carl Perkins
    Carl Perkins
    Carl Lee Perkins was an American rockabilly musician who recorded most notably at Sun Records Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, beginning during 1954...

    , and Johnny Cash
    Johnny Cash
    John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...

  • American Idiot
    American Idiot (musical)
    American Idiot is a one-act, through-sung stage musical. The show is an adaptation of punk rock band Green Day's concept album of the same name. Additional Green Day songs were interpolated from other sources, including 21st Century Breakdown, American Idiot b-sides, and an unreleased song called...

     (2010), Music from Green Day
    Green Day
    Green Day is an American punk rock band formed in 1987. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool...

  • Waiting for a Train (2011), music of Jimmie Rodgers (country singer)
    Jimmie Rodgers (country singer)
    James Charles Rodgers , known as Jimmie Rodgers, was an American country singer in the early 20th century known most widely for his rhythmic yodeling...

  • Baby It's You!
    Baby It's You!
    Baby It's You! is a jukebox musical written by Floyd Mutrux and Colin Escott, featuring the music of the 1960s pop group The Shirelles. The show "tells the story of Florence Greenberg and Scepter Records, the label Florence started when she signed The Shirelles." After several tryouts and...

     (2011), music of The Shirelles
    The Shirelles
    The Shirelles were an African-American girl group that achieved popularity in the early 1960s. They consisted of schoolmates Shirley Owens , Doris Coley , Addie "Micki" Harris , and Beverly Lee...

  • Life in a Nutshell (2011), music of Barenaked Ladies
    Barenaked Ladies
    Barenaked Ladies is a Canadian alternative rock band. The band is currently composed of Jim Creeggan, Kevin Hearn, Ed Robertson, and Tyler Stewart. Barenaked Ladies formed in 1988 in Scarborough, Ontario, then a suburban municipality outside the City of Toronto...


List of jukebox musical films

  • Meet Me in St. Louis
    Meet Me in St. Louis
    Meet Me in St. Louis is a 1944 musical film from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer which tells the story of an American family living in St. Louis at the time of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition World's Fair in 1904...

     (1945)
  • Till the Clouds Roll By
    Till the Clouds Roll By
    Till The Clouds Roll By is a 1946 American musical film made by MGM. The film is a fictionalized biography of composer Jerome Kern, who was originally involved with the production of the film, but died before it was completed...

     (1946)
  • One Sunday Afternoon
    One Sunday Afternoon
    One Sunday Afternoon is a pre-Code 1933 romantic comedy film directed by Stephen R. Roberts. Its screenplay was written by William Slavens McNutt and Grover Jones, based on the play of the same name by James Hagan. The story is of a small town dentist and his attempt to win back the old love of his...

     (1948)
  • Singin' in the Rain
    Singin' in the Rain
    Singin' in the Rain is a 1952 American comedy musical film starring Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds and directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, with Kelly also providing the choreography...

     (1952)
  • Love Me or Leave Me
    Love Me or Leave Me (film)
    Love Me or Leave Me is a 1955 biographical film which tells the life story of Ruth Etting, a singer who rose from dancer to movie star. It stars Doris Day as Etting, James Cagney as gangster Martin "Moe the Gimp" Snyder, her first husband and manager, and Cameron Mitchell as pianist/ arranger Myrl...

     (1955)
  • A Hard Day's Night
    A Hard Day's Night (film)
    A Hard Day's Night is a 1964 British black-and-white comedy film directed by Richard Lester and starring The Beatles—John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr—during the height of Beatlemania. It was written by Alun Owen and originally released by United Artists...

     (1964)
  • Help!
    Help! (film)
    Help! is a 1965 film directed by Richard Lester, starring The Beatles—John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr—and featuring Leo McKern, Eleanor Bron, Victor Spinetti, John Bluthal, Roy Kinnear and Patrick Cargill. Help! was the second feature film made by the Beatles and is a...

     (1965)
  • Yellow Submarine (1968)
  • The Boy Friend
    The Boy Friend
    The Boy Friend is a musical by Sandy Wilson. The musical's original 1954 London production ran for 2,078 performances, making it briefly the third-longest running musical in West End or Broadway history until it was surpassed by Salad Days...

     (1971)
  • At Long Last Love
    At Long Last Love
    At Long Last Love is an American motion picture musical that was released in 1975. It was written, produced and directed by Peter Bogdanovich and stars Burt Reynolds and Cybill Shepherd....

     (1975)
  • Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
    Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (film)
    Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is a 1978 American musical film. Its soundtrack, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, features new versions of songs originally written and performed by The Beatles. The film draws primarily from two of their albums, 1967's Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club...

     (1978)
  • Can't Stop the Music
    Can't Stop the Music
    Can't Stop the Music is a 1980 musical comedy film directed by Nancy Walker. It is a pseudo-biography of disco's Village People which bears only a vague resemblance to the actual story of the group's formation...

     (1980)
  • The Blues Brothers
    The Blues Brothers (film)
    The Blues Brothers is a 1980 musical comedy film directed by John Landis and starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd as "Joliet" Jake and Elwood Blues, characters developed from a musical sketch on the NBC variety series Saturday Night Live. It features musical numbers by R&B and soul singers James...

     (1980)
  • American Pop
    American Pop
    American Pop is a 1981 American animated musical drama film produced and directed by Ralph Bakshi. The film tells the story of four generations of a Russian Jewish immigrant family of musicians whose careers parallel the history of American popular music....

     (1981)
  • Everyone Says I Love You
    Everyone Says I Love You
    Everyone Says I Love You is a 1996 American musical film that was written and directed by Woody Allen. The film features many stars, including Julia Roberts, Alan Alda, Edward Norton, Drew Barrymore, Gaby Hoffmann, Tim Roth, Goldie Hawn, and Natalie Portman.Set in New York, Venice, and Paris, the...

     (1996)
  • Blues Brothers 2000
    Blues Brothers 2000
    Blues Brothers 2000 is a 1998 American musical comedy film that is a sequel to the 1980 film The Blues Brothers. Directed by John Landis, the film featured Dan Aykroyd and John Goodman, with cameos by many musicians.-Plot:...

     (1998)
  • Love's Labour's Lost
    Love's Labour's Lost (2000 film)
    Love's Labour's Lost is a 2000 adaptation of the comic play of the same name by William Shakespeare, directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh. It was the first feature film to be made of this lesser-known comedy...

     (2000)
  • Moulin Rouge!
    Moulin Rouge!
    Moulin Rouge! is a 2001 romantic jukebox musical film directed, produced, and co-written by Baz Luhrmann. Following the Red Curtain Cinema principles, the film is based on the Orphean myth, La Traviata, and La Bohème...

     (2001)
  • 20 centímetros
    20 centímetros
    20 centímetros is a 2005 Spanish film about a narcoleptic transsexual woman's life as she works to get the surgery to fix her "20 centímetro" problem. The film was written and directed by Ramón Salazar, and stars Mónica Cervera as Marieta and Pablo Puyol as Raúl, the man who loves "all" of Marieta....

     (2005), Various Artists
  • Happy Feet
    Happy Feet
    Happy Feet is a 2006 American-Australian computer-animated family film with music, directed and co-written by George Miller. It was produced at Sydney-based visual effects and animation studio Animal Logic for Warner Bros., Village Roadshow Pictures and Kingdom Feature Productions and was released...

     (2006)
  • Idlewild
    Idlewild (film)
    Idlewild is an American musical film, released August 25, 2006, written and directed by Bryan Barber. The film stars André 3000 and Big Boi of the hip hop duo OutKast, and Idlewild features musical numbers written, produced, and chiefly performed by OutKast...

     (2006)
  • Romance & Cigarettes
    Romance & Cigarettes
    Romance & Cigarettes is a 2005 American musical romantic comedy film written and directed by John Turturro. The film stars an ensemble cast, including James Gandolfini, Susan Sarandon, Kate Winslet, Steve Buscemi, Bobby Cannavale, Mandy Moore, Mary-Louise Parker, Aida Turturro, Christopher Walken,...

     (2006)
  • Across the Universe
    Across the Universe (film)
    Across the Universe is a musical romantic drama film directed by Julie Taymor, produced by Revolution Studios, and distributed by Columbia Pictures. The film's plot is centered around songs by The Beatles. It was released in the United States on October 12, 2007. The script is based on an original...

     (2007), based on the songs of The Beatles
    The Beatles
    The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...

  • Mamma Mia!
    Mamma Mia! (film)
    Mamma Mia! is a 2008 musical/romantic comedy film adapted from the 1999 West End/2001 Broadway musical of the same name, based on the songs of successful pop group ABBA, with additional music composed by ABBA member Benny Andersson...

     (2008), based on the musical Mamma Mia!
    Mamma Mia!
    Mamma Mia! is a stage musical written by British playwright Catherine Johnson, based on the songs of ABBA, composed by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, former members of the band. Although the title of the musical is taken from the group's 1975 chart-topper "Mamma Mia", the plot is fictional, not...

    , which is based on the songs of ABBA
    ABBA
    ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...

  • Happy Feet Two (2011)

List of Jukebox Musical TV Shows

  • Blackpool
    Blackpool (TV serial)
    Blackpool is a British television musical comedy drama serial, produced in-house by the BBC. It was screened on BBC One as six one-hour episodes on Thursday nights at 9pm from 11 November to 16 December 2004...

     (2007)
  • Viva Laughlin
    Viva Laughlin
    Viva Laughlin is an American musical–dramedy series adapted by Bob Lowry and Peter Bowker from the popular BBC British serial, Blackpool. They also served as executive producers alongside Hugh Jackman, John Palermo, Paul Telegdy and Gabriele Muccino. The latter also directed the pilot...

    (2007)

External links

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