10 Classic Broadway Musicals of the 1950s

Following the lean years of the Great Depression and the turmoil of the second world war, Broadway entered a golden age in the latter half of the 1940s that truly thrived during the 1950s. The decade saw creative bursts in so many areas of the arts and entertainment, including film, television, music, literature, and more. And the many iconic Broadway musicals of the 1950s prove that musical theater was no exception. Let's take a look back at just some of these now-classic Broadway musicals of the 1950s.

Great Broadway Musicals of the '50s

1. Guys and Dolls – With a book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows, and music and lyrics written by Frank Loesser, this famous musical comedy premiered at the 46th Street Theatre (now the Richard Rodgers Theatre) in November 1950, where it ran for 1,200 performances. It won the Tony Award for Best Musical and spawned a hit movie adaptation and numerous revival performances.

2. The King and I – Based on Margaret Landon's 1944 novel Anna and the King of Siam, the stage adaptation was the fifth collaboration between famed duo Rogers and Hammerstein. It ran for 1,246 performances at the St. James Theatre starting in March of 1951, and it won Tony Awards in the categories of Best Musical, Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical, and Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical.

3. Can-Can – This story about Montmartre dancehall showgirls in the 1890s ran for over two years, beginning in 1953, for a total of 892 performances at Broadway's Shubert Theatre. The book is by Abe Burrows and the lyrics and music were written by Cole Porter. It won two Tonies in the categories of Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical and Best Choreography.

4. The Pajama Game – This tale about a labor dispute in a pajama factory features a book by George Abbott and Richard Bissell, and lyrics and music by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. Debuting at the St. James Theatre on Broadway in May 1954, it ran for 1,063 performances. It won Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical, and Best Choreography.

5. Damn Yankees – Premiering at the 46th Street Theatre (now the Richard Rodgers Theatre) in May 1955, this musical comedy with a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop, and music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, offers a modern take on the legend of Faust. It ran for 1,019 performances, finishing at the Adelphi Theatre and winning lots of Tonies, including Best Musical, Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical, Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical, Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical, Best Conductor and Musical Director, Best Choreography, and Best Stage Technician (and it garnered a few other nominations, too).

6. Bells Are Ringing – In November 1956, this story about a woman who works at an answering service debuted at the Shubert Theatre, where it ran for more than two years before moving to the Alvin Theater (now the Neil Simon Theatre). Between both locations, it ran for 924 performances. It features book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green and music by Jule Styne, and the show won Tony Awards for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical and Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical.

7. My Fair Lady – With book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe, this was the longest-running Broadway musical production of the 1950s at 2,717 shows. This retelling of George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion debuted on Broadway in March 1956 at the former Mark Hellinger Theatre, and then went on to show at the Broadhurst Theatre and The Broadway Theatre over the course of its long run ujntil September 1962. It has seen many adaptations and revivals, and won Tonies for Best Musical, Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical, Best Director of a Musical, Best Scenic Design, Best Costume Design, and Best Conductor and Musical Director, and it was nominated in four other categories.

8. The Music Man – Meredith Wilson wrote the book, music, and lyrics for one of the best-known Broadway musicals of the 1950s, about a traveling con man who sells instruments and band uniforms then skips town without providing promised music lessons—until he falls in love. Opening in December 1957 after years of rewriting and development, this musical ran for 1,375 performances and won Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical, Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical, Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical, Best Stage Technician, and Best Conductor and Musical Director.

9. West Side Story – Inspired by Shakespeare's famous play Romeo and Juliet, this musical arose from the major talents of Arthur Laurents (book), Leonard Bernstein (music), and Stephen Sondheim (lyrics). It opened on Broadway at the Winter Garden Theatre in September 1957—marking Sondheim's Broadway debut—and ran for 734 shows. It was nominated for six Tonies, including Best Musical, but only won for Best Choreography and Best Scenic Design; it lost in the Best Musical category to the previous entry.

10. The Sound of Music – Another Rodgers and Hammerstein classic, with a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, this famous story about the von Trapp family premiered on Broadway at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in November 1959 and subsequently transferred to the Mark Hellinger Theatre until closing in June 1963 after 1,443 performances. It was nominated for nine Tony Awards, winning for Best Musical, Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical, Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical, Best Conductor and Musical Director, and Best Scenic Design of a Musical (the Best Scenic Design category being newly divided to be given separately for musicals and plays).