A jukebox musical is a stage musical or musical film wherein most of its featured songs are already well known in popular music, rather than part of an original score.
Some jukebox musicals use a wide variety of songs, while others confine themselves to songs previously performed by one singer or band, or written by one songwriter. In the latter cases, the plot is often a biography of the artist or artists, fictionalized to some degree. In other jukebox musicals, the plot is purely fictional. For musicals about a musician or musical act, some of the songs can be diegetic, meaning that they are performed within the world of the play or film. Works in which all of the music is diegetic, however, such as a biographical film about a singer who is at times shown performing their songs, are generally not considered jukebox musicals.
Revues that lack a plot are also usually not described as jukebox musicals, although plotless shows that include a dance element sometimes are.
History In Europe in the 17th and 18th century, many comic operas were produced that parodied popular songs of the time by performing them with modified lyrics. Comédie en vaudevilles and ballad operas are two genres that made heavy use of well-known melodies. The Beggar's Opera (1728), the first ballad opera and the most famous, has been called "the original jukebox musical".
Films considered early examples of jukebox musicals include An American in Paris (1951), Singin' in the Rain (1952), Rock, Rock, Rock (1956) and Rock Around the Clock (1956).
The songwriting team of Robert Wright and George Forrest pioneered the concept of musicals whose songs are derived from one composer's instrumental works, with newly-written lyrics. Some of these musicals also told the life story of that composer. Musicals and operettas that they produced in this fashion include Song of Norway (1944, using the music of Edvard Grieg), Magdalena: a Musical Adventure (1948, music of Heitor Villa-Lobos), a 1949 reworking of the 1934 musical The Great Waltz (music of Johann Strauss I and Johann Strauss II), Kismet (1953, music of Alexander Borodin), and Anya (1965, music of Sergei Rachmaninoff).
The origin of the phrase "jukebox musical" in its current meaning is unclear. The word "jukebox" dates to around 1939. The first documented use of "jukebox musical" in print may have been in a 1962 description of the musical Do Re Mi,Guide to the Performing Arts: 3460, Scarecrow Press, Inc., 1962, p. 204, "—Kanin, Garson; his jukebox musical with Phil Silvers, Nancy Walker". but that was a musical (with original music) about a man who sells jukeboxes. In a 1964 review of the Beatles film A Hard Day's Night, critic Andrew Sarris described that film as "the Citizen Kane of jukebox musicals", but he too may have had a meaning in mind other than the contemporary one, since most of that film's songs were original.
Although jukebox musicals had achieved success for years (for example, the 1989 musical Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story), a surge in popularity was led by the success of Mamma Mia! (1999), built around the music of ABBA. The biographical musical, a subset of the jukebox musical in which an artist's or band's own songs form the basis of a musical based on their life story, received a surge in popularity in the early 2000s with All Shook Up (about Elvis Presley) and Jersey Boys (commissioned by and about The Four Seasons), as well as The Boy from Oz (about Peter Allen).
Types of jukebox musicals
The most common format for jukebox musicals is a show that tells the life story of a famous musician or musical group, while incorporating songs from throughout their career. Artists whose life and songs have served as the basis for a jukebox musical include Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, John Lennon, Freddie Mercury, Susan Boyle, (twice) Shlomo Carlebach, Ritchie Valens, Johnny Cash, Cher, Patsy Cline, Bobby Darin (twice), The Drifters, Emilio and Gloria Estefan, Buddy Holly, Janis Joplin, Carole King, The Kinks, Fela Kuti, Udo Lindenberg, Bob Marley (twice), Johnny O'Keefe, The Seekers, Dusty Springfield (twice), Donna Summer, The Temptations, Robbie Williams, Tina Turner (twice), Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, Peter Allen, Hank Williams, Neil Diamond, and ABBA. Others who have gotten similar treatment include songwriter/producers Bert Berns, Berry Gordy and Ellie Greenwich, record producer Florence Greenberg, and composer/songwriter Norbert Glanzberg.
For jukebox musicals with a fictional plot, one common approach is to center the plot around one or more (fictional) singers or musicians, thus letting some of the songs be performed as songs within the show. Examples of such musicals include Boogie Nights (1998), Mamma Mia! (1999), We Will Rock You (2002), Hoy no me puedo levantar (2005), Bésame mucho, el musical (2005), Rock of Ages (2005), Daddy Cool (2006), Never Forget (2007), Viva Forever! (2012), All Out of Love (2018), and Jukebox Hero (2018).
Some jukebox musicals are adaptations of a film, in which songs from the film's soundtrack are now sung by the characters; examples include Saturday Night Fever (1998), Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (2006), Cruel Intentions: The '90s Musical (2015) and My Best Friend's Wedding (2024).
Some shows and films combine original and previously released songs; it may be a matter of opinion whether these qualify as jukebox musicals. For example, the stage musicals 42nd Street (1980), Five Guys Named Moe (1990), Crazy for You (1992), and Xanadu (2007) are all adaptations of earlier source material that added to the original score other well-known songs written by the original songwriters. The stage musicals The Last Ship (2014) and Standing at the Sky's Edge (2019) and film musicals Yellow Submarine (1968) and Idlewild (2006) are all musicals that combine original and previously recorded songs by a single artist or group. Other films that combine old and original songs include Singin' in the Rain (1952), Trolls (2016), and Cinderella (2021).
List of stage jukebox musicals
1970s
Year Title Based on the music of1976 Bubbling Brown Sugar Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Cab Calloway, et al.1977 Beatlemania The Beatles Elvis Elvis Presley1978 Ain't Misbehavin' Fats Waller Eubie! Eubie Blake
1980s
Year Title Based on the music of1980 42nd Street Al Dubin, Johnny Mercer, and Harry Warren1983 Abbacadabra ABBA1984 Leader of the Pack Ellie Greenwich, Jeff Barry, and Phil Spector1986 Big Deal Popular songs from the 1920s and 30s1987 Hank Williams: Lost Highway Hank Williams1989 Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story Buddy Holly, including many early rock "standards" Forever Plaid Popular songs from the 1950s Return to the Forbidden Planet 1960s rock and roll
1990s
Year Title Based on the music of1990 Five Guys Named Moe Louis Jordan1992 Crazy for you George Gershwin & Ira Gershwin1992 Jelly's Last Jam Jelly Roll Morton1993 The Who's Tommy The Who1996Summer HolidayCliff Richard & The Shadows1997 Boogie Nights The 1970s1998 Saturday Night Fever Bee Gees and others1999 Disco Inferno 1970s disco Mamma Mia! ABBA The Marvelous Wonderettes Female vocal harmony groups of the 1950s and 1960s
2000s Year Title Based on the music of 2001 Love, Janis Janis Joplin Shout! The Legend of The Wild One Johnny O'Keefe 2002 We Will Rock You Queen Our House Madness Movin' Out Billy Joel 2003 The Boy from Oz Peter Allen Tonight's the Night Rod Stewart Belles belles belles Claude François 2004 On the Record The Walt Disney Company 2005 Back to the 80's! Various 80s pop artists Lennon John Lennon Good Vibrations The Beach Boys All Shook Up Elvis Presley Jersey Boys Frankie Valli and Four Seasons Hoy no me puedo levantar Spanish group Mecano Bésame mucho, el musical Mexican and Cuban bolero songs 2006 Dusty – The Original Pop Diva Dusty Springfield Hot Feet Earth, Wind & Fire Priscilla, Queen of the Desert Various artists, based on the movie The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert Daddy Cool Frank Farian Ring of Fire Johnny Cash Rock of Ages Glam metal of the 1980s The Times They Are a-Changin' Bob Dylan The Onion Cellar The Dresden Dolls 2007 Desperately Seeking Susan Blondie Never Forget Take That Udo Jürgens Xanadu Electric Light Orchestra and Olivia Newton-John Sunshine on Leith The Proclaimers The Slide The Beautiful South 2008 All the Fun of the Fair David Essex Charles Aznavour 2009 Dreamboats and Petticoats Compilation album of songs from the 1950s and early 1960s Mentiras, el musical Mexican songs from the 1980s Fela! Fela Kuti Life Could Be a Dream Doo-wop music circa 1960 American Idiot Green Day, based on the album of the same name
2010s Year Title Based on the music of 2010 Perfect Harmony Various artists (ranging from The Jackson 5, to Pat Benatar) Everyday Rapture Various artists (ranging from Judy Garland and The Supremes, to Mr. Rogers) Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles The Beatles Come Fly Away Frank Sinatra Million Dollar Quartet Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash Norbert Glanzberg 2011 Baby It's You! Popular songs from the 1960s produced by Florence Greenberg Si nos dejan Mexican songs from the 1930s to 1950s Udo Lindenberg 2012 The Bodyguard Whitney Houston I Dreamed a Dream Susan Boyle Raiding the Rock Vault Various classic rock songs Viva Forever! Spice Girls Soul Sister Tina Turner Let it Be The Beatles Disaster! Popular songs from the 1970s Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots The Flaming Lips 2013 A Night with Janis Joplin Janis Joplin Beautiful: The Carole King Musical Carole King Soul Doctor Shlomo Carlebach and Nina Simone Motown: The Musical Motown 2014 Bullets Over Broadway Popular songs from the 1910s and 20s, based on the film Bullets Over Broadway Holler If Ya Hear Me Tupac Shakur Cyrano de BurgerShack Various artists including Carly Rae Jepsen and Smash Mouth Sunny Afternoon The Kinks Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill Billie Holiday Piece of My Heart: The Bert Berns Story Bert Berns 2015 On Your Feet! Emilio Estefan and Gloria Estefan One Love: The Bob Marley Musical Bob Marley France Gall Cruel Intentions: The '90s Musical Popular songs from the 1990s, based on the movie Cruel Intentions Georgy Girl The Seekers and other popular songs of the 1960s 2016 Lazarus David Bowie Dream Lover: The Bobby Darin Musical Bobby Darin 2017 The Band Take That Noites de Verão Britney Spears, based on the play A Midsummer Night's Dream Part of the Plan Dan Fogelberg Girl from the North Country Bob Dylan Summer: The Donna Summer Musical Donna SummerRainhard Fendrich Bat Out of Hell: The Musical Jim Steinman The Choir of Man Various artists 2018 Dusty – The Dusty Springfield Musical Dusty Springfield Jukebox Hero Foreigner Escape to Margaritaville Jimmy BuffettAng Huling El BimboEraserheads Tina Tina Turner Jagged Little Pill Alanis Morissette The Heart of Rock and Roll Huey Lewis and the News Head over HeelsThe Go-Go's The Cher Show Cher Clueless Popular songs from the 1990s, based on the movie Clueless All Out of Love Air Supply Ain't Too Proud The Temptations Moulin Rouge! Various artists 2019 Club Tropicana Various artists from the 1980s Standing at the Sky's Edge Richard Hawley Madea's Farewell Various artists & Juliet Max Martin
2020s