10 Best Musicals Based On Historical Events

Musicals often use real people as the inspiration for their stories, such as Something Rotten, which is based on the fictional exploits of William Shakespeare, and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, which used the real Ma Rainey as its inspiration but told a mostly fictitious story.

However, sometimes musicals directly adapt a real event from history. Some might take major liberties with the source material, but others ensure that care has been put into the narrative to portray the real people as sensitively and accurately as possible.

10 Come From Away

Come From Away tells the true story of the week after the September 11th attacks when 38 planes were redirected away from their intended destination and forced to land in Gander, Canada, to keep them safe. Gander’s small-town population embraced and helped the 7,000 plane passengers that suddenly showed up in their town, getting to know them and sharing what they could.

Gander was not the only town affected by the crisis. Hundreds of planes, around 255, were diverted from their destinations and forced to land in towns across Canada, putting pressure on the townspeople to share their resources. In addition, the character of Beverley in the musical is based on the real Beverley Bass, American Airlines’ first female captain.

9 Jersey Boys

The Four Seasons rock band had a rags-to-riches rise to fame, which was turned into the musical, Jersey Boys, in 2005. The musical follows the band’s inception, using a jukebox format to include classic songs such as, “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” as well as exploring complications amongst the members and their personal lives.

One of the most important events in this band’s lifespan was their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, reuniting the band one last time before their permanent split. A movie adaptation by Clint Eastwood was released in 2014 to very mixed reviews, but the musical has enjoyed substantial success throughout the years.

8 Diana

The 2021 musical Diana was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the production is packed full of songs and engaging performances, despite the empty theatre in which it played. Every Diana song in the musical soundtrack brings a unique perspective to the life of Princess Diana, exploring how she was seen by the public, as well as the role and perspective of Queen Elizabeth and Charles.

Many important events are portrayed in the musical, such as the birth of Prince William and Diana’s rising fame as she is hounded by the paparazzi. The iconic wedding is shown in all its splendor, as well as some of Diana’s iconic outfits.

7 21 Chump Street

Another stellar musical from Lin Manuel Miranda, 21 Chump Street is a short production telling the slightly fictionalized story of Justin, a teenager who falls in love with new girl, Naomi. Unbeknownst to Justin, Naomi is an undercover cop, and he is manipulated into providing Naomi with drugs, only to be arrested by the girl he thought he loved.

The names and details were changed for sensitivity, but the story was real at its core. The musical features some iconic Lin Manuel Miranda songs, such as the energetic, “What the Heck I Gotta Do,” where Justin tries to convince Naomi to go to the prom with him.

6 Everybody’s Talking About Jamie

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie is a brilliant musical based on a real documentary, Jamie: Drag Queen at 16, which followed a young Jamie Campbell as he came out as drag queen Fifi at his end-of-year prom. While Jamie is uncertain about the future and deals with bullies and opposition from all around him, he is determined to live his truth and be the best that he can be.

As well as being based on a real event, Jamie’s end-of-year prom, the musical touches on the impact of discrimination on the LGBTQ+ community, as well as the struggles that young people go through to truly define and express their sexuality.

5 Hamilton

One of the most famous musicals in the world, Hamilton follows Alexander Hamilton as he ventures to New York and becomes a prominent soldier in the American Revolution, eventually transitioning into a flawed and disgraced politician. Every Hamilton character has a distinct personality that makes them easy to root for, even the villains and the titular anti-hero himself.

Hamilton is based around the American Revolution, much like its fellow musical, 1776, which explored the events leading to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Hamilton goes further, however, and portrays the real lives and secrets of the founding fathers that many audience members may not have known about before.

4 SIX

A fun and fast-paced musical featuring a diverse female-led cast, SIX portrays the six wives of King Henry the Eighth, all of whom have come back to life to share their stories and own their narratives. The queens debate over who should be the leader of their girl band, SIX, and decide that whoever had the worst life with Henry will get to be the lead singer.

SIX encompasses many historical events, such as the beheading of Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard, as well as Henry’s excommunication and the start of the English Reformation. These events are portrayed in a fun and colorful way, without losing the sensitivity that its subject matter requires.

3 Evita

The iconic musical Evita follows the life of Eva Perón, one of the most influential First Ladies of Argentina, who worked for many charitable and feminist organizations. Although at the start of the musical, Eva wishes to be an actress, she soon becomes a spiritual leader and finds her “true calling” to help the people of her country.

The main event in this musical is Evita’s death, which both opens and closes the show. The iconic and heavily parodied song “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” is sung at the beginning of act two, when Eva acknowledges her duties to her people and her country, and she swears her loyalty to her people, even on her deathbed at the very end.

2 The Greatest Showman

With an incredible cast including one of Zendaya’s most likable characters, The Greatest Showman is a highly fictionalized version of P.T. Barnum’s life story. In real life, Barnum was a famous showman known for his hoaxes and inaccurate performers, but he was also a slave owner and greedy business owner. The musical, however, portrays Barnum as a cheerful family man who simply wants to put on a fun show and make money to feed his family.

Jenny Lind’s performances really did happen, although the film twists the narrative and makes it about Lind seducing Barnum, rather than showing what really happened. The musical also omits many historically confirmed events that would have made Barnum a villain, such as the various autopsies he performed, and the marriage of “Tom Thumb.”

1 The King And I

The King and I follows British governess Anna, as she travels to Siam to care for and teach the King of Siam’s children, eventually falling in love with the King himself. The core story of The King and I has a long history of being adapted for stage and screen. The musical is based on a novel, which is in turn based on the real memoirs of Anna Harriette Leonowens. Anna’s memoirs were themselves highly fictionalized, and details about Siam culture were added to the novel to create an authentic feel.

However, while the characters themselves may be fictional, and there is no historical evidence that Anna was in love with the King, the fact is that Anna did serve as governess to the King’s children, and when the King died, his successor wrote a thank you letter to Anna for her services.

About The Author

Leah Clarke
(76 Articles Published)

Leah Clarke is a List Writer for Screen Rant. She loves to talk about movies, anime, and TV shows. She is always writing action, fantasy, and comedy screenplays. She takes Japanese lessons and is studying for a master’s degree in scriptwriting.

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