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Description
A jukebox musical is a stage or film musical in which most songs are well‑known, pre‑existing popular music rather than newly composed material.
Instead of writing an original score, creators curate a catalog (often from a single artist, era, or label) and build a book (script) that either tells the artist’s biography or uses the songs to drive a fictional plot. Numbers are typically rearranged, re‑orchestrated, and stitched together with narrative dialogue and dance in the tradition of Broadway/West End musical theatre.
History
Revue traditions of the 1920s–1940s established the idea of structuring an evening around familiar songs. Mid‑century film and stage revues kept popular hits in theatrical circulation, foreshadowing the jukebox approach of using pre‑existing music rather than commissioning a new score.
By the late 1970s, Broadway began embracing catalog-driven shows such as Ain’t Misbehavin’ (1978, Fats Waller songs). In 1989, Return to the Forbidden Planet (UK) and Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story (UK) signaled a modern template: either a biographical arc (Buddy) or a narrative that deploys era hits as plot engines (Forbidden Planet).
Beatlemania (1977, concert-style) and Movin’ Out (2002, Billy Joel) broadened the format, but the watershed was Mamma Mia! (1999, London; 2001, Broadway), which used ABBA’s catalog to power a new romantic comedy plot. The runaway success of Mamma Mia! normalized the jukebox musical on both sides of the Atlantic. Soon after came Jersey Boys (2005), We Will Rock You (2002), All Shook Up (2005), and Rock of Ages (2005/2009), spanning biographical, tribute, and pastiche styles.
The form diversified into artist-focused biographies with dramatic heft—Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (2013), Tina (2018), On Your Feet! (2015), and Ain’t Too Proud (2017)—as well as era anthologies and movie-to-stage adaptations. Jukebox techniques also permeated film musicals, reinforcing a global, touring ecosystem.
Because audiences already know the songs, jukebox musicals offer strong marketing advantages. Creatively, the challenge is to craft a compelling book, make arrangements that serve character and story, and clear rights across complex catalogs.
