One- and two-person musicals might trade chorus lines for close-ups and spectacle for storytelling, but they manage to pack just as much emotional punch. Whether it’s a solo journey through memory or a two-person tug-of-war full of harmonies and heartbreak, these musicals you can produce with just one or two cast members prove that you don’t need a large cast to make a big impact. Looking for something a little larger? Check out our small-cast musicals that require six or fewer actors.
Hedwig and the Angry Inch Text by John Cameron Mitchell, Music & Lyrics by Stephen Trask
It tells the story of “internationally ignored song stylist” Hedwig Schmidt, a fourth-wall smashing East German rock ‘n’ roll goddess who also happens to be the victim of a botched sex-change operation, which has left her with just “an angry inch.” This outrageous and unexpectedly hilarious story is dazzlingly performed by Hedwig (née Hansel) in the form of a rock gig/stand-up comedy routine backed by the hard-rocking band “The Angry Inch.” Using songs and monologues, Hedwig tells her story, which began in the former East Berlin where as Hansel he meets Luther, an American GI who promises to take the young man to the States on the condition that he switch his sex. After the bungled operation, Luther abandons newly named Hedwig in a Kansas trailer park, where she turns to music and meets geeky Tommy Speck, whom she takes under her wing and soon falls for. Tommy steals her songs, achieves rock star fame, and Hedwig is once again cast aside. She decides to demand redress and stalks Tommy’s world tour, performing in the T.G.I. Fridays that are situated next door to his stadiums. Hedwig describes her life’s search for “The Origin of Love” and her other half. It’s a rocking ride, funny, touching, and ultimately inspiring to anyone who has felt life gave them an inch when they deserved a mile.
Cast: 2 Any
Penelope Music & Lyrics by Alex Bechtel; Book by Alex Bechtel, Grace McLean, & Eva Steinmetz; Based on writings in The Odyssey by Homer
Penelope has been waiting…and waiting…and waiting for her husband, Odysseus, to return from a decade-long war. Given the rest of the soldiers came home years ago—forgive her, but she’s going to need a drink while she tells you about it. With a beautiful folk-inflected pop score backed by an onstage band of strings, piano, and drums, Penelope confides in us about her loneliness, her son’s disappearance, her suitors, her gods, her faith in her marriage—and ultimately, the faith that she must have in herself. So go ahead and grab a drink too, and listen to this ancient tale made new: A woman wondering who she is if she’s alone, and discovering that she has, is, and will always be complete, with her husband by her side or otherwise.
Cast: 1F
Los Otros Book & Lyrics by Ellen Fitzhugh, Music by Michael John Lachiusa
Through a series of beautiful and intimate moments, two Californians, Lillian and Carlos, explore significant moments in their lives, discovering they are linked in unexpected ways. Semi-autobiographical, Los Otros captures a universal story of interconnectedness, love, risk, and revelation through the lens of two people’s lives.
Cast: 1F / 1M
DIVA: Live from Hell Book & Characters by Nora Brigid Monahan, Music & Lyrics by Alexander Sage Oyen
As president of the drama club at Ronald Reagan High School and the star of every school play, Desmond Channing spent most of his short life in the spotlight. But when Evan Harris, a hotshot transfer from New York, challenges his throne, Desmond responds, as any diva would, with lethal force. Now, stuck in the Seventh Circle, Hell’s most squalid cabaret venue, Desmond is forced to relive his disturbing tale of woe. As he presents his one-millionth consecutive show, Desmond performs with a desperate vigor in the hopes that he can prove he’s repented and be freed from this eternal, campy torment.
Cast: 1 Any
Goblin Market By Polly Pen & Peggy Harmon, Music by Polly Pen, Adapted from the Poem by Christina Rossetti
Two proper Victorian sisters, both now grown women and mothers, return to their childhood nursery to relive the haunting memories of their youth. Magically, they are transported back to their girlhood, as their nursery becomes a woodland glen peopled by bizarre goblins who entice them with luscious fruits and promises of unimagined ecstasies. One of the sisters, Laura, partakes of the forbidden offerings, while her sibling, Lizzie, bargains desperately with the fey creatures to save her from inexorably falling under their spell. Blending music, poetry and entrancing imagery, the play is a dazzling journey through the psyches of the two sisters as they struggle to regain the present and to reconcile the fervent, erotic yearnings of their adolescence with the matter-of-fact world that they now inhabit. Happily they succeed, but their voyage in and out of the past—and through the labyrinths of their vivid imaginations—weaves an enchanted spell that will linger long in the memory.
Cast: 2F
Thrill Me, The Leopold & Loeb Story Book, Music & Lyrics by Stephen Dolginoff
Relationships can be murder. Thrill Me: The Leopold & Loeb Story is a two-character musical drama that recounts the chilling true story of the legendary duo who committed one of the most infamous and heinous crimes of the twentieth century. Focusing on their obsessive relationship and utilizing Leopold’s 1958 parole hearing as a framework, Thrill Me reveals the series of events in 1924 Chicago that led about-to-be law students Leopold and Loeb to be forever remembered as “the thrill killers.” Nathan Leopold was passionate about Richard Loeb, who was passionate about crime and excitement. They created a secret agreement to satisfy each other’s needs. Soon Richard convinced Nathan that they embodied Nietzsche’s idea of the “Superman” and were above society. Then he drew him into his plan to lure a young boy to his death just to prove they could get away with it. But soon their perfect crime unraveled due to a careless mistake. Or was it so careless?
Cast: 2M
Arlington Book & Lyrics by Victor Lodato, Music by Polly Pen
It’s a sunny day and Sara Jane is trying valiantly to keep it that way. Her young husband, Jerry, is away at war, and though Sara Jane believes in the cause, nothing has seemed quite right lately—especially the last few messages from Jerry. At least she has her piano—and Jerry’s bourbon—to keep her company as she tries to figure things out. But how far will she go to keep the impending storm at bay? Arlington is a stirring, funny and powerful new work from playwright/novelist Victor Lodato and award-winning composer Polly Pen.
Cast: 1F / 1M
George M. Cohan Tonight! Written, Arranged, & Originally Directed by Chip Deffaa
Meet “The Yankee Doodle Boy” himself in this upbeat one-man journey through the life, music, and artistry of this legendary entertainer. George M. Cohan Tonight! is a dazzling showcase that reveals the essence of the man, his music, and the fabulous era of show business he helped shape. With roots in vaudeville that would shape his life and career, Cohan means it when he says, “Give My Regards To Broadway,” having left an indelible mark on American theater. Featuring hit songs such as “Over There,” “Forty-Five Minutes From Broadway,” “You’re A Grand Old Flag,” and “All Aboard For Broadway,” this high-energy show is insightful and entertaining— a delightful salute to the man who almost single-handedly invented the American musical comedy.
Cast: 1M
Honky Tonk Laundry Written by Roger Bean, Music Arrangements by Jon Newton
Move over, Thelma and Louise! When Lana Mae Hopkins, owner and proprietress of the Wishy Washy Washateria, hires Katie to help out in the laundromat, they soon find themselves up to their elbows in soap, suds, and cheatin’ hearts. Watch these two country angels join forces to turn their good ol’ laundromat into a bootscootin’ honky-tonk and exact a touch of revenge against those that done ‘em wrong, all while guaranteeing every customer a good, clean time! Featuring the music of Carrie Underwood, Trisha Yearwood, Martina McBride, Reba McEntire, Sara Evans, Dixie Chicks, Chely Wright, Dolly Parton, Pam Tillis, Gretchen Wilson, Terri Cark, Tammy Wynette, Loretta Lynn, and Patsy Cline!
Cast: 2F
Assisted Living Music, Lyrics, & Book by Rick Compton & Betsy Bennett
Welcome to Pelican Roost, the party school of retirement communities. This show tells the tales Granny will never tell. Pelican Roost is a place where buffoonery lives next door to screwball, just across the way from cockamamie! The show’s host couple enters heaven, suspecting their son pulled the plug to get his hands on Dad’s vintage Corvette. They don’t seem to mind— instead they take the audience on an uproarious journey that celebrates the latter years. This vaudeville-esque revue will knock you off your rocker!
Cast: 1M / 1F
Holiday Musicals with 1 or 2 Cast Members
Our Christmas Carol Book by Patrick Greene, Music & Lyrics by David Abbinanti
Dickens’ classic story comes to life in this two-character musical adaptation. On Christmas Day, Widower and former actor, Harold, joins his grown daughter, Sylvia, in performing the adaptation of A Christmas Carol that Harold used to perform with his wife. Our Christmas Carol is a moving, and faithful adaptation of this beloved holiday treasure.
Cast: 1M / 1F
Another Night Before Christmas by Sean Grennan, Music by Leah Okimoto
Karol, a disillusioned social worker, is trudging home one cold December night when she encounters an old man sitting on a park bench. Mistaking him for homeless, Karol offers the stranger some food — a seemingly innocent gesture, until he turns up in her apartment claiming to be Santa Claus. Thanks to a malfunctioning security system, Karol finds herself trapped with “Mr. Claus” and forced to confront her feelings about Christmas once and for all in this touching musical battle between cynicism and belief.
Cast: 1M / 1F
Assisted Living: The Home for the Holidays Music, Lyrics, & Book by Rick Compton & Betsy Bennett
The hilarious comedy team of Compton and Bennett are off their walkers once again in this all new, hysterical holiday sequel to the runaway hit about the nursing home and beyond. Christmas and retirement will never be the same.
Cast: 1M / 1F
