1. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Cast: 7

No. of Act(s): 1

Written by Shelly Markham and Judith Viorst, this musical is based on the beloved children’s book of the same name. While the cast is small, each performer is required to play several roles. You’re cast is sure to have fun with this comedic and very catchy musical.

Click here for additional information and sample tracks.

2. Romance/Romance

Cast: 4

No. of Act(s): 2

This musical by Barry Harman and Keith Herrmann takes a close look at romance seekers throughout the centuries. While the cast is quite small this musical is big on wonderful, very singable tunes. Romance/Romance also provides two varied settings – one in turn on the century Vienna and the other set in modern-day.

Click here for additional information and sample tracks.

3. Five Guys Named Moe

Cast: 6

No. of Act(s): 2

Written by Clarke Peters and Louis Jordan, the title of this musical is slightly misleading in that there are actually six characters required (not 5 as the title might suggest). This super jazzy tribute to saxophonist Louis Jordan is perfect for a small cast of strong male performers.

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4. Edges

Cast: 4

No. of Act(s): 1

Written in 2007 by Justin Paul and Benj Pasek, this particular musical has a very contemporary sounding score and is perfect for high school students due to its “coming-of-age” content. Figuring out life is part of growing up and your students will thank you for providing a choice that hits close to home and is easy to relate to.

Click here for additional information and sample tracks.

5. Charlie and Algernon (Flowers for Algernon, the musical)

Cast: 9

No. of Act(s): 2

This musical by David Rogers and Charles Strouse is based on the popular book Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes. This would be an especially interesting option to produce if you have English classes studying the book as well. While the content is more serious in nature than most of my suggestions above, serious consideration should be given to this particular show.

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Has this given you any ideas and set the wheels in motion for your next high school musical? Or do you have a fantastic small cast musical option that should be added to the list? If so, I’d love to hear about it – please drop me a line in the comments below.

Plus, don’t miss our posts on the top 5 not-so-common musicals for medium and large cast sizes!