Who doesn’t love a good duet? There have been many, many fabulous musical theatre duets written for female characters over the past century and beyond. For this post, I decided to zero in on songs from the last 30-35ish years (I assume folks already know classic shows like Gypsy and Chicago by now). All the songs below would make great selections for concerts, cabarets, recitals, galas, etc. Characters and relationships vary by song, so you may need to do some research. And although these pieces are [mostly] sung by female-identifying characters, I wouldn’t discourage anyone across the gender spectrum from performing them. Happy singing!
P.S. Need help finding more musical theatre songs to sing?Check out my professional repertoire guides here.
Music by Lucy Simon; Lyrics by Michael Korie & Amy Powers | Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music: SheetMusicDirect
Music by Frank Wildhorn; Lyrics by Leslie Bricusse | Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music:MusicNotes
Music & Lyrics by Craig Carnelia | Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music: MusicNotes
Music & Lyrics by Jeff Bowen | Song Type: Comedic | Sheet Music: MusicNotes
Music by Alan Menken; Lyrics by David Crane, Seth Friedman & Marta Kauffman | Song Type: Comedic | Sheet Music: see full score
Music by Claude-Michel Schönberg; Lyrics by Alain Boublil & Richard Maltby Jr. | Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music: MusicNotes
Music & Lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe | Song Type: Comedic | Sheet Music: DailySheetMusic
Music by Cy Coleman; Lyrics by David Zippel | Song Type: Comedic | Sheet Music: MusicNotes
Music & Lyrics by Benj Pasek & Justin Paul | Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music: MusicNotes
Music by Jimmy Roberts; Lyrics by Joe DiPietro | Song Type: Comedic | Sheet Music: see full score
Music by Bree Lowdermilk; Lyrics by Kait Kerrigan | Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music: NewMusicalTheatre
Music by Tom Kitt; Lyrics by Brian Yorkey | Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music: MusicNotes
Music by Jeff Richmond; Lyrics by Nell Benjamin | Song Type: Comedic | Sheet Music: MusicNotes
Music by Scott Frankel; Lyrics by Michael Korie | Song Type: Comedic | Sheet Music: MusicNotes
Music by Jason Howland; Lyrics by Mindi Dickstein| Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music:MusicNotes
Music by Marc Shaiman; Lyrics by Scott Wittman & Marc Shaiman | Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music:MusicNotes
Music & Lyrics by Paul Gordon | Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music: MusicNotes
Music & Lyrics by Jonathan Larson | Song Type: Comedic | Sheet Music: MusicNotes
Music by Henry Krieger; Lyrics by Bill Russell | Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music: MusicNotes
Music by Matthew Sklar; Lyrics by Chad Beguelin| Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music: MusicNotes
Music & Lyrics by Robert Lopez & Jeff Marx | Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music: MusicNotes
Music & Lyrics by Joey Contreras | Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music:Songwriter Website
Music & Lyrics by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis & Stephen Bray | Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music:MusicNotes
[See Also: “The Color Purple”]
Music by Joshua Salzman; Lyrics by Ryan Cunningham | Song Type: Comedic | Sheet Music: MusicNotes
Music by George Stiles; Lyrics by Anthony Drewe| Song Type: Comedic | Sheet Music: MusicNotes
Music by Tom Kitt; Lyrics by Brian Yorkey | Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music: MusicNotes
Music by Michael Gore; Lyrics by Dean Pitchford | Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music: MusicNotes
Music by David Shire; Lyrics by Richard Maltby Jr. | Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music: see full score
Music by Scott Frankel; Lyrics by Michael Korie | Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music:MusicNotes
Music & Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz | Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music:MusicNotes
Music & Lyrics by Neil Bartram| Song Type: Comedic | Sheet Music: MusicNotes
Music & Lyrics by Barry Wymer| Song Type: Comedic | Sheet Music: Payhip
Music & Lyrics by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus & Tim Rice | Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music: MusicNotes
Music & Lyrics by Adam Guettel | Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music: Vocal Score
Music & Lyrics by Benj Pasek & Justin Paul | Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music: MusicNotes
Music by Cy Coleman; Lyrics by Ira Gasman | Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music: MusicNotes
Music & Lyrics by Dave Malloy | Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music: MusicNotes
Music by Joshua Salzman; Lyrics by Ryan Cunningham | Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music: MusicNotes
Music & Lyrics by Andrew Lippa | Song Type: Comedic | Sheet Music: Andrew Lippa Songbook
Music & Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz | Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music: MusicNotes
[A reworked arrangement of the 1998 animated film version]
Music & Lyrics by Andrew Lippa | Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music:Vocal Selections
Music & Lyrics by Matt Sax; Eric Rosen & Curtis Moore | Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music: Songwriter Website
Music & Lyrics by Jonathan Reid Gealt | Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music: MusicNotes
Music by Duncan Sheik; Lyrics by Steven Sater | Song Type: Dramatic| Sheet Music:MusicNotes
Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber; Lyrics by Ben Elton | Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music:Vocal Selections
Music by Steven Lutvak; Lyrics by Robert L. Freedman & Steven Lutvak | Song Type: Comedic | Sheet Music:MusicNotes
Music & Lyrics by Rupert Holmes| Song Type: Comedic | Sheet Music: SheetMusicDirect
Music & Lyrics by David Yazbek | Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music:MusicNotes
Music & Lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez & Robert Lopez | Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music: MusicNotes
Music & Lyrics by Rob Rokicki| Song Type: Comedic | Sheet Music:NewMusicalTheatre
Music & Lyrics by Rachel Bloom, Adam Schlesinger & Jack Dolgen| Song Type: Comedic | Sheet Music:Songwriter Website
Music by Henry Krieger; Lyrics by Bill Russell | Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music: MusicNotes
Music & Lyrics by Benj Pasek & Justin Paul | Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music:SheetMusicDirect
Music & Lyrics by Adam Guettel | Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music: SheetMusicDirect
Music & Lyrics by Peggy Lee & Sonny Burke | Song Type: Comedic | Sheet Music: see full score
[Original solo arrangement from Lady and the Tramp. See also: “I’m Wishing/One Song”]
Music by James Valcq; Lyrics by Fred Alley | Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music: SheetMusic365
Music by John Kander; Lyrics by Fred Ebb | Song Type: Comedic | Sheet Music: MusicNotes
Music by Janet Hood; Lyrics by Bill Russell | Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music: see full score
Music by Tom Kitt; Lyrics by Brian Yorkey | Song Type: Comedic | Sheet Music: MusicNotes
Music & Lyrics by Kait Kerrigan & Bree Lowdermilk | Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music: MusicNotes
Music by Zina Goldrich; Lyrics by Marcy Heisler | Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music: MusicNotes
Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber; Lyrics by Charles Hart & Richard Stilgoe | Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music: MusicNotes
Music by John Kander; Lyrics by Fred Ebb | Song Type: Comedic | Sheet Music: SheetMusicDirect
Music by Jeanine Tesori; Lyrics by Dick Scanlan | Song Type: Comedic | Sheet Music: MusicNotes
Music by Tom Snow; Lyrics by Dean Pitchford | Song Type: Comedic | Sheet Music: MusicNotes
Music by Marvin Laird; Lyrics by Joel Paley| Song Type: Comedic | Sheet Music: see full score
Music by Michael Gore; Lyrics by Dean Pitchford | Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music: MusicNotes
Music by Scott Frankel; Lyrics by Michael Korie | Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music: MusicNotes
Music by John Kander; Lyrics by Fred Ebb | Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music: MusicNotes
Music & Lyrics by Michael John LaChiusa | Song Type: Comedic | Sheet Music: see full score
Music & Lyrics by Anaïs Mitchell | Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music: MuseScore & MuseScore
[Trios but could work as duets with some logical part distributions]
Music & Lyrics by Eddie Perfect| Song Type: Comedic| Sheet Music: MusicNotes
Music by Frank Wildhorn; Lyrics by Leslie Bricusse| Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music:MusicNotes
[Only appears in some version of the show– including the 2013 Broadway revival]
Music & Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim | Song Type: Comedic | Sheet Music: see full score
[Added song that appears in some versions of the show]
Music by Tom Kitt & Lin-Manuel Miranda; Lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda & Amanda Green | Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music: MusicNotes
Music & Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz | Song Type: Comedic | Sheet Music:MusicNotes
Music & Lyrics by Sara Bareilles | Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music: MusicNotes
[A trio but could work as a duet with some logical part distributions]
Music & Lyrics by Benj Pasek & Justin Paul | Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music: MusicNotes
Music & Lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez & Robert Lopez | Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music: MusicNotes
[A reworked arrangement of the 2013 animated film version]
Music by George Stiles; Lyrics by Paul Leigh | Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music:see full score
Music by Claude-Michel Schönberg; Lyrics by Alain Boublil, Richard Maltby Jr & John Dempsey | Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music: see full score
Music by Timothy Huang; Lyrics by Timothy Huang & Sara Wordsworth| Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music: NewMusicalTheatre
Music & Lyrics by Nick Blaemire| Song Type: Comedic | Sheet Music: MusicNotes
Music & Lyrics by Meredith Stepien & Mark Swiderski| Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music: MuseScore
Music by Chris Miller; Lyrics by Nathan Tysen | Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music: MusicNotes
Music by Michael Gore; Lyrics by Dean Pitchford | Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music: MusicNotes
Music & Lyrics by Scott Alan | Song Type: Comedic | Sheet Music: MusicNotes
Music by Barbara Anselmi; Lyrics by Brian Hargrove & Carla Rose Fisher | Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music: MusicNotes
Music by Marc Shaiman; Lyrics by Scott Wittman & Marc Shaiman | Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music:MusicNotes
Music & Lyrics by Andrew Lippa | Song Type: Comedic | Sheet Music: MusicNotes
Music by John Kander; Lyrics by Fred Ebb | Song Type: Comedic | Sheet Music: see full score
Music by Steven Cheslik-DeMeyer & Alan Stevens Hewitt; Lyrics by Steven Cheslik-DeMeyer & Tim Maner| Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music: see full score
Music & Lyrics by Benj Pasek & Justin Paul | Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music: NewMusicalTheatre
Music & Lyrics by Sam Salmond | Song Type: Comedic | Sheet Music: NewMusicalTheatre
Music & Lyrics by Drew Gasparini| Song Type: Comedic | Sheet Music:NewMusicalTheatre
Music by Henry Krieger; Lyrics by Bill Russell | Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music: see full score
Music by Lucy Simon; Lyrics by Marsha Norman | Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music:MusicNotes
[One character is a young boy, but his part could be sung by any treble voice singer out of show context]
Music by Steven Cheslik-DeMeyer & Alan Stevens Hewitt; Lyrics by Steven Cheslik-DeMeyer & Tim Maner| Song Type: Dramatic | Sheet Music: see full score
Music by Tom Kitt; Lyrics by Amanda Green | Song Type: Comedic | Sheet Music:Vocal Selections
Music & Lyrics by Mary Murfitt | Song Type: Comedic | Sheet Music:MusicNotes
Need more musical theatre song suggestions? Check out my professional repertoire guides here.
