Why Taylor Swift's Albums Would Make a Great Jukebox Musical
- Alexia Rowe
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
Note: this blog post is simply my opinion. It should not be regarded as the sole truth about the theatre world at large or about Taylor Swift's discography. I also am copyrighting all my ideas listed here. © 2026 by Alexia Rowe. All rights reserved.
I recently made my first ever podcast appearance on The Best Things in the World to talk about my upcoming theatre project, House Plays. And one of the things we talked about was the direction in which Broadway is heading: it seems like for the most part, the stories that we are seeing on stage are adaptations of movies or autobiographical shows on the lives of famous artists. Even so, Lin-Manuel Miranda's adaptation of the Warriors book that got turned into a movie is set to head to the Great White Way. And there were plenty of cringy ones like the SpongeBob one and flops like The Queen of Versailles and Tammy Faye in recent years.
I've already written about how Tracy Chapman's songs could make for a great musical.But frankly, so could Taylor Swift's. But I'm not talking about another one of those autobiographical ones that talk about her life, despite the fact that most of her songs are based on actual events in her life. Someone could come up with an original coming-of-age story about a girl that doesn't have to follow the same plot line as the series Nashville. Similar to how The Voice Season 22 finalist Morgan Myles is using her songs to create a film series about her career. But not that.
I was in a friendly banter discussion about Taylor Swift some time ago where we deduced that her album Fearless as well as the other ones from her teens and early 20s were likely her pre-therapy, while the later ones are her post-therapy ("it's me, hi, I'm the problem, it's me"). Personally, I like her debut album the best since it seems like the most teenage-angsty out of the early ones and could easily play into a coming-of-age trope ("Invisible" and "The Outside," anyone?). But her later ones could provide some perspective as the character ages on. Folklore and Evermore already followed a storyline of their own when they were written. Maybe out of the other albums, we could pick the best songs that drive the storyline forward. And I'm not just talking the singles.
I've been a Swiftie for a fair bit of my life (mostly the stuff pre-Red though), ever since some girls got up in front of the school and sang "Love Story" a capella back around the time Fearless got released. Of course, being 12 or something at the time, I thought it as brilliant as Edgar Allen Poe. And I've annoyed my family by spending many a late night tying up the weak broadband so that I could belt along to the songs. Not to mention I still own some of the CDs like I still have a portable player. So to all of the fangirls who joined the bandwagon in her pop phase, you ain't seen nothing yet.
Putting my playwriting hat on here, maybe we could petition for an Eras musical that tells the story of a person transitioning or going through some other life-changing journey. I frankly could write some kind of Eras musical based on my own life, starting from adolescence in Africa during times of xenophobia and attending an activist-type girls' school and then following my journey of figuring out who I am as a black person in America, my mental health development, and of course dating during the stupidity of dating apps when you've been raised Christian and so it seems like everyone and their dog is getting married right out of school and you can't keep a guy talking to you with substance on an app for longer than a week. And you intimidate a good chunk of the ones you meet on there because you live this interesting, ambitious, artistic life when you apparently should be just barefoot in the kitchen and pregnant with kid number 9 or however many (no shade if this is your life and you love it). Then again, I could also write my own songs (and have notebooks full of them from that time). But seeing as Taylor Swift and Maroon 5 defined so much of my adolescence, I feel like they need to make an appearance somewhere.
Rambling aside, we all know Taylor Swift is a smart AF businesswoman who re-recorded her masters to take back ownership after her catalog got sold, and has at least 150 trademarks to her name. She's done a documentary, and played in a couple of movies. I think a musical using her songs is another step. Not only would it for sure sell out in a theatre given her fanbase, but it would also bring a whole new population to see a Broadway show, should it go to Broadway. Let's face it: Broadway is in a financial crisis, as is everything in this country, which is why we have so many movicals and autobiographical shows right now, and shows closing after a few months. We need a way to sell more tickets. Maybe joining forces to collaborate on a Taylor Swift jukebox musical might be the way to go.
Anyway, if you have a script or score that is sitting on a shelf and you have no idea what the next step is, have you considered putting the show on yourself? Reach out to me to learn more about the Independent Playwright Architect Program, where I work with you from making sure your script is show-ready, to gathering funding, to solidifying your team, finalizing all the event logistics, and how you can create an income afterwards. Your show deserves to see the light of day, instead of collecting dust waiting for someone to give it permission to be performed. You won't want to miss out on this opportunity.
Or, if you need a little extra help tightening up some loose plot holes or crafting the perfect 11 o'clock number, I'm here to help with that too. My services are available for independent creators everywhere!
In the meantime, stay educated.
-Alexia
