The tragedies are:

The Histories are:

He was very likely the most influential writer in all of English literature and  the most important playwright of the English Renaissance, William Shakespeare was born in 1564 in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire, England. ​He attended grammar school, but his formal education went no further. ​
In 1582, he married an older woman called Anne Hathaway and proceeded to have three children with her. At around 1590, he left his family behind and travelled to London to work as an actor and playwright. Quickly, public and critical success followed, and Shakespeare eventually became the most popular playwright in England and part owner of the Globe Theatre. ​His career bridged the reigns of Elizabeth I (ruled 1558-1603) and James I (ruled 1603-1625); he was also a favourite of both monarchs. Wealthy and renowned from his successful career, Shakespeare retired to Stratford and died in 1616 at the age of 52. ​
By the early eighteenth century, his reputation as the greatest poet ever to write in English was well established. ​Many details of Shakespeare's personal history are shrouded in mystery. ​Some people have concluded from this fact that Shakespeare's plays in reality were written by someone else--Francis Bacon and the Earl of Oxford being the two most popular candidates--but the evidence for this claim is overwhelmingly circumstantial, and the theory is not taken seriously by many scholars as it cannot be proven.​In the absence of definitive proof to the contrary, Shakespeare must be viewed as the author of the 37 plays and 154 sonnets that bear his name. ​The legacy of this body of work is immense. A number of Shakespeare's plays seem to have transcended even the category of brilliance, becoming so influential as to affect profoundly the course of Western literature and culture ever after.

However, there are exceptions.

First musicals:
Musicals emerged from Opera’s via Operettas (mini operas). These were invented by Gilbert and Sullivan. ​Their works included ‘The Mikado’, ‘The Pirates of Penzance’ and ‘HMS Pinafore’. These are still popular performances today.

Gilbert and Sullivan:
Sir William Gilbert (1836 – 1911) was the dramatist and lyricist.
​Sir Arthur Sullivan (1842 – 1900) was the composer.
​Their works became known as the Savoy Opera’s .

1920's:
Most shows in urban areas were revues. Combining Vaudeville, Variety, Music Hall, and other disciplines .
The first proper Musical as we know it was ‘Showboat’ (1927). Showboat integrated book and score and was put together by P.G Wodehouse and Oscar Hammerstein II.

1930's:
Inspired by the success of Showboat, creative teams began following the same format. ​

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Broadway:
Broadway became the centre for the genre. Shows were notably written by ​

Major musicals, 40's, 50's and 60's:
It began with Oklahoma in 1943. It was the first Blockbuster Musical, giving 2212 performances 
Richard Rodgers (1902 – 1979) wrote the music. Oscar Hammerstein II(1895 – 1960) wrote the words ​

The duo wrote: Oklahoma (including ‘Oh What a Beautiful Morning’), Carousel (including ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’), South Pacific, The King and I (including ‘Getting to Know You’) and The Sound of Music. 

By this time Musicals were big money. They also produced stars. ​By the late 1950’s Musicals were the mainstream of theatre. ​

Steven Sondheim:
Sondheim was a childhood friend of Jimmy Hammerstein (son of Oscar). ​Hammerstein was a major influence on Sondheim, creating a remarkable ‘apprenticeship’. He advised Sondheim as to how to construct a musical leading West Side Story to be his first project.

Some practitioners went on to experiment with creating musicals around other styles:​

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They brought us:​

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 Andrew Lloyd Webber:
Lloyd Webber’s first success was ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat’ with Tim Rice when he was 19 in 1968. ​He also did:

Disney:
Disney saw the potential to move into the Musicals market after it had small scale successes with shows in their theme parks. ​

They have since then produced: ​

And are currently working on:​

No one expected Musical Theatre to enjoy such success in the current economic climate, but there have been a number of successes:   ​

The major projects currently in production are:​

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