The Best Musicals by Cole Porter

Ranker Stage
Updated October 14, 2018 409 votes 175 voters
Over 100 Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of The Best Musicals by Cole Porter
Voting Rules
Vote up the most iconic Cole Porter musicals.

Any fan of great musicals can probably rattle off every single Cole Porter musical by heart. What are the best Cole Porter musicals? That’s what we’re going to try to decide here.

Cole Porter was a once in a lifetime talent, penning and composing some of the greatest songs of all time. Imagine going back in time to see the opening of Paris in 1928, and hearing the world debut of “Let’s Do It, Let’s Fall in Love." Or picture seeing Out of This World in 1950 and hearing “From This Moment On.” Thrilling to think about, isn’t it?

Each one of the entries on this Cole Porter musical list could easily morph right into a Cole Porter play list, with classic, romantic songs that are truly timeless. These plays and musicals by Cole Porter are among the best of all time – not just in Porter’s prolific era. Many of the best Cole Porter plays went on to be adapted into major motion pictures. For instance, Gay Divorce became the 1934 musical film The Gay Divorcee, starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

Cole Porter’s legacy of music is incomparable. What is your favorite Cole Porter musical? Time to decide with your votes!

Photo: nataladass / YouTube
Ranked by
  • Anything Goes
    1
    Anything Goes is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The original book was a collaborative effort by Guy Bolton and P.G. Wodehouse, heavily revised by the team of Howard Lindsay and ...more
  • Kiss Me, Kate
    2
    Kiss Me, Kate is a musical written by Bella and Samuel Spewack with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The story involves the production of a musical version of William Shakespeare's The Taming of the ...more
  • Red, Hot and Blue
    3

    Red, Hot and Blue

    27 votes
  • Silk Stockings
    4
    Silk Stockings is a musical with a book by George S. Kaufman, Leueen MacGrath, and Abe Burrows and music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The musical is loosely based on the Melchior Lengyel story ...more
  • Gay Divorce
    5

    Gay Divorce

    24 votes
    Gay Divorce is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter and book by Dwight Taylor, adapted by Kenneth Webb and Samuel Hoffenstein. It was Fred Astaire's last Broadway show and featured the hit ...more
  • Can-Can
    6

    Can-Can

    33 votes
    Can-Can is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter, and a book by Abe Burrows. The story concerns the showgirls of the Montmartre dance halls during the 1890s. The original Broadway production ...more