Bye Bye Birdie is a musical with a book by Michael Stewart, lyrics by Lee Adams, and music by Charles Strouse. Originally titled Let's Go Steady, the satire on American society is set in 1958. The name "Conrad Birdie" is a play on the name Conway Twitty, a popular singer at the time, and the character is based on Elvis Presley, whose draft into the Army shortly before the musical was written inspired a plot element. The original Broadway production was a Tony Award-winning success. The show also became a popular choice for high school and college productions. It spawned a 1981 sequel, Bring Back Birdie, starring original Broadway cast member Chita Rivera.

Anything Goes is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The book was a collaborative effort by Guy Bolton and P.G. Wodehouse, revised by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. The story concerns madcap antics aboard an ocean liner bound from New York to London. Billy Crocker is a stowaway in love with heiress Hope Harcourt, who is engaged to Lord Evelyn Oakleigh. Nightclub singer Reno Sweeney and Public Enemy #13 Moonface Martin aid Billy in his quest to win Hope. The musical introduced such songs as "Anything Goes", "You're the Top", and "I Get a Kick Out of You". Since its 1934 debut on Broadway, the musical has been revived several times in the United States and Britain and has been filmed twice. Anything Goes and Porgy and Bess are the only 1930s musicals that are still regularly revived. The musical has long been a popular choice for school and community productions.