Best book of a musical?

#1

Best book of a musical?

Posted: 11/22/10 at 8:54pm

It seems to be a trend how some musicals have brilliant music, but a sorry book. What are some examples of really good books? Or, the reverse, what shows have amazing books, but bad scores?

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I chose and my world was shaken, so what? The choice my have been mistaken, the choosing was not, you have to move on - Fav. Sondheim Lyric

#2

Best book of a musical?

Posted: 11/22/10 at 9:00pm

GYPSY is generally considered the best book of a musical.

#3

Best book of a musical?

Posted: 11/22/10 at 9:15pm

I would agree with that^^

#4

Best book of a musical?

Posted: 11/22/10 at 9:20pm

Great books: Gypsy, West Side Story, Fiddler on the Roof, Guys and Dolls

Not-so-great: Cabaret

#5

Best book of a musical?

Posted: 11/22/10 at 9:21pm

"Gypsy" is brilliant, as is "1776". One of my personal favorites is "City of Angels".

#6

Best book of a musical?

Posted: 11/22/10 at 9:26pm

What about A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC?

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#7

Best book of a musical?

Posted: 11/22/10 at 9:41pm

Into the Woods
Urinetown
Fiddler on the Roof

#8

Best book of a musical?

Posted: 11/22/10 at 9:44pm

I think A Little Night Music does for sure, if not most of Sondheim's musicals. And the books that aren't brilliant are at least very intriguing.

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"Art, in itself, is an attempt to bring order out of chaos."-Stephen Sondheim

#9

Best book of a musical?

Posted: 11/22/10 at 9:49pm

I'm in love with the book from COMPANY and even think it outshines the score. That's not to say the score is bad of course - it is Sondheim, after all - I just always find myself looking more forward to the book scenes rather than the musical numbers when seeing that show.

#10

Best book of a musical?

Posted: 11/22/10 at 9:51pm

I think A Chorus Line is a beautiful story and well done, that may just be the way it's directed/choreographed but whatever.

#11

Best book of a musical?

Posted: 11/22/10 at 10:59pm

The Drowsy Chaperone.

#12

Best book of a musical?

Posted: 11/22/10 at 11:08pm

I second Company and A Chorus Line and agree with Gypsy. For a more contemporary example, I'm going to throw in Everyday Rapture.

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http://backstagebarbie.blogspot.com

#13

Best book of a musical?

Posted: 11/22/10 at 11:08pm

I second Company and A Chorus Line and agree with Gypsy. For a more contemporary example, I'm going to throw in Everyday Rapture.

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http://backstagebarbie.blogspot.com

#14

Best book of a musical?

Posted: 11/22/10 at 11:08pm

In addition to the aforementioned Gypsy & 1776, I'd add Mame.

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"It does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are 20 gods or no god. It neither picks my pocket, nor breaks my leg." -- Thomas Jefferson

#15

Best book of a musical?

Posted: 11/23/10 at 3:34am

Fiddler.

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Faced with these Loreleis, what man can moralize!

#16

Best book of a musical?

Posted: 11/23/10 at 7:44am

PACIFIC OVERTURES has a pretty phenomenal book.

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#17

Best book of a musical?

Posted: 11/23/10 at 7:49am

Maybe because I saw it recently and it's still fresh in my mind, but I thought the book for I Do! I Do! was very strong. Although I don't know how similar that book is to The Fourposter.

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When I see the phrase "the ____ estate", I imagine a vast mansion in the country full of monocled men and high-collared women receiving letters about productions across the country and doing spit-takes at whatever they contain. -Kad

#18

Best book of a musical?

Posted: 11/23/10 at 8:17am

Fiddler On The Roof.
Guys And Dolls.
and while I enjoy the book (not so much the staging of the revival) Chicago.

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''With the number of people I ignore, I'm lucky I work at all in this town'' - Helena Bonham Carter

#19

Best book of a musical?

Posted: 11/23/10 at 12:01pm

I love the book for Forum and think it often outshines the score (which is not to say that it is not an absolutely delightful score). In Forum's case you could pull out the score and do it as a straight farce with very few adjustments needed for the missing songs.

Gypsy is another show where you could easily toss the score (though I'm not sure why anyone would want to) and do it as a straight play with only a few minor changes.

#20

Best book of a musical?

Posted: 11/23/10 at 5:55pm

Avenue Q
The Producers
Urinetown
A Little Night Music
Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson
Gypsy
Man of La Mancha
and I'll say it: Wicked

#21

Best book of a musical?

Posted: 11/23/10 at 6:29pm

What do we consider to be a good book?

#22

Best book of a musical?

Posted: 11/23/10 at 9:17pm

How to Succeed... has a damned good book - It won the Pulitzer Prize.

On the other hand, South Pacific also won the Pulitzer, and it has lots of unneccesary crap in the book.

#23

Best book of a musical?

Posted: 11/23/10 at 10:00pm

Gypsy
Kiss Me, Kate
A Little Night Music
Fiddler on the Roof
Grey Gardens
The Drowsy Chaperone

#24

Best book of a musical?

Posted: 11/24/10 at 11:33am

Just out of interest, Jon, what do you consider unnecessary in South Pacific?

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Faced with these Loreleis, what man can moralize!

#25

Best book of a musical?

Posted: 11/25/10 at 3:33am

Mame and grey gardens