Favorite book of a musical?

GYPSY, A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC

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GYPSY, A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC

Word.

Though I have to agree with ChenoKahn that FORUM is a miracle of comic construction.

I'm surprised to see GUYS AND DOLLS on a list. For all the fun of the Runyon-inspired dialogue, that fact is that ending doesn't even make sense to me. Adelaide's problem has been that she can't get Nathan to the altar. Then out of nowhere she sings "Marry the Man Today" and decides she will marry him despite his faults.

EXCEPT her decision isn't the issue; his inability to commit is. So how is the plot resolved exactly?

(And let's don't even get into the contradiction that Nathan seems to have been tamed somehow BEFORE the wedding, even though she just sang a song about waiting until AFTER the wedding. I'll agree that's a minor matter.)

If anything, GUYS AND DOLLS (like KISS ME, KATE) is a reminder to me of how musical comedy can get away with the most remarkable improbabilities.

Oh, and Gypsy.

Gypsy is probably the best book of a musical ever. It's funny, tragic, horrific, and moving. There's not many other books that could take out all the songs and still work.

I enjoy the characters and dialogue of Follies, even though it's not really a great book in the traditional sense.

A Little Night Music, Company, and Into the Woods are all stellar. The characters, dialogue, etc are delightful. Even the worst production of these shows can make me smile ever now and then.

Mame is fun. It's nothing groundbreaking, but it moves at a nice pace and is never boring.

No one hit me, but I really enjoy the book for Anything Goes. I think it's goofy fun. Very sitcom-esque. At least the version I know. I was in a production of the '64 version and it was a blast. I've yet to see the new production (which is the same book as the LuPone revival, right?)

American Idiot, duh.

But really:
Assassins
Next to Normal
Ragtime
Company

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ComingUpRoses, it may have been the production I saw, but I find the 1964 book of ANYTHING GOES just as silly, but somehow far superior to the one they are using now.

The Light in The Piazza. Great characters, exceptionally moving, and actually has way more humor than I would have expected.

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In addition to those already mentioned:

South Pacific and Merrily We Roll Along.

Gaveston, that's really sad that they toyed with the book. The '64 version isn't gold by any means, but it's good goofy fun. I remembered listening to both the LuPone cast and the new cast recordings and trying to figure out how they were working in all these new songs.

It seems like every production of the show is a little bit different.

^Absolutely, with Fiddler and She Loves Me, the very best. Thank you Stone, Masteroff, and Stein (with respect to all the other greats, Laurents included).

The books to several Kander and Ebb shows are very good. My favorites are:

Cabaret
Chicago
Scottsboro Boys

I think those three, as well as Guys and Dolls, Oklahoma, South Pacific, Gypsy, and The Drowsy Chaperone would rank among my favorites.

I think Showboat is very strong as well-and it's truly an important book from an historical standpoint.

1776
The Music Man
Forum
The Most Happy Fella
Into the Woods

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