JBroadway said: "HenryTDobson said: "I would argue that all of Tesori's works are underrated. All of her scores are extremely well polished and any problems they may have are lyric issues. Lisa Kron and Tesori need to work together again, this has been the best pairing in my opinion."
You got me thinking: has she ever worked with a lyricist who didn't also write the book? I can't think of a single one offhand.And so, I think part part of the underlying trend you're describing is that she mostly works with playwrights who write lyrics, rather than lyricists.
However, I think the net result of this trend has been more good than bad. Part of what makes Tesori so good is her ability to fully integrate the musical storytelling into the text, which is best accomplished when working with a single librettist. And it allows her collaborations to prioritize story and structure to a degree that's rarely seen these days."
Yes, I believe that she has only worked with playwrights, who also act as lyricists (though someone correct me if I'm wrong!). I didn't mean to imply that all lyrics in Tesori's shows are poor, quite the contrary, but there have definitely been some clunky lyrics throughout. I agree, though - having a playwright as your book writer has provided Tesori shows with an emotional underlining that elevates the material further. Many themes in Tesori shows are similar, even if the playwrights have differed, and that I attest is the genius of Tesori.