Writing the Broadway Musical

by Aaron Frankel

Brimming with advice and techniques, this essential reference for book- and songwriters clearly explains the fundamentals of the three crafts of a musical—book, music, and lyrics. Using copious examples from classic shows, Frankel has created the quintessential musical writers' how-to. Among the topics:definitions of musical theater; differences between musical books and straight plays and between poetry and lyrics; what a score is and how it develops; how to write for the voice; and how to audition musicals for producers. With a new introduction and revised text, Frankel's work is ready to guide a new generation of aspiring writers.

Genres: Writing, Music, Theatre, Musicals, Reference, Nonfiction

182 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1977

Reviews

[Hannah K]

This was a fairly helpful book, I'm glad I went through it. However, the writing style and concepts were a little hard to follow at times, though I can't put my finger on why exactly. The first half of the book, regarding story structure and scenes, was pretty confusing and to be honest, I've found books about writing fiction (e.g. Story Trumps Structure, by Steven James) to be far more helpful when it comes to storytelling, plot, desire, and character. The second half of the book, which dealt with song spotting and writing lyrics, was quite detailed and full of useful information.

[Judy Pancoast]

I used this book as a guide on my first musical project. It was invaluable in the understanding of the purpose of music and dialogue in a musical. I felt at a disadvantage, though, because I was unfamiliar with some of the works he cited as examples. Overall, though, this book was extremely helpful.

[Leigh]

Gets into the nitty-gritties of lyric writing (along with everything else). Uses _My Fair Lady_ and _Company_ as examples throughout.

[Kara]

Worth its weight in gold (or, in this case, paper).

[Joey]

Very helpful. Tough to understand at times, but very thorough.

[✨ Brianna Raquel ✨]

This was all over the place. I think I'll stick to writing operas until I find a better resource.

[Col]

read for school

[Chad Lawson]

What I really liked about this book was that the author has a definite hierarchy and codification system on the broad term 'musical'. It's suffers from being a tad bit academic but for the right reader, like me, it's really a strength in the way that he breaks things down into minute details. I like having an "engineer's overview" on things so I can see all the various cogs in the machine I can play with while creating. (If you're a very organic creative type, it might feel too stodgy & restricting.)

All in all, useful book that I took a lot of notes on.

[Brendan]

This book is odd. It's definitely not the traditional "how to write" book. It talks about things that you need to consider, but never gives a classic road map on how to get it done. More than anything it's examples of the ideas he's talking about. Still, there area a lot of great points to consider. When I actually start writing I know I'm going to want to come back and read this. And have my collaborators read it as well.

[Greg Kerestan]

Alternately clinical, scattered and helpful, Aaron Frankel's guide to writing musicals meanders more than the other works on the topic. Frankel's hands-on advice and personal experience is useful, but the book at large tries to do to many things at once.

[Jackie]

I learned a LOT about the business including many terms that I wouldn't know before reading this book. I think it will be a real asset to my writing and writing career.