Writing a musical.

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Want to Write a Musical?

by Adryan Russ

Maybe you saw the movie or stage play Rent, or Chicago, or heard the Elton John/Bernie Taupin score for The Lion King, and you got excited and said, “I want to do that.” If so, you’re about to enter a world that’s challenging and fun.

There’s no one way to write a musical, but most of the musicals that have enjoyed the longest lives tend to follow some basic rules. Want to know what they are? It’s always good to learn the rules before you break them.

A good musical starts with a good book. Some people call it the book and some people call it the libretto. It consists of the dialogue the actors speak when they’re not singing. Or sometimes, in a musical that’s sung through from beginning to end, the book is the structure of the musical — who’s doing what to whom — and when. In many musicals, the structure consists of a lead character who wants something, and the rest of the musical is spent laying out obstacles to prevent that person from getting what he or she wants — until the end.

Another feature of musicals is their song structure. Even though there are pop writers writing for musical theater these days, most musical theater songs tend to not be pop songs — although, as Bob Dylan says, “the times they are a-changin’.” Songs in musical theater are written for specific characters. So, a song sung by, say, Anita, the hot, firey character in “West Side Story” is going to have a rhythm, language and feel that’s different from a song sung by Tony, the calm, easy-going hero. Theater songs are character-driven. Sometimes they move the plot forward, and sometimes they tell you about the person singing. While some musicals do have choruses that repeat the way hooks do in a pop song — most don’t.

In many musicals, conflict arises from characters who live in very different worlds. In West Side Story, which is a retelling of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the two worlds that collide are those of two gangs — the Sharks and the Jets. In Beauty and the Beast, Belle is a girl who loves to read and she lives in a community of people who don’t, and everyone talks about how “different” she is. In Guys and Dolls, the leading lady works for the Salvation Army, and the leading man is a gangster. This juxtaposition of two completely different worlds makes for great conflict, which you want in a musical play. Conflicting characters set the play in motion and give it a pulse — always pointing forward, always keeping us wondering what’s going to happen next.

When you’re writing a musical, it’s good to think about the style of music that best fits the story you’re telling. If your musical takes place in 1860, you are probably not going to use pop or R&B music — although no one says you can’t. If your musical takes place in the 21st century, you need to decide what kind of current-day music best tells the story.

When writing a pop song, some of us songwriters write alone or perhaps with a single collaborator. In musical theater, there are usually a lot more people involved. Generally, one person writes the book, another person writes the music, and yet another writes lyrics. Sometimes one writer takes care of both music and lyrics, and on occasion, one person does it all. Once written, the number of people involved in the collaboration can be mind-boggling. The people with whom you collaborate are several actors, a music director, a producer, choreographer, and a director. Sometimes there are agents, investors, publicity people as well as sound, lighting and costume design people. Is it important to know how to work well with other people? Yes!

Getting your musical down on paper is a whole other job. Most composers use Encore, Sibelius, and Finale. In terms of software, many bookwriters use plain old Microsoft Word, but several — particularly those who are both playwrights and screenwriters — use Final Draft. Final Draft has a template for just about any kind of writing — screenwriting, sitcoms, novels, stage plays — and one in particular for the “Broadway Musical” form.

Whatever format or software you use, do your homework first. See some musicals, get some musical playscripts and from Samuel French Bookstore, buy the CDS for the musicals, and learn your craft.

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Adryan Russ is composer/lyricist of the off-Broadway musical INSIDE OUT (visit Amazon.com, and type "Adryan Russ" in the search box), published by Samuel French, original cast album on DRG Records. Her new CD, EVERYONE HAS A STORY, recently released by LML Music (type "Adryan Russ" in the Artist search box), showcases her songs, arranged by Grant Geissman, produced by Bruce Kimmel, and performed by such NY and LA stage favorites as Susan Egan, Jason Graae, Sharon McNight, Lisa Richard, David Burnham, and Tami Tappan. Her performances include a tribute to composer of “Annie,” Charles Strouse, with Michael Feinstein, at Carnegie Hall.