How Musicals Work

There is a good chance that you are going to write a musical with a collaborator. A few successful writers manage book, music and lyrics all by themselves; Lionel Bart for Oliver! a

And, for me, writing musicals is simply the best fun I ever have.

­ality. I don’t want to go to the theatre to see the ordinary everyday; I want to go for an elevated, emotional experience where a performer is able to connect with an audience using all the skills they possess.

Musicals are often criticised for being unrealistic, that people do not suddenly burst into song and dance in real life. I live real life every day, and for me the attraction of the musical is its theatric

I love being able to tell a story in a truly theatrical fashion, and to be able to elevate the emotional content through song and dance.

and this kind of recognition lights some people’s fires.

For me, the attraction is creative. I write musicals because I love the form.

For some, the attraction is fame.

For some, the attraction is financial. The musical is the most commercial form of theatre. Broadway box-office income tops $1 billion every year, and this means that something in the region of $45 million of royalties is split between the writers of the twenty or so Broadway musicals playing at any time.

Along with opera, it is the most theatrical art form, and can deliver some stories better than any other. It is removed from real life yet capable of acting as a prism to it, transporting an audience to see sights and hear sounds they never imagined.

who can perform work that is thought-provoking, exciting, moving and stimulating.