Librettist

Job Duties

The librettist is responsible for writing the book (or script) of a musical. For this reason, they are also sometimes referred to as the book writer. The librettist is responsible for creating the story, plot structure, characters, dialogue, and stage directions. Often librettists adapt source material as inspiration (for example a play, book, or film), but sometimes they create wholly original material (for example, A Chorus Line, Avenue Q, or Dear Evan Hansen).

The librettist is usually not responsible for creating the songs or the lyrics of a musical. Those jobs belong to the composer and lyricist, although in some cases, one person will take on all three jobs. For example, Jonathan Larson wrote the book, music, and lyrics for Rent, Anaïs Mitchell wrote the book, music, and lyrics for Hadestown, Andrew Lippa wrote the book, music, and lyrics for The Wild Party.

The librettist works closely with the composer and lyricist. Often librettists will write the whole show first as a play, then work with the composer and lyricist to decide where the songs will go. Even Stephen Sondheim has someone else write the books to his musicals. "I've often been asked why I don't write my own librettos, because often the songs seem to be libretto-like songs," he said in Sondheim on Sondheim. "I think playwriting is too difficult and I don't ever think I could write a play."

Alan Menken, composer of Little Shop of Horrors, Disney’s film and stage musicals The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and many others once said, “Perhaps the toughest, most pivotal and thankless job in musical theater is that of the book writer. Their work lays the groundwork that allows our songs to soar. Their words are the runway we take off on, the flight plan we follow and the key to our safe landing.”

Playwright Terrance McNally, librettist for Kiss of the Spider Woman, Ragtime, The Full Monty, and Anastasia, among others, is quoted as saying, “The book writer provides the blueprint from which the rest of a musical is made. Most problems with a musical begin with the script, just as they do in a play. To underestimate the contribution of the librettist is to fundamentally not understand how a musical is made.”

After the songs are written, the librettist’s job is to adapt the dialogue to fit around them. Harvey Fierstein (librettist for Kinky Boots, La Cage Aux Folles, Newsies) said of this part of the job, "At first, the book writer dictates what happens, but then you become subservient. The music is the hardest to change, so you have to adapt the scenes to the songs."