The Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical is awarded to librettists of the spoken, non-sung dialogue, and storyline of a musical play. Eligibility is restricted to works with original narrative framework; plotless revues and revivals are ineligible. This award was originally called the Tony Award for Best Author, until musicals were split off from dramas.
Winners and nominees
1940s Year Production Author 1949(3rd) Kiss Me, Kate Bella and Samuel Spewack
1950s Year Production Author 1950 South Pacific Oscar Hammerstein II and Joshua Logan
1960s Year Production Author 1962 How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying Abe Burrows, Willie Gilbert and Jack Weinstock Carnival! Helen Deutsch and Michael Stewart 1963 A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum Larry Gelbart and Burt Shevelove Little Me Neil Simon Oliver! Lionel Bart Stop the World – I Want to Get Off Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley 1964 Hello, Dolly! Michael Stewart The Girl Who Came to Supper Noël Coward and Harry Kurnitz High Spirits Timothy Gray and Hugh Martin She Loves Me Joe Masteroff 1965 Fiddler on the Roof Joseph Stein Baker Street Jerome Coopersmith Ben Franklin in Paris Sidney Michaels Half a Sixpence Beverley Cross
1970s Year Production Author 1971 Company George Furth The Me Nobody Knows Robert H. Livingston and Herb Schapiro The Rothschilds Sherman Yellen 1972 Two Gentlemen of Verona John Guare and Mel Shapiro Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death Melvin Van Peebles Follies James Goldman Grease Warren Casey and Jim Jacobs 1973 A Little Night Music Hugh Wheeler Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope Micki Grant Don't Play Us Cheap Melvin Van Peebles Pippin Roger O. Hirson 1974 Candide Hugh Wheeler RaisinRobert Nemiroff and Charlotte Zaltzberg Seesaw Michael Bennett 1975 Shenandoah James Lee Barrett, Philip Rose and Peter Udell The Lieutenant Gene Curty, Nitra Scharfman and Chuck Strand Mack and Mabel Michael Stewart The Wiz William F. Brown 1976 A Chorus Line Nicholas Dante and James Kirkwood Jr. Chicago Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse Pacific Overtures John Weidman The Robber Bridegroom Alfred Uhry 1977 Annie Thomas Meehan Happy End Michael Feingold and Elisabeth Hauptmann I Love My Wife Michael Stewart Your Arms Too Short to Box with God Vinnette Justine Carroll 1978 On the Twentieth Century Betty Comden and Adolph Green A History of the American Film Christopher Durang Runaways Elizabeth Swados Working Stephen Schwartz 1979 Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Hugh Wheeler Ballroom Jerome Kass The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas Larry L. King and Peter Masterson They're Playing Our Song Neil Simon
1980s Year Production Author 1980 Evita Tim Rice Barnum Mark Bramble A Day in Hollywood / A Night in the Ukraine Dick Vosburgh Sugar Babies Ralph G. Allen and Harry Rigby 1981 Woman of the Year Peter Stone 42nd Street Mark Bramble and Michael Stewart Tintypes Mary Kyte The Moony Shapiro Songbook Julian More and Monty Norman 1982 Dreamgirls Tom Eyen The First Martin Charnin and Joel Siegel Nine Arthur Kopit Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Tim Rice 1983 Cats T. S. Eliot A Doll's Life Betty Comden and Adolph Green Merlin Richard Levinson and William Link My One and Only Timothy S. Mayer and Peter Stone 1984 La Cage aux Folles Harvey Fierstein Baby Sybille Pearson Sunday in the Park with George James Lapine The Tap Dance Kid Charles Blackwell 1985 Big River William Hauptman Grind Fay Kanin Harrigan 'N Hart Michael Stewart Quilters Barbara Damashek and Molly Newman 1986 The Mystery of Edwin Drood Rupert Holmes Big Deal Bob Fosse Singin' in the Rain Betty Comden and Adolph Green Wind in the Willows Jane Iredale 1987 Les Misérables Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg Me and My Girl Stephen Fry, Douglas Furber, Mike Ockrent and L. Arthur Rose Rags Joseph Stein Smile Howard Ashman 1988 Into the Woods James Lapine The Gospel at Colonus Lee Breuer The Phantom of the Opera Richard Stilgoe and Andrew Lloyd Webber Romance/Romance Barry Harman
1990s Year Production Author 1990 City of Angels Larry Gelbart Aspects of Love Andrew Lloyd Webber Grand Hotel Luther Davis Meet Me in St. Louis Hugh Wheeler 1991 The Secret Garden Marsha Norman Miss Saigon Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg Once on This Island Lynn Ahrens The Will Rogers Follies Peter Stone 1992 Falsettos William Finn and James Lapine Crazy for You Ken Ludwig Five Guys Named Moe Clarke Peters Jelly's Last Jam George C. Wolfe 1993 Kiss of the Spider Woman Terrence McNally Anna Karenina Peter Kellogg Blood Brothers Willy Russell The Who's Tommy Des McAnuff and Pete Townshend 1994 Passion James Lapine Beauty and the Beast Linda Woolverton Cyrano: The Musical Koen van Dijk A Grand Night for Singing Walter Bobbie 1995 Sunset Boulevard Don Black and Christopher Hampton 1996 Rent Jonathan Larson Big John Weidman Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk Reg E. Gaines Chronicle of a Death Foretold Graciela Daniele, Michael John LaChiusa and Jim Lewis 1997 Titanic Peter Stone Jekyll & Hyde Leslie Bricusse The Life Cy Coleman, Ira Gasman and David Newman Steel Pier David Thompson 1998 Ragtime Terrence McNally The Lion King Roger Allers and Irene Mecchi The Scarlet Pimpernel Nan Knighton Side Show Bill Russell 1999 Parade Alfred Uhry Footloose Walter Bobbie and Dean Pitchford It Ain't Nothin' but the Blues Charles Bevel, Lita Gaithers, Randal Myler, Ron Taylor and Dan Wheetman Marlene Pam Gems
2000s Year Production Author 2000 James Joyce's The Dead Richard Nelson Contact John Weidman Marie Christine Michael John LaChiusa The Wild Party Michael John LaChiusa and George C. Wolfe 2001 The Producers Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan A Class Act Linda Kline and Lonny Price The Full Monty Terrence McNally Jane Eyre John Caird 2002 Urinetown Greg Kotis Mamma Mia! Catherine Johnson Sweet Smell of Success John Guare Thoroughly Modern Millie Richard Morris and Dick Scanlan 2003 Hairspray Thomas Meehan and Mark O'Donnell Amour Jeremy Sams and Didier Van Cauwelaert Flower Drum Song David Henry Hwang A Year with Frog and Toad Willie Reale 2004 Avenue Q Jeff Whitty The Boy from Oz Nick Enright and Martin Sherman Caroline, or Change Tony Kushner Wicked Winnie Holzman 2005 The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee Rachel Sheinkin Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Jeffrey Lane The Light in the Piazza Craig Lucas Monty Python's Spamalot Eric Idle 2006 The Drowsy Chaperone Bob Martin and Don McKellar The Color Purple Marsha Norman Jersey Boys Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice The Wedding Singer Chad Beguelin and Tim Herlihy 2007 Spring Awakening Steven Sater Curtains Rupert Holmes and Peter Stone Grey Gardens Doug Wright Legally Blonde The Musical Heather Hach 2008 Passing Strange Stew Cry-Baby Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan In the Heights Quiara Alegría Hudes Xanadu Douglas Carter Beane 2009 Billy Elliot the Musical Lee Hall Next to Normal Brian Yorkey Shrek the Musical David Lindsay-Abaire [title of show] Hunter Bell
2010s Year Production Author 2010 Memphis Joe DiPietro Everyday Rapture Dick Scanlan and Sherie Rene Scott Fela! Bill T. Jones and Jim Lewis Million Dollar Quartet Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux 2011 The Book of Mormon Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson Alex Timbers The Scottsboro Boys David Thompson Sister Act Douglas Carter Beane, Bill and Cheri Steinkellner 2012 Once Enda Walsh Lysistrata Jones Douglas Carter Beane Newsies Harvey Fierstein Nice Work If You Can Get It Joe DiPietro 2013 Matilda the Musical Dennis Kelly A Christmas Story: The Musical Joseph Robinette Kinky Boots Harvey Fierstein Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella Douglas Carter Beane 2014 A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder Robert L. Freedman Aladdin Chad Beguelin Beautiful: The Carole King Musical Douglas McGrath Bullets Over Broadway Woody Allen 2015 Fun Home Lisa Kron An American in Paris Craig Lucas Something Rotten! Karey Kirkpatrick and John O'Farrell The Visit Terrence McNally 2016 Hamilton Lin-Manuel Miranda Bright Star Steve Martin School of Rock Julian Fellowes Shuffle Along, or, the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed George C. Wolfe 2017 Dear Evan Hansen Steven Levenson Come from Away David Hein and Irene Sankoff Groundhog Day Danny Rubin Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 Dave Malloy 2018 The Band's Visit Itamar Moses Frozen Jennifer Lee Mean Girls Tina Fey SpongeBob SquarePants Kyle Jarrow 2019 Tootsie Robert Horn Ain’t Too Proud Dominique Morisseau Beetlejuice Scott Brown and Anthony King Hadestown Anaïs Mitchell The Prom Chad Beguelin and Bob Martin
2020s Year Production Author2020 Jagged Little Pill Diablo Cody Moulin Rouge! The Musical John Logan Tina: The Tina Turner Musical Katori Hall, Frank Ketelaar and Kees Prins 2022 A Strange Loop Michael R. JacksonGirl from the North Country Conor McPherson MJ Lynn Nottage Mr. Saturday Night Billy Crystal, Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel Paradise Square Christina Anderson, Craig Lucas and Larry Kirwan 2023Kimberly Akimbo David Lindsay-Abaire & Juliet David West Read New York, New York David Thompson and Sharon Washington Shucked Robert Horn Some Like It Hot Matthew Lopez and Amber Ruffin 2024SuffsShaina TaubHell's KitchenKristoffer Diaz The Notebook Bekah Brunstetter The Outsiders Justin Levine and Adam RappWater for Elephants Rick Elice 2025 Maybe Happy Ending Will Aronson and Hue Park Buena Vista Social Club Marco Ramirez Dead Outlaw Itamar Moses Death Becomes Her Marco PennetteOperation Mincemeat: A New MusicalDavid Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts2026 Schmigadoon! Cinco PaulThe Lost Boys David Hornsby and Chris HochTitanique Marla Mindelle, Constantine Rousouli and Tye BlueTwo Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) Jim Barne and Kit Buchan
Award records
3 Wins Hugh Wheeler (2 consecutive) Thomas Meehan James Lapine
2 Wins Terrence McNally Larry Gelbart Peter Stone
Nomination records
5 Nominations Michael Stewart Peter Stone
4 Nominations Douglas Carter Beane James Lapine Terrence McNally Hugh Wheeler Thomas Meehan
3 Nominations Chad Beguelin Harvey Fierstein Michael John LaChiusa David Thompson George C. Wolfe Betty Comden Adolph Green Craig Lucas John Weidman
2 Nominations Walter Bobbie Alain Boublil Mark Bramble Leslie Bricusse Alfred Uhry Joe DiPietro Rick Elice Bob Fosse Larry Gelbart John Guare Rupert Holmes Robert Horn Jim Lewis David Lindsay-Abaire Bob Martin Itamar Moses Marsha Norman Tim Rice Dick Scanlan Claude-Michel Schönberg Neil Simon Joseph Stein Melvin Van Peebles Andrew Lloyd Webber Mark O'Donnell
See also Tony Award for Best Original Score Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Book of a Musical Laurence Olivier Award for Best Original Score or New Orchestrations List of Tony Award-nominated productions
References
External links Tony Awards Official site Tony Awards at Internet Broadway database Listing Tony Awards at broadwayworld.com