Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical

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.

Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical
Awarded for	Best Book of a Musical
Location	United States New York City
Presented by	American Theatre Wing The Broadway League
Currently held by	Will Aronson and Hue Park for Maybe Happy Ending (2025)
Website	TonyAwards.com

Winners and nominees

  indicates the winner

1940s

Year	Production	Author
1949 (3rd)
	Kiss Me, Kate	Bella and Samuel Spewack

1950s

Year	Production	Author
1950 (4th)
	South Pacific	Oscar Hammerstein II and Joshua Logan

1960s

Year	Production	Author
1962 (16th) [1]
	How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying	Abe Burrows, Willie Gilbert and Jack Weinstock
	Carnival!	Helen Deutsch and Michael Stewart
1963 (17th) [2]
	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 (18th) [3]
	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 (19th) [4]
	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 (25th) [5]
	Company	George Furth
	The Me Nobody Knows	Robert H. Livingston and Herb Schapiro
	The Rothschilds	Sherman Yellen
1972 (26th) [6]
	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 (27th) [7]
	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 (28th) [8]
	Candide	Hugh Wheeler
	Raisin	Robert Nemiroff and Charlotte Zaltzberg
	Seesaw	Michael Bennett
1975 (29th) [9]
	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 (30th) [10]
	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 (31st) [11]
	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 (32nd) [12]
	On the Twentieth Century	Betty Comden and Adolph Green
	A History of the American Film	Christopher Durang
	Runaways	Elizabeth Swados
	Working	Stephen Schwartz
1979 (33rd) [13]
	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 (34th) [14]
	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 (35th) [15]
	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 (36th) [16]
	Dreamgirls	Tom Eyen
	The First	Martin Charnin and Joel Siegel
	Nine	Arthur Kopit
	Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat	Tim Rice
1983 (37th) [17]
	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 (38th) [18]
	La Cage aux Folles	Harvey Fierstein
	Baby	Sybille Pearson
	Sunday in the Park with George	James Lapine
	The Tap Dance Kid	Charles Blackwell
1985 (39th)
	Big River	William Hauptman
	Grind	Fay Kanin
	Harrigan 'N Hart	Michael Stewart
	Quilters	Barbara Damashek and Molly Newman
1986 (40th) [19]
	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 (41st) [20]
	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 (42nd) [21]
	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 (44th) [22]
	City of Angels	Larry Gelbart
	Aspects of Love	Andrew Lloyd Webber
	Grand Hotel	Luther Davis
	Meet Me in St. Louis	Hugh Wheeler
1991 (45th) [23]
	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 (46th) [24]
	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 (47th) [25]
	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 (48th) [26]
	Passion	James Lapine
	Beauty and the Beast	Linda Woolverton
	Cyrano: The Musical	Koen van Dijk
	A Grand Night for Singing	Walter Bobbie
1995 (49th)
	Sunset Boulevard	Don Black and Christopher Hampton
1996 (50th) [27]
	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 (51st) [28]
	Titanic	Peter Stone
	Jekyll & Hyde	Leslie Bricusse
	The Life	Cy Coleman, Ira Gasman and David Newman
	Steel Pier	David Thompson
1998 (52nd) [29]
	Ragtime	Terrence McNally
	The Lion King	Roger Allers and Irene Mecchi
	The Scarlet Pimpernel	Nan Knighton
	Side Show	Bill Russell
1999 (53rd) [30]
	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 (54th) [31]
	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 (55th) [32]
	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 (56th) [33]
	Urinetown	Greg Kotis
	Mamma Mia!	Catherine Johnson
	Sweet Smell of Success	John Guare
	Thoroughly Modern Millie	Richard Morris and Dick Scanlan
2003 (57th) [34]
	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 (58th) [35]
	Avenue Q	Jeff Whitty
	The Boy from Oz	Nick Enright and Martin Sherman
	Caroline, or Change	Tony Kushner
	Wicked	Winnie Holzman
2005 (59th) [36]
	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 (60th) [37]
	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 (61st) [38]
	Spring Awakening	Steven Sater
	Curtains	Rupert Holmes and Peter Stone
	Grey Gardens	Doug Wright
	Legally Blonde	Heather Hach
2008 (62nd) [39]
	Passing Strange	Stew
	Cry-Baby	Thomas Meehan and Mark O'Donnell
	In the Heights	Quiara Alegría Hudes
	Xanadu	Douglas Carter Beane
2009 (63rd) [40]
	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 (64th) [41]
	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 (65th) [42]
	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 (66th) [43]
	Once	Enda Walsh
	Lysistrata Jones	Douglas Carter Beane
	Newsies	Harvey Fierstein
	Nice Work If You Can Get It	Joe DiPietro
2013 (67th) [44]
	Matilda the Musical	Dennis Kelly
	A Christmas Story: The Musical	Joseph Robinette
	Kinky Boots	Harvey Fierstein
	Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella	Douglas Carter Beane
2014 (68th) [45]
	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 (69th) [46]
	Fun Home	Lisa Kron
	An American in Paris	Craig Lucas
	Something Rotten!	Karey Kirkpatrick and John O'Farrell
	The Visit	Terrence McNally
2016 (70th) [47]
	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 (71st) [48]
	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 (72nd) [49]
	The Band's Visit	Itamar Moses
	Frozen	Jennifer Lee
	Mean Girls	Tina Fey
	SpongeBob SquarePants	Kyle Jarrow
2019 (73rd) [50]
	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	Author
2020 (74th)
	Jagged Little Pill	Diablo Cody
	Moulin Rouge! The Musical	John Logan
	Tina: The Tina Turner Musical	Katori Hall, Frank Ketelaar and Kees Prins
2022 (75th) [51]
	A Strange Loop	Michael R. Jackson
	Girl 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
2023 (76th) [52]
	Kimberly 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
2024 (77th) [53]
	Suffs	Shaina Taub
	Hell's Kitchen	Kristoffer Diaz
	The Notebook	Bekah Brunstetter
	The Outsiders	Justin Levine and Adam Rapp
	Water for Elephants	Rick Elice
2025 (78th)
	Maybe Happy Ending	Will Aronson and Hue Park
	Buena Vista Social Club	Marco Ramirez
	Dead Outlaw	Itamar Moses
	Death Becomes Her	Marco Pennette
	Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical	David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts

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