Does Hamilton have a book?
Does Hamilton have a book?
#1Does Hamilton have a book?
Posted: 1/15/16 at 9:43pm
or les mis for that matter? And I'm not talking a book adaption or source material I'm asking about dialouge in the show.
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#2Does Hamilton have a book?
Posted: 1/15/16 at 9:45pm
Yes - a show does not have to have spoken dialogue to have a "book".
#3Does Hamilton have a book?
Posted: 1/15/16 at 10:07pm
"Book" is just a slang term for "libretto" which is the dialogue and lyrics. The book is also the story in general. Book writers structure the musical from beginning to end usually coming up with song titles and telling the lyricist what the song has to accomplish from verse to verse... Book writers do a lot more than they often get credit for.
For example Terrence McNally structured the entire montage opening of RAGTIME, as well as insisting that the the show have as much dancing in it as possible, and came up with the idea to use the Ford assembly line together with a big ensemble dance number for "Getting ready Rag." According to Lynn Ahrens, the only reason there was so much dancing in RAGTIME was because Terrence fought so hard for it as the book writer.
Updated On: 1/15/16 at 10:07 PM
#4Does Hamilton have a book?
Posted: 1/15/16 at 10:16pm
Hamilton obviously has some pure dialogue, but it also has a great deal of rhymed dialogue that exists within what are labeled as songs. You don't have to go beyond "Aaron Burr, Sir" to find a good example.
#5Does Hamilton have a book?
Posted: 1/15/16 at 10:31pm
It is certainly true that book writers do more than just provide the spoken dialogue, but I don't think it's true that they "usually" provide the "song titles", as asserted above. They may very well, however, suggest places for songs and even summaries of the content of lyrics, depending on how the book is written. They also usually provide the plot, define the characters, etc. Elmer Rice is credited with the book for STREET SCENE, even though the work is nearly through-sung; the same may be said of Hugh Wheeler for SWEENEY TODD.
But book is NOT "slang for libretto". The term libretto refers to book and lyrics; the term basically means "the words" as befits its literal translation: "little book". If there are two meanings to the term "book of a musical" (and there are) they are these: the narrow meaning refers to spoken dialogue as opposed to sung; the broader meaning refers to the entire structure of the show. In the latter case, all the writers and the composer basically share responsibility for the "book".
If you read books on collaborations such as Sondheim's with Hugh Wheeler or John Weidman or even Arthur Laurents, it's more that the title and subject of a song are suggested by dialogue found in the book. The best songwriters admit they "steal" from the book writer all the time. That's just one reason writing the book is a rather thankless job. The other is that everybody credits the score for a success and blames the book for a failure.
P.S. I don't know what production of RAGTIME had "a lot of dancing". It certainly wasn't the version (LA) I saw. It would be more accurate to say there was a lot of strolling. This is not to say Ahrens didn't say otherwise, but if so, I think she was engaged in hyperbole.
Updated On: 1/17/16 at 10:31 PM
AwesomeDanny
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/30/09
#7Does Hamilton have a book?
Posted: 1/17/16 at 3:47am
The plot structure of a show counts as a book. In my opinion, Hamilton has a fantastic, Tony-worthy book because of its structure. Lyric writing is more of a moment-to-moment thing, but how they connect is totally different. Evita is a sung-through show that I would say has a weak book because the structure is so sloppy. If you accept the basic principle of a linear plot as one event causes the next, which causes the next, until the last domino falls, that's the end of the show, Hamilton has a better book than most shows on Broadway. The storytelling is very clear in how each moment causes the next one to happen, making a very complicated story very clear to follow. Lin Manuel Miranda also did a wonderful job of finding the moments within that structure to give characters depth, arc, and conflict without stopping the story moving.
#8Does Hamilton have a book?
Posted: 1/17/16 at 9:55pm
Exactly, Danny. I haven't even seen HAMILTON and I can say with considerable certainty, "Yes, it has a book."
