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"If they asked me, I could write a book..."

Greg MacKellan on musical librettos

When defining the qualities that make a great musical, the score, choreography, costumes, set and direction are the first to come to mind. But what about the framework that holds all the disparate elements of a musical together - the musical libretto?

Co-founder and artistic director Greg MacKellan, who has prepared many scripts for the Lost Musical Series, discusses this often over-looked but important element of a musical show. Musical librettists have a difficult job, sometimes more difficult than that of the songwriter - and without the recognition.

"The book of a musical is probably the hardest kind of a play to write and do well. You have to carefully lay the groundwork so that the audience both accepts that the characters are going to sing and cares about what they are singing."

MacKellan asserts that as musical books grew in sophistication, a more integrated structure enabled the art form to grow.

"The original librettos just had a little bit of plot to showcase the songs. But then playwrights like Moss Hart ('As Thousands Cheer', 'Jubilee') ,came along and had loftier aims. The books of musicals became more complex and intertwined with the scores and in turn, the scores improved."

"When presenting a concert version of a musical, MacKellan feels that too much tampering is not a wise thing. "

"Our aim is to try and present the shows as faithfully as possible and to try to do them the way they were originally presented. Sometimes, as in "The Cat and the Fiddle" or "Peggy-Ann", we'll cut one or two lines, but generally we try to keep to the original as best as we can."

Then why rewrite scripts at all?

"Many scenes were written in musicals because of the limitations of technology. Scenes that would allow them to change scenery were inserted simply to mark time - they don't work today. Also, an accurate script doesn't exist of many of the original productions. You have to work from early drafts, out-of-town scripts and old recordings. In the case of "America's Sweetheart" (book by Herbert Fields), I had to make the score fit into an extant copy of the script where much was missing. In the process, some scenes had to be written using only vague information from reviews and notes about the original Broadway show."

His toughest challenge?

"The hardest script I've had to pull together was "Something For the Boys", which didn't have an ending scene. The leading character was handled in a way that the original actress, Ethel Merman, could get away with in 1942 - she was brassy and brash, but essentially played herself. I softened her a bit and gave some of her lines to other characters to equal out the script a bit. My aim was not to say, 'Here's "Something For the Boys" as exactly done in 1943,' but instead present as faithful a rendition as we can that captures the original spirit of the piece"

As much as he respects the scripts, MacKellan admits that the score is still the primary reason for reviving a musical.

"What we do is a very specific thing, a staged version of the original. They really aren't vehicles for directors. What directors have to do is find the best way to guide the singer to create an accomplished performance and make sure the score is shown in the best possible light."