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.

Awards and nominations

1950s

• 1950: South Pacific ? Oscar Hammerstein and Joshua Logan
• 1951: Guys and Dolls ? Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows

1960s

• 1960: no award
• 1961: no award
• 1964: Hello, Dolly! ? Michael Stewart
• 1965: Fiddler on the Roof ? Joseph Stein
• 1966: no award
• 1967: no award
• 1968: no award
• 1969: no award

1970s

• 1970: no award
• 1971: Company ? George Furth
• 1972: Two Gentlemen of Verona ? John Guare and Mel Shapiro
• 1973: A Little Night Music ? Hugh Wheeler
• 1974: Candide ? Hugh Wheeler
• 1975: Shenandoah ? James Lee Barrett, Peter Udell, and Phillip Rose
• 1976: A Chorus Line ? James Kirkwood, Jr. and Nicholas Dante
• 1977: Annie ? Thomas Meehan
• 1978: On The Twentieth Century ? Betty Comden and Adolph Green
• 1979: Sweeney Todd ? Hugh Wheeler

1980s

• 1980: Evita ? Tim Rice
• 1981: Woman of the Year ? Peter Stone
• 1982: Dreamgirls ? Tom Eyen
• 1983: Cats ? T. S. Eliot
• 1984: La Cage aux Folles ? Harvey Fierstein
• 1985: Big River ? William Hauptman
• 1986: The Mystery of Edwin Drood ? Rupert Holmes

• 1987: Les Misérables ? Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg
  • Me and My Girl ? L. Arthur Rose, Douglas Furber, Stephen Fry and Mike Ockrent
  • 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
• 1989: no award

1990s

• 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 Schonberg
  • 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 ? Pete Townshend and Des McAnuff

• 1994: Passion ? James Lapine
  • Beauty and the Beast ? Linda Woolverton
  • Cyrano: The Musical ? Koen van Kijk
  • 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, Jim Lewis, and Michael John LaChiusa

• 1997: Titanic ? Peter Stone
  • Jekyll & Hyde ? Leslie Bricusse
  • The Life ? David Newman, Ira Gasman, and Cy Coleman
  • 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 ? Dean Pitchford and Walter Bobbie
  • It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues ? Charles Bevel, Lita Gaithers, Randal Myler, Ron Taylor, and Dan Wheetman
  • Marlene ? Pam Gems

2000s

• 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 ? Didier Van Cauwelaert, Jeremy Sams (adaptation)
  • Flower Drum Song ? David Henry Hwang
  • A Year With Frog and Toad ? Willie Reale

• 2004: Avenue Q ? Jeff Whitty
  • The Boy from Oz ? Martin Sherman, Nick Enright
  • 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 by Craig Lucas
  • Monty Python's Spamalot ? Eric Idle

• 2006: The Drowsy Chaperone ? Bob Martin and Don McKellar
  • The Wedding Singer ? Chad Beguelin and Tim Herlihy
  • Jersey Boys by Marshall Brickman & Rick Elice
  • The Color Purple ? Marsha Norman

• 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 ? Thomas Meehan and Mark O'Donnell
  • In the Heights ? Quiara Alegría Hudes
  • Xanadu by Douglas Carter Beane

Award records

• 3 awards: Hugh Wheeler, Thomas Meehan, and James Lapine
• 2 awards: Terrence McNally, Larry Gelbart, Peter Stone, and Michael Stewart

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