| 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 | Robert Horn for Tootsie (2019) |
| Website | TonyAwards.com |
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
indicates the winner
1940s
| Year | Author | Production |
|---|---|---|
| 1949 3rd Tony Awards | ||
| Bella & Samuel Spewack | Kiss Me, Kate |
1950s
| Year | Author | Production |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 4th Tony Awards | ||
| Oscar Hammerstein II & Joshua Logan | South Pacific |
1960s
| Year | Author | Production |
|---|---|---|
| 1962 16th Tony Awards | ||
| Abe Burrows, Willie Gilbert & Jack Weinstock | How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying | |
| Helen Deutsch & Michael Stewart | Carnival! | |
| 1963 17th Tony Awards | ||
| Larry Gelbart & Burt Shevelove | A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum | |
| Lionel Bart | Oliver! | |
| Leslie Bricusse & Anthony Newley | Stop the World – I Want to Get Off | |
| Neil Simon | Little Me | |
| 1964 18th Tony Awards | ||
| Michael Stewart | Hello, Dolly! | |
| Noël Coward & Harry Kurnitz | The Girl Who Came to Supper | |
| Timothy Gray & Hugh Martin | High Spirits | |
| Joe Masteroff | She Loves Me | |
| 1965 19th Tony Awards | ||
| Joseph Stein | Fiddler on the Roof | |
| Jerome Coopersmith | Baker Street | |
| Beverley Cross | Half a Sixpence | |
| Sidney Michaels | Ben Franklin in Paris |
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
| Year | Author | Production |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 64th Tony Awards | ||
| Joe DiPietro | Memphis | |
| Colin Escott & Floyd Mutrux | Million Dollar Quartet | |
| Bill T. Jones & Jim Lewis | Fela! | |
| Dick Scanlan & Sherie Rene Scott | Everyday Rapture | |
| 2011 65th Tony Awards | ||
| Trey Parker, Robert Lopez & Matt Stone | The Book of Mormon | |
| Douglas Carter Beane, Bill & Cheri Steinkellner | Sister Act | |
| David Thompson | The Scottsboro Boys | |
| Alex Timbers | Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson | |
| 2012 66th Tony Awards | ||
| Enda Walsh | Once | |
| Douglas Carter Beane | Lysistrata Jones | |
| Joe DiPietro | Nice Work If You Can Get It | |
| Harvey Fierstein | Newsies | |
| 2013 67th Tony Awards | ||
| Dennis Kelly | Matilda the Musical | |
| Douglas Carter Beane | Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella | |
| Harvey Fierstein | Kinky Boots | |
| Joseph Robinette | A Christmas Story: The Musical | |
| 2014 68th Tony Awards | ||
| Robert L. Freedman | A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder | |
| Woody Allen | Bullets Over Broadway | |
| Chad Beguelin | Aladdin | |
| Douglas McGrath | Beautiful: The Carole King Musical | |
| 2015 69th Tony Awards | ||
| Lisa Kron | Fun Home | |
| Karey Kirkpatrick & John O'Farrell | Something Rotten! | |
| Craig Lucas | An American in Paris | |
| Terrence McNally | The Visit | |
| 2016 70th Tony Awards | ||
| Lin-Manuel Miranda | Hamilton | |
| Julian Fellowes | School of Rock | |
| Steve Martin | Bright Star | |
| George C. Wolfe | Shuffle Along | |
| 2017 71st Tony Awards | ||
| Steven Levenson | Dear Evan Hansen | |
| Dave Malloy | Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 | |
| Danny Rubin | Groundhog Day | |
| David Hein & Irene Sankoff | Come from Away | |
| 2018 72nd Tony Awards | ||
| Itamar Moses | The Band's Visit | |
| Jennifer Lee | Frozen | |
| Tina Fey | Mean Girls | |
| Kyle Jarrow | SpongeBob SquarePants | |
| 2019 73rd Tony Awards | ||
| Robert Horn | Tootsie | |
| Dominique Morisseau | Ain’t Too Proud | |
| Scott Brown & Anthony King | Beetlejuice | |
| Anaïs Mitchell | Hadestown | |
| Chad Beguelin & Bob Martin | The Prom |
2020s
| Year | Author | Production |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 74th Tony Awards | Diablo Cody | Jagged Little Pill |
| John Logan | Moulin Rouge! The Musical | |
| Katori Hall, Frank Ketelaar & Kees Prins | Tina: The Tina Turner Musical |
Award records
Nomination records
- 5 Nominations
- 4 Nominations
- 3 Nominations
- 2 Nominations
- Walter Bobbie
- Alain Boublil
- Mark Bramble
- Leslie Bricusse
- Betty Comden
- Joe DiPietro
- Bob Fosse
- Larry Gelbart
- Adolph Green
- John Guare
- Rupert Holmes
- Jim Lewis
- Craig Lucas
- Bob Martin
- Thomas Meehan
- Marsha Norman
- Tim Rice
- Dick Scanlan
- Claude-Michel Schönberg
- Neil Simon
- Joseph Stein
- David Thompson
- Melvin Van Peebles
- Andrew Lloyd Webber