Lizzie's Favourite Musical Theatre Lyrics

Here's a short collection of my favourite musical theatre lyrics.

Most song writers have a lot of freedom around how they want to shape a song. It is true that industry folk may put pressures on writers for chart pop artists to include repetitive lyrics in order to create a catchy hook. But for the most part there's a lack of direct instruction or a formula.

However Musical Theatre Lyrics are quite different in that they serve a specific purpose in a show to express a certain character's emotion or advance the plot from a to b.

In an interview with Stephen Sondheim, he explains that lyric writing in musicals is nothing like poetry. In poetry, the reader has a generous amount of time to digest and interpret the words and imagery created. But in show's, the words are not the sole focus and there are so many things going on. You have costumes, sets, props, dancing, acting and lighting. Due to the mix of these different elements, there's a risk that if the lyrics are not clear it will overwhelm the audience. They should therefore focus on what message needs to be communicated to the audience at this point of the show and what's the simplest way of doing it so as not to lose the audience.

I think Sondheim was absolutely right. However, rather than being a hindrance, I think the parameters within which musical theatre lyricists have to work makes for really interesting and creative pieces of work where we can really delve into emotions and subject matter not always explored in the medium of song.

At its worst you get pieces in musicals such as "Jekyll and Hyde" or "I Can't the Sing" where there's lots of forced rhyme schemes and a lack of an imagination with word choices. However at its best, the lyrics can be deeply moving and can take a personal meaning for you outside of the show which sticks long after you've left the theatre.