William Finn

For the Irish Member of Parliament, see William Francis Finn.

William Finn

Finn at a Platform Talk at Lincoln Center Theater on November 17, 2016

Background information
Born|  (1952-02-28) February 28, 1952 (age 72)
Natick, Massachusetts, U.S.
Genres| Musical theater
Occupations|

* Composer
* Lyricist

Years active| 1971–present

Musical artist

William Alan Finn (born February 28, 1952) is an American composer and lyricist. He is best known for his musicals, which include Falsettos, for which he won the 1992 Tony Awards for Best Original Score and Best Book of a Musical, A New Brain (1998), and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (2005).

## Early life

[edit]

Finn was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He is Jewish,[1] raised in conservative Judaism,[2] and grew up in Natick, Massachusetts, with his parents and siblings, Michael and Nancy. He attended the Temple Israel in Natick, where his rabbi was Harold Kushner. In Hebrew School, Finn wrote his first play, saying, "I don't think I ever told anyone this: The first play I ever wrote was in Hebrew. I have no idea what it was about. But it was horrible, I guarantee it. I couldn't write plays, and I couldn't really speak Hebrew, so how good could it be?"[2] While attending Natick High School, Finn competed with the Natick Speech Team and was in the drama department headed by Gerald Dyer.[3] For his bar mitzvah, he received a guitar and taught himself to play.[4]

He went on to attend Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, as a music major. He originally entered as a guitar major, "When I got to college I kind of transferred to the piano. I transferred what I knew on the guitar to the piano. But when I was playing the guitar I was always writing my own songs — and singing a few of — I only had one book of folk songs, a blue book, of these sad, sad folk songs. ...I would start them the way they were written and then I would change them to how I wanted them…. I would just use the lyrics — re-musicalize the lyrics."[4] When he graduated, he received the Hutchinson Fellowship (a musical composition award).[5]

## Career

[edit]

Finn is a heavily autobiographical writer; he always writes his own lyrics. His topics have included the gay and Jewish experiences in contemporary America, and also family, belonging, sickness, healing, and loss. According to a 2006 article, "The Washington Post called him 'the composer laureate of loss.'"[6]

Finn is especially noted for his work on what was to become a trilogy of short musicals Off-Broadway. In Trousers, March of the Falsettos, and Falsettoland all chronicle the lives of the character Marvin; his ex-wife, Trina; his boyfriend, Whizzer; his psychiatrist, Mendel; and his son, Jason.[7] Falsettos, the combination of the latter two parts of his Marvin Trilogy (March of the Falsettos and Falsettoland), opened on Broadway at the John Golden Theater on April 29, 1992,[7] and ran for 486 performances. It went on to garner seven nominations at the 46th Tony Awards, winning two: the 1992 Tony Award for Best Original Score as well as the 1992 Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical, the latter shared with James Lapine.

A critically acclaimed revival opened on September 29, 2016, at the Walter Kerr Theater and went on to garner five nominations at the 71st Tony Awards, including Best Revival.

With Lapine, Finn penned a musical loosely based on his near-death experience following brain surgery, exploring the role of music in his life and recovery. The musical's main character is a man who has what may be a terminal arteriovenous malformation (AVM). Finn's longtime partner, Arthur Salvadore, is represented by the character Roger Delli-Bovi. Finn's mother is also present in the piece.[6] That musical, A New Brain, starred Malcolm Gets, Kristin Chenoweth and Chip Zien, and premiered Off-Broadway at the Lincoln Center Theater in 1998.[8] The musical won the 1999 Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Off-Broadway Musical. The UK premiere was at the 2005 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

At the 2006 Elliot Norton Awards Ceremony, Finn brought his high school drama teacher, Gerry Dyer, onstage with him to present an award. Finn said of Dyer that he "imbued us with a ridiculous sense of our own self-worth."[9] Another student of Gerald Dyer, Alison Fraser, found fame on Broadway, collaborating with Finn in the original casts of In Trousers and March of the Falsettos.

Finn had another Broadway success with The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, for which he wrote both music and lyrics. The show won two Tony Awards in 2005-one for Best Book of a Musical, and another for the Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical. It ran Off-Broadway, then on Broadway in 2005[10] and toured the United States in 2006. The show was first workshopped and produced at Barrington Stage Company (BSC) in Pittsfield, MA, where Finn later created The Musical Theatre Lab (MTL) with BSC Artistic Director Julianne Boyd. The MTL is an annual summer lab where emerging musical theatre artists are supported and new musical works are created, fine-tuned and produced under the curatorship of Finn and Boyd.[11]

Three musical revues or song suites of Finn's music have been produced:

* Infinite Joy, in which the composer played the piano and sang along with an all-star cast, contained several songs from shows that were unfinished, and some that were cut from previous shows.
* Elegies: A Song Cycle (2003) is a series of songs the composer wrote in memoriam of loved ones now gone, and in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks.[12]
* Make Me a Song, conceived and directed by Rob Ruggiero, premiered at Hartford's Theaterworks in the summer of 2006, opened Off-Broadway in November 2007, and closed in December 2007 after 54 performances.[13] A live recording was released by Sh-K-Boom Records on April 29, 2008.[14]

Finn's first show was called Sizzle and was produced at Williams College in the fall of 1971. Finn wrote the music and lyrics, and his good friend, Charlie Rubin, wrote the libretto. Sizzle was the first original musical produced on the Williams College campus since Stephen Sondheim attended the college over 20 years earlier. Sizzle was a coming of age musical about college students but concluded in an unusual way with the star of the show, played by J. Tyler Griffin, Jr., dying in an electric chair. Sizzle played to packed houses. Rubin possesses a reel-to-reel tape containing excerpts from the show, including most of the music.

His long-in-development show, The Royal Family of Broadway, with a book by Richard Greenberg, was based on the play by George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber, which tells the story of a girl from a family of great Broadway actors who contemplates leaving show business and getting married. It has apparently been shelved, according to William Finn's personal notes for Make Me a Song, Playbill magazine and an article from 2006.[6][15]

Finn's songs were featured exclusively on Lisa Howard's album Songs of Innocence and Experience, released on April 12, 2011.[16]

The musical comedy Little Miss Sunshine, premiered at the La Jolla Playhouse, California, from February 15, 2011, through March 27, 2011. James Lapine wrote the book and is the director, set design by David Korins, staging by Lapine and Christopher Gattelli. The opening night cast featured Hunter Foster (Richard), Malcolm Gets (Frank), Dick Latessa (Grandpa), Taylor Trensch (Dwayne), Georgi James (Olive), and Jennifer Laura Thompson (Sheryl).[17][18] The ensemble, who Jay Irwin wrote "...took the small parts they were given and ran with them, almost right out of the theater as each of them brilliantly played the comedic relief to the family's "straight man"", starred Bradley Dean, Carmen Ruby Floyd, Eliseo Roman, Andrew Samonsky, Sally Wilfert, and Zakiya Young.

Little Miss Sunshine began previews Off Broadway at the Second Stage Theatre in New York on October 15, 2013, and opened November 14, 2013.[19]

Finn's frequent collaborators include librettist James Lapine, director Graciela Daniele and singers/actors Stephen Bogardus, Carolee Carmello, Stephen DeRosa, Alison Fraser, Keith Byron Kirk, Norm Lewis, Michael Rupert, Mary Testa, Christian Borle and Chip Zien.

Finn was one of a selected few composers who contributed to the song cycle Stars of David which premiered in October 2012 at the Philadelphia Theatre Company. It was based on the Abigail Pogrebin's book Stars of David: Prominent Jews Talk About Being Jewish and starred Nancy Balbirer, Alex Brightman, Joanna Glushak, Brad Oscar and Donna Vivino.[20] Finn also contributed to the Off-Broadway musical Mama & her Boys.[21]

His long-shelved musical, The Royal Family of Broadway, saw its first full production in 2018 at the Barrington Stage Company with Putnam librettist Rachel Sheinkin penning the book.[22]

## Personal life

[edit]

In 1992, Finn suffered deteriorating vision, dizziness and partial paralysis and was rushed to the hospital. He had arteriovenous malformation, or AVM, in his brain stem. In September 1992, he had Gamma Knife surgery, which obliterated the AVM. After the surgery, Finn experienced a year of humbled serenity and constantly felt like he had a "new brain." Finn's 1998 musical A New Brain is based on his experience with AVM and his subsequent successful surgery.[6]

He is openly gay, and lives with his life partner, Arthur Salvadore, in New York City[23] and Pittsfield, Massachusetts, where he is a composer and writer.

Finn is a member of the NYU Tisch Graduate Program in Musical Theater Writing faculty.[24] He is the co-founder and artistic producer of the Musical Theatre Lab at the Barrington Stage Company in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, established in 2006.[25]

## Writing credits

[edit]

### Stage

[edit]

* In Trousers (1979, revised 1985) – Off-Broadway musical – composer, lyricist, writer
* March of the Falsettos (1981) – Off-Broadway musical – composer, lyricist, writer
* America Kicks Up Its Heels (1983) – Off-Broadway musical – composer, lyricist (book by Charles Rubin) – an earlier version of Romance in Hard Times
* Dangerous Games (1989) – Broadway musical – lyricist (music by Ástor Piazzolla, book by Graciela Daniele and Jim Lewis)[26]
* Romance in Hard Times (1989, revised 2015) – Off-Broadway musical – composer, lyricist, writer
* Falsettoland (1990) – Off-Broadway musical – composer, lyricist, book by James Lapine
* Falsettos (1992) – Broadway musical – composer, lyricist, co-writer with James Lapine; includes March of the Falsettos and Falsettoland
* The Sisters Rosensweig (1993) – Broadway play – composer and lyricist for the song "Scarlet Pimpernel"
* A New Brain (1998) – Off-Broadway musical – composer, lyricist, co-writer with James Lapine
* Love's Fire (1998) – playwright, composer and lyricist for the song "Painting You"
* Muscle (2001) – O'Rourke Center for the Performing Arts, Truman College – composer (lyrics by Ellen Fitzhugh, book by James Lapine)[27]
* Elegies: A Song Cycle (2003) – Off-Broadway revue – composer, lyricist
* The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (2004) – Off-Broadway musical transferred to Broadway (2005) – composer, lyricist (book by Rachel Sheinkin)
* Make Me a Song (2007) – Off-Broadway revue – composer, lyricist
* Little Miss Sunshine (2011) – La Jolla Playhouse musical and then Off-Broadway, Second Stage Theatre, (2013) – composer, lyricist (books by James Lapine)
* The Royal Family of Broadway (2018) – Barrington Stage Company (new book by Rachel Sheinkin, original book by James Lapine)

### Film

[edit]

* The Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue (1997) – songs (lyrics by Ellen Fitzhugh, score by Alexander Janko)
* The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars (1998) – songs (lyrics by Ellen Fitzhugh, score by Alexander Janko)
* The Adventures of Tom Thumb and Thumbelina (2002) – composer, lyricist[28]

### Television

[edit]

* "Ira Sleeps Over" (1991) – TV special, part of the series HBO Storybook Musicals – composer, lyricist
* Pokey Little Puppy's First Christmas (1992) – composer, lyricist[29]

Notable Songs:

* "Anytime (I Am There)"
* "The Baseball Game"
* "Change"
* "Four Jews in a Room Bitching"
* "Goodbye / Boom Boom"
* "Gordo's Law of Genetics"
* "Heart and Music"
* "Holding to the Ground"
* "How Marvin Eats His Breakfast"
* "Sailing"
* "I Have Found"
* "The I Love You Song"
* "Infinite Joy"
* "Just Go"
* "Monica and Mark"
* "Republicans"
* "Set Those Sails"
* "Song of Innocence and Experience"
* "Unlikely Lovers"
* "What More Can I Say?"
* "What Would I Do?"
* "When the Earth Stopped Turning"
* "Whizzer Going Down"

## Awards and nominations

[edit]

Year  | Association  | Category  | Nominated work  | Result

|
|
|
|

1991  | Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Music | Falsettoland | Won
Outstanding Lyrics | Won
1992  | Tony Award | Best Book of a Musical | Falsettos | Won
Best Original Score | Won
1999  | Drama Desk Award | Outstanding New Musical | A New Brain | Nominated
Outstanding Book of a Musical | Nominated
Outstanding Music | Nominated
Outstanding Lyrics | Nominated
2005  | Tony Award | Best Original Score | The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee | Nominated
Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Music | Nominated
Outstanding Lyrics | Nominated

## See also

[edit]

* List of people with brain tumors

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Friedman, Jonathan C."Chapter Three" Rainbow Jews:Jewish and Gay Identity in the Performing Arts, Lexington Books, 2007, ISBN 0-7391-1448-4, p.74
2. ^ a b Hoffman, Wayne. [1] Tablet October 26, 2016
3. ^ Aucoin, Don. [2] Boston Globe August 19, 2016
4. ^ a b Viagas, Robert. [3] Playbill February 10, 2004
5. ^ Ruhlmann, William."William Finn Biography new.music.yahoo.com, accessed August 22, 2011
6. ^ a b c d Pall, Ellen."The Long-Running Musical of William Finn's Life" nytimes.com, February 20, 2012
7. ^ a b Henry, William A."The Quirky William Finn"Time Magazine, May 11, 1992
8. ^ Brantley, Ben."Theater Review:A Romp Through the Valley of Death"The New York Times (requires registration), June 19, 1998
9. ^ MacDonald, Sandy.Camp, Mays, Spamalot, et al. Win 2006 Elliot Norton Awards" theatermania.com, May 23, 2006
10. ^ Isherwood, Charles."Six Misfits Test Wits on Bigger Platform"The New York Times, May 3, 2005
11. ^ "Barrington Stage History, Commitment to New Work and the Musical Theatre Lab" Barrington Stage Company, accessed August 22, 2011
12. ^ Holden, Stephen.Departed Friends Vibrantly Recalled in Song"The New York Times (requires registration), March 28, 2003
13. ^ Midgette, Anne. "A Songwriter’s Gamut, Personal and Poignant With Notes in Between" The New York Times, November 21, 2007
14. ^ "Music Theatre International: Licensing Musical Theater Theatrical Performance Rights and Materials to Schools, Community and Professional Theatres since 1952". Mtishows.com. Retrieved 2014-07-04.
15. ^ Jones, Kenneth."'Make Me a Song, Finn's Revue of "Heart and Music," Opens in NYC" playbill.com, November 12, 2007
16. ^ Cerasaro, Pat."SOUND OFF Special Interview: Lisa Howard on William Finn Album, TWILIGHT: BREAKING DAWN, and More" broadwayworld.com, April 13, 2011
17. ^ Jones, Kenneth."Road Trip! Finn & Lapine's 'Little Miss Sunshine' Musical Begins World-Premiere Run in CA" Archived 2011-02-18 at the Wayback Machine playbill.com, February 15, 2011
18. ^ Irwin, Jay."BWW Reviews: 'Little Miss Sunshine' at the La Jolla Playhouse" broadwayworld.com, March 26, 2010
19. ^ Isherwood, Charles (2013-11-14). "'Little Miss Sunshine' Opens at Second Stage". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-08-04.
20. ^ "Songs by William Finn, Tom Kitt, Jeanine Tesori, Amanda Green Bring Shimmer to Stars of David Musical, Starting Oct. 17". Playbill.com. Retrieved 2014-07-04.
21. ^ "Mama and her Boys — Ethan Paulini". Ethanpaulini.com. Retrieved 2014-07-04.
22. ^ "William Finn's the Royal Family of Broadway to Receive World Premiere at Barrington Stage Company". 5 October 2017.
23. ^ Guthmann, Edward."A playwright steeped in loss finds bliss in 'Spelling Bee'" sfgate.com, February 18, 2006
24. ^ "Bill Finn". tisch.nyu.edu. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
25. ^ Gans, Andrew. "Barrington Stage Company Will Honor William Finn at NYC Gala" Playbill, September 20, 2016
26. ^ " Dangerous Games Listing" playbillvault.com, accessed November 5, 2013
27. ^ Jones, Kenneth. "Lapine, Finn and Fitzhugh Flex Their Muscle June 13 – July 22 in Chi" playbill.com, June 13, 2001
28. ^ "William Finn" mtishows.com
29. ^ "William Finn" mtishows.com

## External links

[edit]

* William Finn at the Internet Off Broadway Database
* William Finn at the Internet Broadway Database
* William Finn at IMDb
* MusicalTalk Interview with, and discussion on William Finn.
* The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

* v
* t
* e

Musicals by William Finn

* In Trousers
* March of the Falsettos
* America Kicks Up Its Heels
* Romance in Hard Times
* Falsettoland
* Falsettos
* A New Brain
* Infinite Joy
* Elegies: A Song Cycle
* The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
* Make Me a Song
* Little Miss Sunshine

Awards for William Finn

* v
* t
* e

Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics

1969–2000|

* Fred Ebb (1969)
* Stephen Sondheim / Bertolt Brecht (1970)
* Stephen Sondheim (1971)
* John Guare (1972)
* Stephen Sondheim (1973)
* Al Carmines (1974)
* Charlie Smalls (1975)
* Edward Kleban (1976)
* Martin Charnin (1977)
* Carol Hall (1978)
* Stephen Sondheim (1979)
* Tim Rice (1980)
* Stephen Sondheim / Maury Yeston (1982)
* Howard Ashman (1983)
* Stephen Sondheim (1984)
* Roger Miller (1985)
* Stephen Sondheim (1988)
* David Zippel (1990)
* William Finn (1991)
* Susan Birkenhead (1992)
* Denis Markell and Douglas Bernstein (1993)
* Stephen Sondheim (1994)
* Jonathan Larson (1996)
* Gerard Alessandrini (1997)
* Lynn Ahrens (1998)
* Gerard Alessandrini (1999)
* Stephen Sondheim (2000)

2001–present|

* Mel Brooks (2001)
* Jason Robert Brown (2002)
* Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman (2003)
* Stephen Schwartz (2004)
* Eric Idle (2005)
* Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison (2006)
* Steven Sater (2007)
* Stew (2008)
* Stephen Sondheim (2009)
* John Kander and Fred Ebb (2010)
* Trey Parker, Robert Lopez, and Matt Stone (2011)
* Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová (2012)
* Tim Minchin (2013)
* Robert L. Freedman and Steven Lutvak (2014)
* Lin-Manuel Miranda (2015)
* Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (2016)
* David Yazbek (2017)
* Peter Kellogg (2018)
* David Yazbek (2019)
* Michael R. Jackson (2020)
* No Award (2021)
* Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss (2022)
* Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman (2023)
* David Yazbek and Erik Della Penna (2024)

* v
* t
* e

Tony Award for Best Original Score

1947–1975|

* Street Scene by Kurt Weill (1947)
* Kiss Me, Kate by Cole Porter (1949)
* South Pacific by Richard Rodgers (1950)
* Call Me Madam by Irving Berlin (1951)
* No Strings by Richard Rodgers (1962)
* Oliver! by Lionel Bart (1963)
* Hello, Dolly! by Jerry Herman (1964)
* Fiddler on the Roof by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick (1965)
* Man of La Mancha by Mitch Leigh and Joe Darion (1966)
* Cabaret by John Kander and Fred Ebb (1967)
* Hallelujah, Baby! by Jule Styne, Betty Comden, and Adolph Green (1968)
* Company by Stephen Sondheim (1971)
* Follies by Stephen Sondheim (1972)
* A Little Night Music by Stephen Sondheim (1973)
* Gigi by Frederick Loewe and Alan Jay Lerner (1974)
* The Wiz by Charlie Smalls (1975)

1976–2000|

* A Chorus Line by Marvin Hamlisch and Edward Kleban (1976)
* Annie by Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin (1977)
* On the Twentieth Century by Cy Coleman, Betty Comden, and Adolph Green (1978)
* Sweeney Todd by Stephen Sondheim (1979)
* Evita by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice (1980)
* Woman of the Year by John Kander and Fred Ebb (1981)
* Nine by Maury Yeston (1982)
* Cats by Andrew Lloyd Webber and T. S. Eliot (1983)
* La Cage aux Folles by Jerry Herman (1984)
* Big River by Roger Miller (1985)
* The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Rupert Holmes (1986)
* Les Misérables by Claude-Michel Schönberg, Herbert Kretzmer, and Alain Boublil (1987)
* Into the Woods by Stephen Sondheim (1988)
* No Award (1989)
* City of Angels by Cy Coleman and David Zippel (1990)
* The Will Rogers Follies by Cy Coleman, Betty Comden, and Adolph Green (1991)
* Falsettos by William Finn (1992)
* Kiss of the Spider Woman by John Kander and Fred Ebb / The Who's Tommy by Pete Townshend (1993)
* Passion by Stephen Sondheim (1994)
* Sunset Boulevard by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Don Black, and Christopher Hampton (1995)
* Rent by Jonathan Larson (1996)
* Titanic by Maury Yeston (1997)
* Ragtime by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens (1998)
* Parade by Jason Robert Brown (1999)
* Aida by Elton John and Tim Rice (2000)

2001–present|

* The Producers by Mel Brooks (2001)
* Urinetown by Mark Hollmann and Greg Kotis (2002)
* Hairspray by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman (2003)
* Avenue Q by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx (2004)
* The Light in the Piazza by Adam Guettel (2005)
* The Drowsy Chaperone by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison (2006)
* Spring Awakening by Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater (2007)
* In the Heights by Lin-Manuel Miranda (2008)
* Next to Normal by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey (2009)
* Memphis by David Bryan and Joe DiPietro (2010)
* The Book of Mormon by Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone (2011)
* Newsies by Alan Menken and Jack Feldman (2012)
* Kinky Boots by Cyndi Lauper (2013)
* The Bridges of Madison County by Jason Robert Brown (2014)
* Fun Home by Jeanine Tesori and Lisa Kron (2015)
* Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda (2016)
* Dear Evan Hansen by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (2017)
* The Band's Visit by David Yazbek (2018)
* Hadestown by Anaïs Mitchell (2019)
* A Christmas Carol by Christopher Nightingale (2020/21)
* Six by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss (2022)
* Kimberly Akimbo by Jeanine Tesori and David Lindsay-Abaire (2023)
* Suffs by Shaina Taub (2024)

* v
* t
* e

Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical

1950–1975|

* South Pacific by Oscar Hammerstein II and Joshua Logan (1950)
* Hello, Dolly! by Michael Stewart (1964)
* Fiddler on the Roof by Joseph Stein (1965)
* Company by George Furth (1971)
* Two Gentlemen of Verona by John Guare and Mel Shapiro (1972)
* A Little Night Music by Hugh Wheeler (1973)
* Candide by Hugh Wheeler (1974)
* Shenandoah by James Lee Barrett, Peter Udell and Philip Rose (1975)

1976–2000|

* A Chorus Line by James Kirkwood Jr. and Nicholas Dante (1976)
* Annie by Thomas Meehan (1977)
* On the Twentieth Century by Betty Comden and Adolph Green (1978)
* Sweeney Todd by Hugh Wheeler (1979)
* Evita by Tim Rice (1980)
* Woman of the Year by Peter Stone (1981)
* Dreamgirls by Tom Eyen (1982)
* Cats by T. S. Eliot (1983)
* La Cage aux Folles by Harvey Fierstein (1984)
* Big River by William Hauptman (1985)
* The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Rupert Holmes (1986)
* Les Misérables by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg (1987)
* Into the Woods by James Lapine (1988)
* No Award (1989)
* City of Angels by Larry Gelbart (1990)
* The Secret Garden by Marsha Norman (1991)
* Falsettos by William Finn and James Lapine (1992)
* Kiss of the Spider Woman by Terrence McNally (1993)
* Passion by James Lapine (1994)
* Sunset Boulevard by Don Black and Christopher Hampton (1995)
* Rent by Jonathan Larson (1996)
* Titanic by Peter Stone (1997)
* Ragtime by Terrence McNally (1998)
* Parade by Alfred Uhry (1999)
* James Joyce's The Dead by Richard Nelson (2000)

2001–present|

* The Producers by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan (2001)
* Urinetown by Greg Kotis (2002)
* Hairspray by Thomas Meehan and Mark O'Donnell (2003)
* Avenue Q by Jeff Whitty (2004)
* The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee by Rachel Sheinkin (2005)
* The Drowsy Chaperone by Bob Martin and Don McKellar (2006)
* Spring Awakening by Steven Sater (2007)
* Passing Strange by Stew (2008)
* Billy Elliot the Musical by Lee Hall (2009)
* Memphis by Joe DiPietro (2010)
* The Book of Mormon by Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone (2011)
* Once by Enda Walsh (2012)
* Matilda the Musical by Dennis Kelly (2013)
* A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder by Robert L. Freedman (2014)
* Fun Home by Lisa Kron (2015)
* Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda (2016)
* Dear Evan Hansen by Steven Levenson (2017)
* The Band's Visit by Itamar Moses (2018)
* Tootsie by Robert Horn (2019)
* Jagged Little Pill by Diablo Cody (2020/21)
* A Strange Loop by Michael R. Jackson (2022)
* Kimberly Akimbo by David Lindsay-Abaire (2023)
* Suffs by Shaina Taub (2024)

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
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* FAST
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National|

* United States
* Netherlands
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Artists|

* MusicBrainz

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