THE SHOWIEST PART of a musical is always the songs. From the longing “I Want” song (expressing the central character’s objective) to the powerful 11 o’clock number (the climactic resolution of the central character’s objective typically occurring late in the second act), the music and lyrics are literally what make a musical a musical. Writing a story-driven lineup of original tunes for the stage is no small feat. But what happens when the score comprises existing songs, and a playwright must build a story around a pop music catalog?

Crafting a compelling, surprising, and theatrical story using popular songs is a unique challenge, whether for a bio-musical about an artist or musical group or for an original story using jukebox tunes such as Mamma Mia!, which ranked second on EdTA’s 2019 survey of most frequently produced high school musicals. The book writer is not just responsible for interstitial scenes and dialogue between big numbers. They must also create the structure of the show; choose which songs to include and where to place them; and tell a universal, personal, and relatable story.

Both D’Arienzo and Morisseau have a narrator address the audience in Rock of Ages and Ain’t Too Proud. The Cher Show includes some direct address, particularly in the concert portions of the show, while in Jersey Boys, several group members speak to the audience to tell the story.

D’Arienzo compares the tactic to the Master of Ceremonies in Cabaret and explains that, for Rock of Ages, the device came about accidentally. He used it in an early reading to fill out parts that hadn’t been written, and it evolved into an interesting, self-referential way to poke fun at the ridiculousness of the era.

When writing a bio-musical, it’s not always possible to stick to events exactly as they happened, but McGrath and Morisseau emphasize the importance of following the “essential truth,” rather than exact facts. Sometimes timelines or events need to be compressed or dramatic situations flipped for effect.

One major change McGrath made for Beautiful came when King finally leaves Goffin. In reality, she gave him an ultimatum, but based on early audience feedback, that didn’t give the heroine enough agency. So, McGrath had her actively choose to defend herself and leave on her own terms.

In Morisseau’s case, she had to balance more than 15 interchanging members of The Temptations and countless storylines, but ultimately, she followed the truth.

“Their story unfolds on its own; it’s not really my magic because real life is way more interesting than anything I can make up,” she said. “That doesn’t mean there isn’t some manipulation. I do say I’m a slave to the truth and not the facts, so there is some ordering of the story that goes on. If it’s a jukebox musical, especially if it’s a bio-musical, the most important thing is how that music connects to that artist’s life. That’s going to be literal, but it’s also going to be thematic and metaphysical.”

Morisseau’s experience as a playwright before dipping her toe into the musical world helped her in this quest for the truth, but she had to be more spare with language as she wrote.

“I’m a very verbose, very dense writer, and in a musical the music has to be your monologue,” she said. “I know how to tell stories, so it’s about figuring how to shift stories for this medium.”

Cody used her experience as a screenwriter when working on Jagged Little Pill. While she initially thought the theatrical form would be limiting compared to film and TV, she was surprised how much room there is for creative experimentation.

“[I thought] everything has to happen on a single stage? How?” Cody said. “But I was thrilled to discover that the opposite was true. You can do anything onstage. It’s completely freeing.”

Ultimately, jukebox musicals introduce new generations to artists’ work and new audiences to the theatre when artists’ fans come to experience songs in a new way. McGrath recalls many young women who didn’t grow up with Carole King’s music coming to the show and falling in love with the singer-songwriter who paved the way for artists including Adele and Sara Bareilles.

“I think it doesn’t take itself seriously, which is refreshing for audiences who sometimes feel intimidated by theatre,” D’Arienzo said about Rock of Ages. “I wrote it as a person who grew up loving musicals in a small Midwestern town. I wrote it for all my friends who didn’t understand my love for theatre. It was kind of my olive branch to those that think theatre is not for them. Hopefully it will open them up to experiencing other shows.”