Musicals might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but they have a long history of being Hollywood darlings. From the first part-talkie musical, The Jazz Singer, to the latest adaptation of Wicked, movie musicals can transport us to gravity-defying worlds.
The first reactions to Wicked are out, and critics are praising director Jon M. Chu for bringing the famed musical to the screen after nearly 20 years in the making. But the real magic started on the page.
Wicked screenwriters Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox had to balance world-building, tricky pacing and tone, and musical numbers that drive the plot—all while crafting a script that meets fans’ expectations and introduces new viewers to the magical Land of Oz before Dorothy.
Whether you’re looking to adapt your favorite Broadway musical or write an original piece, let’s break down how screenwriters can write a great movie musical like Wicked.
Musicals are typically made up of three parts:
These are the three main parts, but their order can vary from writer to writer or project to project.
When it comes to the book—or the script—screenwriters can really flex their screenwriting skills here by following a structure that best fits their narrative. From the three-act structure like Wonka to the reverse chronological structure like The Last Five Years, screenwriters can use the structure as a tool to enhance themes or subvert audience expectations.
Formatting a musical is where things can get a little tricky for screenwriters. According to Backstage, screenwriters can look at samples from MusicalWriters Academy, NAMT, and NMI to help format their musicals. These places have samples and templates that can be used in Final Draft. While Final Draft does have a stage-play template, you can also use the traditional screenplay format when writing a movie musical.
There are several ways to write musical numbers in your screenplay. One way is to use action lines to describe choreography while writing the lyrics in all caps, separating them into stanzas in the dialogue lines.
Another way to write musical numbers is by noting that the song starts playing in the action before getting into more detail about the choreography. This gives the reader the ability to visualize what is happening rather than attempt to visualize on-screen actions and music.
While music matters in a screenplay—more on that in a moment—screenplay formatting and structure are still king in the industry. Nailing those in your screenplay means you’re one step closer to having a great movie musical.
But there are a few more aspects that make musicals great that you should consider when you sit down to write.
Movie musicals are not like stage musicals in one very specific key aspect. Stage shows already come with an inherent suspension of disbelief, while films tend to be more gritty and grounded.
Here’s the thing—suspension of disbelief is incredibly important when creating a story, especially one with music. Without suspension of disbelief, audiences might feel distanced, reminded that what they’re watching could never happen in real life.
Wicked functions well as a movie adaptation because the screenwriters were able to transport us to a spectacular world that many movie lovers are already familiar with. The styles of the movie are distinctly fantastical, while the themes are confidently simple. The movie fully embraces its fantasy to bring the audience on board and quickly suspend disbelief.
Great and consistent world-building helps set the rules of the story quickly, giving the audience the ability to understand when and why musical moments or dance breaks exist in this story.
Smartly written characters and story arcs also keep the reader engaged, helping sell the idea of the world we will be living in for the next 90 or so pages. By focusing on the characters’ journey, emotions, and impact on the story’s themes, the reader becomes more invested in character-driven narratives and how their choices shape the world around them, regardless of how fantastical or real it is.
A key aspect of a musical is the music (duh!). Unfortunately, many musicals include musical numbers that do little to show character development or advance the plot. Instead, they function to tell the audience how a character feels rather than letting the audience see the nuances of the character’s changing arc and dynamic in the story.
While Wicked already has iconic music from the Broadway show (and a few new songs), the music plays an incredible part in the storytelling. For instance, “Defying Gravity” is the culmination of Elphaba’s journey to self-discovery. This scene also marks a turning point in Elphaba and Glinda’s friendship, as they confront each other for their actions leading to this moment.
Composer Stephen Schwartz, who wrote the music for the original musical, noted in an interview with The Messenger that the songs included in the film are supposed to be organic and push the narrative and character development forward.
If a song doesn’t serve this purpose, consider whether it truly belongs in the script.
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Musicals are in their modern heyday because they offer escapism or an ounce of fantasy to our mundane lives. While some screenwriters might find inspiration from Broadway, others are wholly original projects that use music to elevate character’s worlds. Wicked is a fantastic example of a great movie musical that is confident in the world it transports you to and uses music to push the narrative forward.