Special Features GOLDEN GLOBES 2018: Musical Theatre Greats Face Off in Best Original Song With four of the five nominated songs written by Broadway artists like Pasek and Paul, Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, and more, who will be crowned the winner?

By Ruthie Fierberg

January 07, 2018

Last year, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul proudly represented the musical theatre community when they won the Golden Globe for writing the lyrics to “City of Stars” for La La Land. Their victory preceded an Oscar win and then their big Tony win. At every turn, Pasek and Paul championed their theatre roots.

This year, it’s a tight race for Best Original Song at Golden Globes, but one thing is for sure: theatre wins.

Husband and wife team Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez are nominated for “Remember Me” from Disney Pixar’s new Coco, a celebration of the Mexican tradition of El Día de Los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead. While the duo catapulted to mainstream stardom with their songs for Disney’s Frozen—which hits Broadway this spring with an expanded score—both Lopez and Anderson-Lopez started in (and maintain roots in) the theatre community. They came up in programs like the BMI Workshop and the Eugene O’Neill Center’s Musical Theatre Conference. Lopez hit it big with his Tony win for Avenue Q in 2003 and his knack for irreverent comedy in songwriting led him to another Tony for The Book of Mormon. Anderson-Lopez just made her Broadway debut last season with Broadway’s first-ever a cappella musical In Transit, for which she co-wrote book, music, and lyrics. And while “Let It Go” earned them a Golden Globe nomination in 2014 (and an Oscar win), the sweet and melodious strumming of “Remember Me” may win over the Hollywood Foreign Press this year.

Read More: WHERE IT ALL BEGAN FOR ROBERT LOPEZ AND KRISTEN ANDERSON-LOPEZ

The titular song for the Sony Pictures Animation film The Star, about the animal heroes of The Nativity, was co-written by Mariah Carey and Marc Shaiman. One half of the team behind Hairspray, Smash—and, in turn, Bombshell—Catch Me If You Can, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Shaiman is a Tony winner. While he’s been nominated for five Oscars, this marks his first Golden Globe nomination. He made his Broadway debut as the arranger for Up in One and worked on vocal arrangements, orchestrations, and additional songs for shows like Bette! Divine Madness, Andre DeShields Harlem Nocturne, Leader of the Pack, An Evening With Harry Connick Jr and His Orchestra, and Patti LuPone on Broadway. But Hairspray marked his first full Broadway score, alongside Scott Wittman. With a pop feel to the tune sung by Carey, we’ll see how Shaiman does with a different writing partner at his side.

Sure. Nick Jonas is a pop star, but he first started as a replacement for street urchin Gavroche in the original Les Misérables. He continued acting as a kid as Chip in Beauty and the Beast on Broadway and Little Jake in Annie Get Your Gun. After hitting it big as part of The Jonas Brothers, Jonas returned to his theatre roots, playing Marius in the 25th anniversary concert of Les Miz and taking over for Daniel Radcliffe in the 2011 revival of How To Succeeed in Business Without Really Trying. Though we know him in the theatre world as a performer, Jonas has earned a nod for Best Original Song for his tune “Home” in the animated film Ferdinand.

Last year’s winners come to defend their title: Benj Pasek and Justin Paul’s “This Is Me” from the original movie musical The Greatest Showman is also a contender. Their stellar 2017 began with a Golden Globe win, as previously mentioned, which led to the Oscar win, which peaked in June when Dear Evan Hansen won six Tony Awards, including Best Score and Best Musical. Ironically, work on The Greatest Showman preceded La La Land and coincided with the earliest development of Dear Evan Hansen. The Greatest Showman is also nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. We’ll see if they’ve got another award-winning hit on their hands.