Books are often used as source material for a HUGE number of things. Whether it be a series of books being turned into a television series (like Game of Thrones), or into films (like Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, War Horse, Memoirs of a Geisha, The Hunger Games, Sherlock Holmes and more), books provide an incredible amount of material, However, what we don’t always hear, or read, about is books that have been turned into stage shows. Such books turned into shows have included Les Miserables, Oliver!, The Colour Purple, and Big River. Let’s have a look at books that have made the transition from paper to stage.
This is the untold stories of the two main witches of Oz, Glinda and Elphaba (The Wicked Witch of the West). The story revolves around how the two witches get their start in life, how they meet and how their friendship evolves. The novel portrays events and characters from the original Wizard of Oz books in a whole new way. The events that are indicated within Wicked indicates that the two series are set in similar visions, although not without their differences. The book made the transfer to the Broadway stage in 2003, and recently celebrated its 10th anniversary. The original cast included Kristin Chenoweth (Pushing Daisies, Rio 2), Idina Menzel (Frozen, Glee, Tony winner for Wicked), Norbert Leo Butz (Broadway’s Assassins) and Joel Grey (Broadway’s Cabaret). The show won several Tony’s, including one for Idina Menzel, for her performance as Elphaba.
The story of Joey the horse has become quite well known these days. Joey is purchased at an auction by Ted Narracott. Ted’s son, Albert bonds with Joey and trains him to work in the fields of his family’s farm. Ted, who is deeply in debt due to poor choices and a drinking problem, sells Joey to the army, in order to cover the mortgage, which he is behind on. The rest of the story tells of Joey’s time serving as a War Horse, and Albert’s search for Joey. War Horse made the successful transition to the West-End in 2009, then to Broadway in 2011. It is still running in London, and enjoyed a massively successful run on Broadway until 2013. The show is currently touring several countries, performing to sold out audiences. The Broadway show received five Tony’s, including Best Play and a special Tony for the incredible puppetry. The puppet of adult Joey weighs approximately 120 pounds and is worked by three puppeteers. What brought the book even more attention was the Steven Spielberg directed film version of the book. The film was nominated for numerous awards, including several Oscars, and has become one of the most faithful adaptations of a book ever.
We all know the story of The Phantom, how a disfigured composer who develops something of an unrequited love, and obsession, with an up and coming opera singer, Christine Daae. Christine is a star at a gala, honoring the old managers retirement. After the gala, an opera is performed. The Phantom has demanded that Christine plays the lead in the opera, but she does not. He sends the chandelier crashing down and kidnaps Christine. IThe book takes place only over a matter of several months, if that. The book was originally published as a serialization in a French newspaper. It was then published in novel form. Unfortunately the book never sold well, and has been overshadowed by its numerous film and stage adaptations. The book is quite different from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s hit show, including different characters, plots (the chandelier falls at the beginning of the book, for example), and even different operas. The book has been adapted numerous times, with one of the most famous adaptations being Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Tony winning musical staging. It is the second longest-running West End musical (after Les Mis), and is considered the most financially successful event in entertainment. The show started in London, then opened in NYC shortly after. Phantom is the longest running show in all of Broadway’s history.
The telling of the modern Prometheus, Frankenstein tells of Doctor Victor Frankenstein, who creates a being (known as the Creature), using remains and Victor’s scientific knowledge. The story follows the life of the Creature, and the effects that his creation has taken on Victor. Amongst the tragedies in the book, the Creature kills not only Victor’s brother, but Victor’s fiancé as well. Danny Boyle, direction of Slum Dog Millionaire, brought the story to life for the National Theatre. It starred Jonny Lee Miller and Benedict Cumberbatch in the two lead roles. The two actors had a tremendous task in front of them as they switched the roles frequently, so they had to memorize two completely different roles, instead of the usual one. The show was highly praised, with Benedict and Jonny, along with the show, winning numerous awards.
There are numerous things that books can provide, including the material to create a fully functioning stage show! Some shows have been absolute flops (Carrie, being one of them), but some, like the ones mentioned above, have been massive successes. I have to admit, War Horse is, and will always be, one of my favourites.
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