Book to Stage

Some of my favorite memories are of doing Summer Stock Theatre and these sunny months bring it all back.  Some of my favorite shows have been inspired by some great books, here are a few of my favorites.

The Phantom of The Opera-this musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber was inspired by the book by Gaston Leroux.  It is the tale of a deformed man who hides in the basement of the famed Paris Opera house and teaches the young and beautiful Christine Daae.  He falls in love with the talented singer and a tragic and haunting love triangle ensues.  This is a great book, lots of different view points and a lot of history.  The musical did a good job capturing the tragic haunting flavor of the book, while keeping the nostalgic backstage theatre feel.  This story very much captures my love of theatre.

Les Miserables-This Victor Hugo novel that was adapted to the stage quit brilliantly.  The book is pretty long and complicated and follows the stories of numerous characters and how there lives all cross during the French Revolution.  I think the musical did a pretty good job taking this complicated story and turning it into a compelling musical.  Also there is usually cannon's on stage and I like it when things blow up :-)

Wicked - A very successful adaption of the novel by Gregory Maguire.  The novel is a dark compelling rewrite of the Wizard of Oz telling the story of how the Wicked Witch of the West came to be.  The musical, which is awesome, is a much more light hearted humorous look at the story, with out quit so tragic results. The set of the musical has a great steampunky feel to it that appeals to me.

Cats - This is another Andrew Lloyd Webber confection based on a book of poems by T.S. Elliot.  One of the longest running shows on Broadway, the show earned itself its own theatre.  Some people find the show dated or cheesy, but the fact that a whole show is based on poems is pretty cool.

South Pacific - this show is based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel.  This show written by the famous Rodgers and Hammerstein was ahead of its time in dealing with racial and cultural issues.  All this is wrapped in songs that are still beloved to this day.  It takes a lot of skill to get across such a powerful message in the guise of a ultimately feel good musical.

These are just a few of the many amazing stage shows based on even more amazing books.  Just goes to show the power of a good story can be used in many formats. 

What is your favorite musical?  Which book would you like seen made into a stage show?  Is there any change of convincing you I am not a super geek :-)