Counting down our WEBF Top Five page-to-stage musical adaptations
Stage adaptations are a regular feature in the theatre and musical theatre world, with some admittedly transferring better than others. Below is a list of our Top Five page-to-stage adaptations:
5. Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812
Coming in at number five, we have a more recent musical adaptation, Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812. The show made its Broadway debut in 2016 and is an entirely sung through re-telling of a 70-page section of Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace (1869).
On paper, this musical sounds like quite a challenge, and although it never made it to the West End, the cast recording - featuring the voices of Josh Groban and Denee Benton - includes some amazing storytelling, modern sound and creative lyrics. The musical is the first to admit the complex nature of Tolstoy’s novel and the ‘Prologue’ spends 4 minutes and 20 seconds hashing out the main characters.
Written by Dave Malloy, this musical does not fail to bring a smile to its listeners’ faces; something that seems bewildering when you hear a musical adaptation of a novel that is 1,225 pages in length.
Best Lyric: “It’s a complicated Russian novel, everyone’s got nine different names.”
Best Moment: The ending – the interaction between Pierre and Natasha is tender, warm-hearted and just…simple. Not all musical endings need a massive performance display.
Photo credit: Chad Batka
4. Carrie
Everyone loves a good horror story and what is especially intriguing is a musical horror story. Despite the horror elements of Stephen King’s 1974 novel, Carrie’s story is important and something that many young people can relate to, as plenty will have experienced isolation in their younger years whilst at school.
The music and lyrics of the production – written by Michael Gore and Dean Pitchford – are creative and perfectly represent the theme of the original. If you are a fan of the novel, this musical might take you by surprise at how true it is, but also how catchy some of the tunes are! With clever and intricate lighting design, as well as powerful music, the destruction scene at the end can be done (and has been done!) incredibly well.
Although another musical that on paper might not work, the end product is entertaining and intriguing.
Best Lyric: “I am the sound of distant thunder, the colour of flame, I’m Carrie, I am a song of endless wonder, that no one will claim.”
Best Moment: The song ‘Do Me A Favour’ – the character of Sue gives up her prom date boyfriend and asks him to take Carrie to the prom instead. A selfless act for an underrated character.
Photo credit: Marilyn Kingwill
3. Jekyll and Hyde
Jekyll and Hyde has more than proved itself to be the perfect merging of literature and musical theatre.
The musical made its debut in 1990 and is loosely based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. The music is by Frank Wildhorn, with the lyrics by Wildhorn, Leslie Bricusse and Steve Cuden.
The show features some beautiful songs - namely ‘Once Upon a Dream’, ‘Someone Like You’ and ‘This is the Moment’ - and all we can say is bravo to the performer who takes on the role of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. This is one of the hardest male roles in theatre, both vocally and characteristically.
Whilst remaining true to the integrity of the style and storyline of the original material, the creators find the perfect balance of making it stand out. Plenty of passion and a stunning piece of theatre!
Best Lyric: “This is the moment, damn all the odds! This day, or never, I sit forever with the Gods!”
Best Moment: All of the songs mentioned above. That’s it!
Photo credit: Simon Fowler
2. Love Never Dies
Often a forgotten musical, Love Never Dies is more widely known as the flopped sequel to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 1986 musical, The Phantom of the Opera. But did you know that this musical was loosely based on Frederick Forsyth’s The Phantom of Manhattan, which was written as a sequel to the original Gaston Leroux novel?
The events of this sequel occur in the early 1900s and tells the story of Christine being invited to sing at a concert by the mysterious Mr. Y, who we later discover is the Phantom. The musical features twists and turns but it sadly left many critics and audience members disappointed.
The reason it is in our list of top five adaptations, however, is because although it may lack continuity with the original production of The Phantom of the Opera, the music, story and production in general is entertaining and fun. It also says a lot about Lloyd Webber as a composer and artist to be one of the only people out there to create a musical theatre sequel.
Best Lyric: “Look with your heart, and not with your eyes, a heart understands, a heart never lies.”
Best Moment: ‘The Beauty Underneath’ musical arrangement and scene in general. It is the first moment when you see the Phantom open himself up to another person – Christine’s son.
Photo credit: Catherine Ashmore
1. Into the Woods
Everyone loves a classic fairy tale but a fairy tale with a dark twist doesn’t hurt either. For this reason, Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods is a show that is filled with catchy music, intelligent lyrics – a staple for a Sondheim musical – and questionable character priorities. All of these components combine to create one big entertaining musical. The basis for this musical came from the 1812-1858 publications of the Grimm’s Fairy Tales by the Grimm’s Brothers.
Although this musical has many humorous moments; for example, two princes melodramatically declaring their ‘agony’, there are also some interesting ideas about loneliness and family. The characters of Jack and Red Riding Hood discover in the Baker and Cinderella what it means to have a real family and human connection, which is the charm behind this musical.
But where there is happiness, tragedy can often follow. This musical explores the tragedy with compassion and consideration, and ends by circling back to the beginning of the musical to reassure audiences that, despite the tragedies, the characters may live happily ever after eventually. A clever musical by an extremely clever man.
Best Lyric: “People make mistakes, Fathers, Mothers, People make mistakes, Holding to their own, Thinking they're alone, Honour their mistakes, Fight for their mistakes, Everybody makes, One another's terrible mistakes.”
Best Moment: The Prologue, which introduces us to all of the characters. Plus, we love the tongue twisters that the Witch sing. Took us a while to learn, but well worth the practice!
Photo credit: Catherine Ashmore
Let us know what your favourite stage adaptations are, Besties!