It is that time of year again, Besties! Today we celebrate the books from all around the world that we love and explore the stories that inspire us. And just like books, musical theatre can also transport us to other realms of adventure, many of them being based on some of our favourite books. 

With that being said, we have listed here ten of our favourite page-to-stage musicals so let’s get started, shall we?

Be More Chill by Ned Vizzini

Written by Ned Vizzini, this musical blends together sci-fi, comedy and drama to present to audiences a brilliant story about accepting yourself and who you want to be. This fun and inspiring musical has an amazing concept, and the plot and narrative are executed perfectly through the use of music, choreography, costume and set design. 

The musical and book opens with the introduction of the character of Jeremy who is perceived to be a loser by his peers at school. One day, his best friend Michael tells him of a rumour he has heard of a pill that can instantly change your life. Jeremy chooses to follow this path and while things go brilliantly to begin with, as the story progresses, things begin to change and go from bad to worse. 

The musical first made its Broadway appearance in 2019, after a successful run in New Jersey and Off-Broadway between 2015-2018. The musical was initially met with mixed reviews by critics, and while some comments were less than kind, the strong fan following of this show really made an impact. In 2021, it made its West End transfer and us Brits were just eager to see this incredibly entertaining story unfold in front of our eyes. 

Though the character of the ‘Squip’ is almost an omnipresent being in the book, it is brought to life on the stage by a physical person and yet audiences still feel alienated and distant from them. 

The twists and turns of this story are amazing, and the world of the book is spectacularly transported onto the musical stage, and for that reason, it deserves a spot on this list. 

Here at West End Best Friend, we were able to review this show and gave it a whopping 5-stars! Interested it what we thought? Read the review here.

The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

An oldie, but a goodie! It would be rude to have a list of stagey book recommendations and not list some of the classic novels that inspired our favourite shows. 

Gaston Leroux wrote the original novel and presents a beautiful story about love, passion and – of course – music. Though the events in the books are dramatically different to the musical, it is still a fantastic read and the story is brought to life on the pages, just like it is on the stage. The character of the Phantom has an incredibly ghost-like presence in both the novel and the stage show and at times we begin to question whether this figure is a person or true ghost. 

We all know that Andrew Lloyd Webber has a flair for grand compositions that add the perfect dramatic edge to a show. The first note that is released from the organ is what this musical is known for, with audiences having shivers up their spine from the minute the curtain rises. But the tone and pace of the original novel is kept throughout this musical, and the drama and conflicts unfold just as beautifully as they do in the book.

Some say that classics are a great resource for adaptation because the classic authors – like the Brontë’s and Dickens and Hemmingway – give such vivid and real description of the world in which their character inhabit. The Phantom of the Opera is a perfect representation of this. 

It must also be noted (and yes, we may be cheating by adding an extra show to this list!) that Frederick Forsyth’s 1999 novel The Phantom of Manhattan was written as a sequel to Gaston Leroux’s Phantom, giving Lloyd Webber the inspiration needed to create his musical sequel Love Never Dies. Though not as successful or as loved the original, the flair for drama and sweeping storytelling is nevertheless just as prominent. 

Children’s and Household Tales by the Grimms’ Brothers

Acting as the inspiration for Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods, the original collection of German fairy tales was collected by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm throughout the early 19th century and were originally publish in 1812. If you are interested in dipping your toe in and reading some of the original tales, Jack Zipes edited and translated The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm: the complete first edition in 2014. 

And no musical theatre list is complete without a mention of the late Stephen Sondheim. What was most interesting about his musical Into the Woods were the stories he decided tell. Sondheim is known for giving the underdogs a voice – we have seen it countless times with Company and Assassins – which is what makes his work so interesting and awe-inspiring.

As children, we grow up reading and listening to fairy tales and as it is World Book Day, it is a perfect time to celebrate these stories. We all know the Disney classics and child-friendly version of the tales – Cinderella, Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk etc. – but Sondheim decided to focus on the original intent of these stories, which placed emphasis on the imperfect nature of humanity. Thus, he presented us with a musical based on the original stories gathered by the Grimm’s Brothers.

The success of this musical is easy to spot, even if you just focus on the number of revivals it has had since its Broadway premiere in 1987. Additionally, in 2014, Disney brought it full circle by making an adaptation of the musical, starring Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, Anna Kendrick and James Cordon (in which his performance was very good, don’t come for me!) 

But why is this story so important to celebrate? Into the Woods deals with so many important themes such as family, individual responsibly, growing up and many more. As adults, these are all things we grow to learn, which is why reintroducing these stories into the mainstream is so impactful and important. 

Plus, haven’t we all tried to perform a one-person show of ‘Your Fault’? Be honest with us Besties, you have all tried it!

Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812

Often shortened to The Great Comet of 1812, Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 is a thought-provoking and surprising success with clever references that start with the title.

Based on a 700-page extract from Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace, we are presented with a Russian love story that makes us laugh, cry and think. 

We are immediately thrown into this world as soon as the Prologue begins and we are constantly reminded that “it’s a complicated Russian novel, everyone’s got nine different names” and this intelligent use of music and lyrics encourages audiences to follow the story regardless of the confusing tones of the original. It is a musical that explored something relatively new in musical theatre construction – the sporadic use of the third-person narrative to explain certain elements of the story but also to push the narrative along. 

It truly is a beautiful musical, and one that we here at West End Best Friend wished would get a London transfer. And with everything that is currently going on, let us please remember the beauty of Russian theatre and creative storytelling. 

Jekyll and Hyde

Another classic on the list that shows the deeply valuable notion of putting a novel on the musical stage. Taken from the psychological thriller and gothic Robert Louis Stevenson novella Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, this musical story is a classic tale of the duality of good and evil, love and the exploration of the supernatural. 

It must be noted, however, that the musical is loosely based on the above novella and featureS additional characters and sub plots to boost the story and the plot. The most notable additions are the female characters, Emma/Lisa Carew and Emma Harris and their love towards Jekyll and Hyde, which add an interesting dynamic to the show with the main question being how do you love something bad? 

The musical was not as successful and some of its Broadway predecessors – between 1997 and 2001, the show ran for 1,500 performances but closed after a long series of reviews that were not particularly favourable towards the show. However, it was nominated for four Tony Awards and won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical because of Robert Cuccioli’s performance as both Jekyll and Hyde (obviously!)

The musical is entertaining and features many gothic traits that we see on the pages of the original book. There is hope that we might get a film adaptation of this musical – is this something you would like to see?

Keep your eyes peeled for Part Two later, Besties!