Best Literary Adaptation Ever?- Page 2

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 10/22/12 at 9:29am

Sondheimfan, I thought NewYorkTheater's question was about adaptations from novels and stories, not plays. That's why my top five were The Heiress, Fiddler, South Pacific, The Member of the Wedding and Guys and Dolls.

And I would also add Venus in Fur.

If we are talking about musicals made from plays as well (which seems a stretch as NYT's question was about musicals and plays derived from literature, and few plays are derived from other play, exceptions One Man, Two Guv'ners), I'd see your My Fair Lady and add Carousel, She Loves Me and Sweeney Todd.

[little_sally]

Posted: 10/22/12 at 10:59am

Kad, that really made me laugh. Thank you.

[NewYorkTheater]

Posted: 10/22/12 at 2:20pm

Chewy, is the Lion King based on a book? I thought it was a stage adaptation of the animated film?

[PatrickDennis92]

Posted: 10/22/12 at 2:56pm

I think The Diary of Anne Frank is a good candidate for this-- for me, personally.

[NewYorkTheater]

Posted: 10/26/12 at 2:33pm

This thread helped me to think about the literary adaptations I went to recently. There have been three over the past week or so - books by Jonathan Franzen, Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Rona Jaffe. One was one of the worst professional productions I've seen in years. Another was...surprising. Is there lurking in my experience a key to what makes a good literary adaptation?
Page to Stage: Jonathan Franzen, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Rona Jaffe

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 10/26/12 at 8:47pm

I don't know about the three adaptations you saw, NewYorkTheater, but I think Sondheim paraphrasing Oscar Hammerstein gives us the key: the adapter has to believe his adaptation will be "better" than the original.

I put "better" in quotes because it's relative, of course. "Better" may just mean pleasantly different. MY FAIR LADY isn't "better" than PYGMALION by any objective standard, but it is more intrinsically American, with its faith that love can transcend social class.

Of course, Shaw didn't think that was an improvement, but most Americans did. And even the English came to enjoy the adaptation (as a sort of Cinderella fantasy, I presume).