Novels that musicals are based on-those worth reading?

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 1/22/05 at 1:34am

I've recently been getting a bit more into reading than I usually am, and have read a couple of such books that musicals are based on-I started w/ Wicked which I liked, even though the book was so different, recently read Phantom of the Opera, which I love, and am now reading Susan Kay's Phantom which I'm loving even more. I keep telling myself that I should read Les Miz as well but every time I see the sheer thickness of that book I'm just scared away. Does anyone else have any suggestions of some good books that musicals are based on?

[StickToPriest]

Posted: 1/22/05 at 1:36am

Victor Hugo is a master.
Les Miserables and The Hunchback of Notre Dame are must-reads.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 1/22/05 at 1:39am

Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow
Gypsy: A Memoir by Gypsy Rose Lee
Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot
Aspects of Love by David Garnett
My Love, My Love by Rosa Guy

Updated On: 1/22/05 at 01:39 AM

[StickToPriest]

Posted: 1/22/05 at 1:41am

Ragtime
Don Quixote

EDIT: Dammit Goth, you stole Ragtime.

Updated On: 1/22/05 at 01:41 AM

[Justice]

Posted: 1/22/05 at 2:23am

I disagree on Les Miz. (Don't hate me for this Stick)
But, Les Miz is a preference read. Honestly, it's almost nothing like the musical, and the only thing they don't mention in the musical that pertains to the main characters is that Gavroche is Thenardier's son (Oops, was that a spoiler?) Yes, Eponine and Gavroche are brother and sister. There, now that I've said it, you no longer need to read the book. The truth is, Les Miz is a hard read. Much like the Illiad, there is so much irrelevance going on that it's hard to tell what's what and where's where. All the basics are covered in the musical. The rest of the stuff was left out because, well, it's pointless to begin with.

Other books turned to musicals:
Aspects of Love (actually, almost anything Webber put his name to.)
Dessa Rose
Once on This Island (Titled "My Love, My Love or The Peasant Girl" by Rosa Guy, which I HIGHLY recommend)

[Gothampc]

Posted: 1/22/05 at 2:32am

EDIT: Dammit Goth, you stole Ragtime.

You snooze, you lose.

Also:
Auntie Mame by Patrick Dennis (Mame)
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens (Oliver)
Berlin Stories by Christopher Isherwood (Cabaret)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith (A Tree Grows in Brooklyn)
Working by Studs Terkel (Working)
7 1/2 cents by Richard Pike Bissell (The Pajama Game)
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (Big River)
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (Little Women)
The Dead by James Joyce (short story) (James Joyce's The Dead)
The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett (Nick & Nora)
"Living History" by Hillary Rodham Clinton (Evita)

Updated On: 1/22/05 at 02:32 AM

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 1/22/05 at 6:27am

Was Berlin Stories later turned into the play 'I Am A Camera'? I thought CABARET was based on that...

Anyhow, we can't forget the upcoming 'The Color Purpble' by Alice Walker.

[VeuveClicquot]

Posted: 1/22/05 at 7:01am

Hee.

"Living History" as the basis for EVITA.

That's hysterical, gotham.

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 1/22/05 at 8:57am

Remembrance of Things Past by Marcel Proust is quite amazing. If I remember correctly, the Albertine sections are now published as "The Captive". If you loved My Life with Albertine, as I did, you will love the prose it is based on.

[GypsyRoseLee]

Posted: 1/22/05 at 9:43am

Les Miserables can be difficult to read in all of it's Unabridged splendor, but it's such a great story, even the abridged version is worth it. And this is coming from someone who is usually generally opposed to abridged versions!

[thespiangirl8]

Posted: 1/22/05 at 9:47am

"Wicked" by Gregory Maguire is awesome (and obviously the origin of "Wicked")

[Gothampc]

Posted: 1/22/05 at 11:17am

Iluv, yes Berlin Stories was the basis for I Am A Camera

[mizzie]

Posted: 1/22/05 at 11:15am

I disagree....as good as Wicked the Book is, it is incredibly different from the movie. The only thing that is similar is the basic plot - the VERY basic plot.

Also, Les Misérables might contain many historical things, it is an incredible book, and the musical is very similar to it.

[sanda]

Posted: 1/22/05 at 11:22am

Les Miserables is definitely worth reading. Yeah, it is hard, but worth every minute.

The musical did not cover all. It cuts a lot.

Just read one chapter, Warterloo,Comborone. You will know what masterpiece it is.

[parker russel]

Posted: 1/22/05 at 11:25am

Les Miz is worth reading...however, I will be honest, I did skim over some of the chapters that were all historical context and very little plot (once you start reading it you'll know the ones I'm talking about). But the actual story telling of the book is beautiful and I found it to be much more emotionally moving and engaging than the musical.

[sanda]

Posted: 1/22/05 at 11:28am

Me too. I skip Hugo's long discussion about the nun and priest part.

[alphieboy]

Posted: 1/22/05 at 11:35am

I disagree about wicked. I like the musical very much, but when I tried to read the book it could not hold my attention for the first chapter, and I often read. I really liked The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe, and would highly suggest it.

[ChrisLovesShows]

Posted: 1/22/05 at 11:30pm

Don't forget Jane Eyre.

[wickedfan]

Posted: 1/22/05 at 11:33pm

Little Me by Patrick Dennis (Which was the basis for the musical "Little Me")

[FabalaCohen]

Posted: 1/22/05 at 11:42pm

I recently just finished re-reading Leroux's "Phantom," after seeing the movie.

Also, I forget who wrote it, but there is a decent sequel to both the stage show and the Leroux called "The Phantom of Manhattan." It takes place about ten years after the original story. Recommend it.

[cturtle]

Posted: 1/22/05 at 11:54pm

A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY is a wonderful book. oh, wait ... that's not a musical ... but read it anyway!

[InfiniteTheaterFrenzy]

Posted: 1/23/05 at 2:01am

Ragtime and Working are both phenomenal.