Elliot) and Jesus Christ Superstar, based on the Gospels.Īll of these stories were firmly established as books before they were made into shows other types of books can also serve as inspiration for a Broadway musical. Besides The Phantom, he has brought Cats to life (based on a book by T.S. The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston LerouxĪndrew Lloyd Webber, a prolific composer of musical scores for stage and screen often draws inspiration from literature.Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl.Evita, from the book Evita: The Woman with the Whip by Mary Main.The Sound of Music from The Story of the Trapp Family Singers by Maria Augusta von Trapp.The King and I, from Margaret Landon’s Anna and the King of Siam.

My Fair Lady, from George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion.It’s natural for playwrights to draw on past literary work, perhaps updating the story to reflect modern times.Īmong popular musicals that started as books are: Those shows had a great influence on the short season of English opera and they illustrate our point: back then and today, the inspiration for a hit musical could come from anywhere.įor instance, the Tony Award-winning Rent draws directly on Puccini’s La Bohème for inspiration it even parallels some of the older opera’s storylines. He envisioned his more farcical tales as stage shows and, teaming up with musician Jean-Baptiste Lully, produced a string of musical comedies. The French writer Molière was instrumental in the evolution of musical theatre. Printed stories came much later.ĭaniel Defoe gave us Moll Flanders and Robinson Crusoe in the early 18 th Century.īy the time those works were published, opera had been a form of entertainment in Italy for more than 100 years and was working its way across Europe. The best Acting tutors available5 (9 reviews) Christopher$45 /h1st lesson free!5 (7 reviews) Tara$65 /h1st lesson free!5 (9 reviews) Beckle life and music coaching$40 /h1st lesson free!5 (8 reviews) Maryann$23 /h1st lesson free!5 (7 reviews) Christopher pat$20 /h1st lesson free!5 (5 reviews) Hannah$75 /h1st lesson free!5 (7 reviews) Gustavo$30 /h1st lesson free!Charlene$15 /h1st lesson free!5 (9 reviews) Christopher$45 /h1st lesson free!5 (7 reviews) Tara$65 /h1st lesson free!5 (9 reviews) Beckle life and music coaching$40 /h1st lesson free!5 (8 reviews) Maryann$23 /h1st lesson free!5 (7 reviews) Christopher pat$20 /h1st lesson free!5 (5 reviews) Hannah$75 /h1st lesson free!5 (7 reviews) Gustavo$30 /h1st lesson free!Charlene$15 /h1st lesson free!Let's go Musicals that Started as NovelsĮvidence exists that ancient societies enjoyed storytelling as much as we do, and in many different formats, from narration to theatre productions. Time to get your literary thinking caps on!įind acting classes near me here. Later, we’ll divulge the criteria that make for a book musical. In fact, let’s start the discussion off by going over a few books that became musicals. Or West End’s next big show… UK composers have turned out more than a few internationally renown musicals, too.Īlthough such a scenario involves books and musicals, the shows that come about that way are not all book musicals. In some cases, that is exactly how a musical comes to be: somebody reads a great book, visualises soaring vocals and lively dance steps and, next thing you know, Broadway’s next big show is going on tour!

Phantom of the opera lyrics