On the Page: Favourite Novels with Musical Adaptations (Part Two)
We’re musical lovers here at LMPR and this week marks Part Two of our favourite books that have been adapted into musicals.
Jesse Tanaka – High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
I love Nick Hornby’s obsessive, neurotic writing style, possibly because it’s similar to what goes on in my brain. In this social media age, they really were ahead of their time creating endless top five lists for just about everything.
I’m a little disappointed to hear that the Broadway musical wasn’t able to include the songs talked about by the record store characters – likely due to artist royalties, but I would still love to see it live if it happened to tour through Vancouver.
Hanah Van Borek – Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
I’m proud to say I first read in French while in elementary school (I was an immersion kid). Victor Hugo’s tragic 1862 novel, based in the time of the French revolution, gripped me even as I struggled to translate the advanced vocabulary. In any language however the plight of Jean Val Jean and the orphan Cosette is moving.
The iconic songs of the musical, which premiered in 1980 in Paris, are achingly gorgeous with poignant lyrics that capture the irony and injustice endured by its characters. With a staggering list of classics like, I Dreamed a Dream, and Castle on a Cloud, it’s no wonder Les Miserables won 8 Tony Awards in its opening, and continues to be performed widely by theatre companies and even received a hollywood adaption in 2012, winning three Academy Awards.
For those who have yet to see Anne Hathaway as Fantine (the role which won her the Oscar for best supporting actress) sing I Dreamed a Dream in one take, it’s worth taking a moment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86lczf7Bou8
To see two fantastic Broadway musicals in the heart of Stanley Park, be sure to check out Theatre Under the Stars – running from July 10 to August 22. For information and tickets please visit tuts.ca
Categories: MPMG