I think any book with interesting characters and plot can be told in music. When I first heard that *Les Miserables *was to be a musical my reaction was “No way, how could that story be told in song?” Boy, was I wrong! And who could have predicted Cats? Regardless of its merit, or lack thereof, it’s still amazing that a musical could be made from all that poetry.
Agreed. The speech, while gripping for the first 4 hours, would become wearisome in the 5th and 6th. By the 9th hour there definitely may be some walk outs.
There’s actually a story behind this idea. A guy I work with who is “not all there” once told me in jest (I think) about his idea for an Anne Frank musical.
He proceeded to sing me a few lines from the would-be play…
in a whispery sing songish voice
“They’re comin’ up the stairs…I HEAR THEM…yes they’re comin’ up the stairs” long pause here then… GASP! “could it be, could it be…”
He accompanied this rendition with a series of shuffling steps to the left and then to the right. There was a grand sweep of the arms when the “GASP” part came. I took this to be the dance number that would go with the scene he was performing.
Perhaps it would have done well. I mean, who wouldn’t have a soft spot for a troupe of singing and dancing Nazi’s?
Absolutely! I was shocked by how awful the book was. I don’t expect adaptations to faithfully mirror their inspirations, but the book was just all over the place. The musical at least gave it focus.
The Name of the Rose could work decently as a musical, perhaps blending showtunes with religious chants.
American Psycho seems like an obvious choice to me, since extreme violence, 80s pop-rock, and an incoherent denouement are all things I look for in my Broadway musicals.
Max Bialystock, paging through scripts: “Gregor Samsa awoke one day to find out he had been transformed into a giant cockroach. Too good.”
There are other Stephen King novels that deserve to be made into musicals, chiefly The Stand. Imagine the boffo musical number when Trashcan Man blows up Gary, Indiana.
