Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

A Book That Was Adapted into a Musical

Wow. What a cool prompt! Thank goodness for Googling! There are so many that didn't even cross my mind. But then I rarely "watch" anything, so I guess it is to be expected that I might be clueless!
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire
Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers is actually the first in a series containing 8 books!
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
The Sound of Music might prove to be a bit problematic as I was unable to discover a book with the same title, but there is an autobiography of the oldest daughter: Agathe von Trapp: Memories Before and After The Sound of Music by Agathe von Trapp. And there may well be more...

Some other Listopias that might help:
"Musicals" Listopia
This one probably includes plays, not just musicals, so beware! "Page to Stage" Lisopia

For nonfiction, perhaps Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow!

Those are some to get us started!

Listopia is HERE!

The Berlin Stories became Kander & Ebb's Cabaret!

Cool, found a list that said The Fellowship of the Ring was adapted into a musical back in 2007/2008.

Ron wrote: "Cool, found a list that said The Fellowship of the Ring was adapted into a musical back in 2007/2008."

Oh wow, I'd forgotten about the LOTR musical! Yes!

Ashley Marie wrote:

Oh wow, I'd forgotten about the LOTR musical! Yes!"

Cool.

Gotta love those google searches.

This one is right up my alley! I dug up the list I used when I made a Books to Broadway display at my library, so here are a few options to get you started:
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Big River)
Anna and the King of Siam (The King and I)
Auntie Mame: An Irreverent Escapade (Mame)
A Christmas Carol
The Color Purple
The Flower Drum Song
Gypsy: Memoirs of America's Most Celebrated Stripper
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats (Cats)
Oliver Twist (Oliver!)
Peter Pan
The Phantom of the Opera
Ragtime
The Secret Garden
7 1/2 Cents Seven and a half cents - A Richard Bissell Original (The Pajama Game)
Show Boat
The Story of the Trapp Family Singers (The Sound of Music)
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Tales of Terror (Jekyll & Hyde)
Tevye's Daughters: Collected Stories of Sholom Aleichem (Fiddler on the Roof)
The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant (Damn Yankees)

Joanna wrote: "This one is right up my alley! I dug up the list I used when I made a Books to Broadway display at my library, so here are a few options to get you started:
[book:The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn..."

Ah thanks! I knew there was a book source for Fiddler :D

What first came to mind for me was Queen Bees and Wannabees, the inspiration for Mean Girls, which became a movie, then a musical, and soon, a musical movie.

Reading the description though I'm not that jazzed. I like the suggestion above by (another) Joanna of the Story of the Trapp Family Singers, I've wanted to read that for awhile, since hearing the events of the movie are only the first third or so of the book.

In case you haven't read the Percy Jackson series yet (or just love re-reading them like me) there is a The Lightning Thief musical!

Another option: a lot of popular manga (or the anime based on them) have musical stage productions in Japan. Almost any popular series probably has a stage show of some kind, and a lot of them are musicals.

I second all of Joanna's!

Also fun fact there are Water For Elephants and The Witches musicals in production rn!

The Outsiders has been adapted into a musical that is opening on Broadway in 2024 (it also could be in this month, I'm not sure if all my Broadway news is correct)

The Devil Wears Prada musical opens in London next year

The Time Traveler's Wife musical I think is open (or opening soon) in London.

Joanna wrote: "What first came to mind for me was Queen Bees and Wannabees, the inspiration for Mean Girls, which became a movie, then a musical, and soon, a musical movie..."

I had to read it for a college class, but it doesn't have any sort of plot related to Mean Girls. It's about girls and cliques and what are "appropriate" girl emotions and displays of sexuality. I really enjoyed it, but if I had gone into it thinking it was going to be anything similar to Mean Girls.....

here is a great list: https://www.thecrownwings.com/2021/08...

the first half is musicals, the second half plays. i didn't know mrs. doubtfire was a book! I have added The Woman in White (which I didn't know was a musical).

Daddy-Long-Legs has had a musical adaptation

What's this now? DEATH NOTE was made into a musical?!

I think I have found my book!

Now I have an excuse to read my copy of Robin Hood :)

Jen wrote: "Another option: a lot of popular manga (or the anime based on them) have musical stage productions in Japan. Almost any popular series probably has a stage show of some kind, and a lot of them are ..."

I am picking Ouran for this since there are stage musicals for it

My first thought was Matilda

I think I’ll reread Meet Me in St. Louis

The Notebook is also becoming a musical soon.

Joanna wrote: "This one is right up my alley! I dug up the list I used when I made a Books to Broadway display at my library, so here are a few options to get you started:
[book:The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn..."

I forgot about Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and that’s been on my TBR list for a while. Thanks!

I'm going to challenge myself and read Les Miserables. I've only ever read an extract of it. I'm going to try the french version first, but if the language is too different from modern french (it was written in 1862) I'll go for english.

I'm not sure I'd call it a musical, exactly, but Haugesund Theatre recently had an opera version of And Then There Were None.

https://www.nrk.no/anmeldelser/anmeld... (review in Norwegian)

I saw Hamlet on the list and found that there have indeed been musicals of the play besides The Lion King.

For the comic book lovers out there, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark was a musical, so probably any Spider-Man story could fit this prompt.

Denise wrote: "I'm going to challenge myself and read Les Miserables. I've only ever read an extract of it. I'm going to try the french version first, but if the language is too different from mod..."

You and me both! Let's keep each other posted! :-)

Denise wrote: "I'm going to challenge myself and read Les Miserables. I've only ever read an extract of it. I'm going to try the french version first, but if the language is too different from mod..."

Laura wrote: "Denise wrote: "I'm going to challenge myself and read Les Miserables. I've only ever read an extract of it. I'm going to try the french version first, but if the language is too dif..."




You all can feel free to set up a post for a Buddy Read in the Book Discussions folder if you want!! sometimes it's super helpful for motivation when the book is dense. https://www.goodreads.com/topic/group...

That's a good idea, thanks Nadine :)

Nadine in NY wrote: "What's this now? DEATH NOTE was made into a musical?!

I think I have found my book!"

Oh yes, with Adam Pascal as Ryuk! I NEED to see it!!

Taking out my fiction LOTR in place of a nonfiction, Alexander Hamilton

i think tuck everlasting. I really enjoyed it when our local high school put it on.

I just saw that The Bonesetter's Daughter was made into an opera! Technically not a "musical", but if someone wanted that option.

by James A. Michener is the first thing that came to mind for me.

Oh also I want to recommend Gentlemen Prefer Blondes because a) its a musical of course, b) it became a super fun marilyn monroe movie and c) anita loos is such an underrated humorist

Casey wrote: "Oh also I want to recommend Gentlemen Prefer Blondes because a) its a musical of course, b) it became a super fun marilyn monroe movie and c) anita loos is such an underrated humorist"


I've been wanting to read that book for a few years now - I did not realize it was a musical! Thanks.

I might start my reread of One Piece for this one, though I might change it up at some point. I've been meaning to read Wicked.

Morgan wrote: "In case you haven't read the Percy Jackson series yet (or just love re-reading them like me) there is a The Lightning Thief musical!"

That's cool I'm rereading Percy Jackson now in preparation for the tv show. Harry Potter also has a Very Potter musical...

Silence of the Lambs is on this list and I don’t know if I could handle Hannibal singing…

Kristi wrote: "Silence of the Lambs is on this list and I don’t know if I could handle Hannibal singing…"

Thankfully the prompt does not end with "and then watch the musical"! :D

There have been 3 New Works by Paul Gordon for Jane Austen Novels -
Pride and Prejudice
Sense and Sensibility
Emma

Isn’t Dear Evan Hansen based on a book?

Alicia wrote: "Isn’t Dear Evan Hansen based on a book?"

The novel was written after the show. I don't believe there was a book it was based on.

If you're considering Les Misérables, be warned the book is LOOOONG! I feel a warning is fair. (Way longer than it needed to be, in my opinion, though I know not everyone agrees.) I enjoyed it, but Les Mis will never be a reread.

I've been meaning to read Anna and the King of Siam for literally decades, so it looks like it's time! And by "decades," I mean I'm fifty and I have been wanting to read it since I was twelve or something…

The Arabian Nights is wonderful. Sinbad, Aladdin, and Ali Baba all stem from here. It's also how much of Middle Eastern/Arabian mythology entered the Western consciousness.

I have Rebecca on my shelf, and it was made into a musical in German, but there are several other categories that book could go into.

Had no idea The Devil Wears Prada was now a musical, but that sounds hilarious.

I'm doing Alison Bechdel's graphic novel Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic for this one. It's been on my TBR for years, and I've heard great things about the musical as well.

Thought this could be the year that I finally read Les Miserables, but I'm going easy on myself!

Zorro by Isabel Allende

Emily wrote: "here is a great list: https://www.thecrownwings.com/2021/08...

the first half is musicals, the second half plays. i didn't know mrs. doubtfire was a book! I have added T..."

wow thank you so much for the link!!

Jen wrote: "Another option: a lot of popular manga (or the anime based on them) have musical stage productions in Japan. Almost any popular series probably has a stage show of some kind, and a lot of them are ..."

I added all that I could find onto the listopia.