Bubbling up with Helena

As you all know, I love musicals, and I love books. There are so many musicals based on books coming to Broadway this Spring, that I had to do a little round up.

The Notebook

• Based on: The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
• Starts Previews: 2/10/24
• Music and Lyrics: Ingrid Michaelson
• Book: Bekah Brunstetter
• Summary: The Notebook is a new musical based on the best selling novel that inspired the iconic film. Allie and Noah, both from different worlds, share a lifetime of love despite the forces that threaten to pull them apart, in a deeply moving portrait of the enduring power of love.
• Starring: Joy Woods and Ryan Vasquez
• Helena’s Notes: I saw the out of town tryout of this show in Chicago in October 2022. I look forward to seeing what changes they’ve made for Broadway.

Water for Elephants

• Based on: Water for Elephants by Sarah Gruen
• Music and Lyrics: PigPen Theatre Co.
• Book: Rick Elice
• Starts Previews: 2/24/24
• Starring: Isabelle McCalla and Grant Gustin
• Summary: After losing what matters most, a young man jumps a moving train unsure of where the road will take him and finds a new home with the remarkable crew of a traveling circus, and a life—and love—beyond his wildest dreams. Seen through the eyes of his older self, his adventure becomes a poignant reminder that if you choose the ride, life can begin again at any age.   

The Outsiders

• Based on: The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
• Starts Previews: 3/16/24
• Music and Lyrics: Jamestown Revival (Jonathan Clay & Zach Chance) and Justin Levine
• Book: Adam Rapp and Justin Levine
• Summary: In Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1967, the hardened hearts and aching souls of Ponyboy Curtis, Johnny Cade and their chosen family of ‘outsiders’ are in a fight for survival and a quest for purpose in a world that may never accept them. A story of the bonds that brothers share and the hopes we all hold on to, this gripping new musical reinvigorates the timeless tale of ‘haves and have nots’, of protecting what’s yours and fighting for what could be.
• Starring: Brody Grant and Sky Lakota Lynch

The Great Gatsby

• Based on: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
• Starts Previews: 3/29/24
• Music: Jason Howland
• Lyrics: Nathan Tysen
• Book: Kait Kerrigan
• Summary: Transport yourself to the opulent world of the 1920s as one of the greatest American novels hits the greatest American stage. Starring Jeremy Jordan (Newsies) as the eccentric and mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby and Eva Noblezada (Hadestown) as the enigmatic Daisy Buchanan, THE GREAT GATSBY arrives on Broadway after a record-shattering, sold-out run at Paper Mill Playhouse.
• Starring: Eva Noblezada and Jeremy Jordan
• Helena’s Notes: I saw this show at Papermill Playhouse and thought the cast was incredible. This show is moving to Broadway very quickly, so I am a little wary of whether they will have been able to make changes.

The Wiz

• Based on: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
• Music and Lyrics: Charlie Smalls
• Book: William F. Brown
• Starts Previews: 3/29/24
• Summary: Everybody look around, there’s reason to rejoice! The Tony Award®-winning Best Musical that took the world by storm is back. Based on L. Frank Baum’s children’s book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The Wiz returns home to the American stage with an all-new adaptation.
• Starring: Wayne Brady, Deborah Cox, and Nichelle Lewis

Cabaret

• Based on: Goodbye to Berlin by Christopher Isherwood
• Starts Previews: 4/1/24
• Music: John Kander
• Lyrics: Fred Ebb
• Book: Joe Masteroff
• Summary: Wilkommen. Bienvenue. Welcome to the Kit Kat Club. Home to an intimate and electrifying new production of CABARET. Experience this groundbreaking musical like never before. The denizens of the Kit Kat Club have created a decadent sanctuary inside Broadway’s August Wilson Theatre, where artists and performers, misfits and outsiders rule the night. Step inside their world. This is Berlin. Relax. Loosen up. Be yourself.
• Starring: Eddie Redmayne and Gayle Rankin
• Helena’s Notes: My husband and I have seen several productions of this show, but none have sparked as many conversations as this production after we saw it in London. I am curious to see how it plays in New York.

I am very excited for these Broadway productions this Spring. I feel very lucky that I’ve already gotten to see a few of these shows in earlier iterations. Let me know if you’ve read any of these books and/or want to see any of these shows.