Books and musicals might seem like they're on the opposite ends of the entertainment spectrum. Books are typically enjoyed alone, in silence, and can be perused at your leisure. Live musicals typically happen in a room full of people, they're very loud, and they are happening live, in front of you, with no possible escape. But nevertheless, some of the greatest musicals ever written started out as novels, biographies, and even poetry collections. So break out your best wig and tap shoes, and check out these books that inspired hit Broadway musicals.
Now, this is a very incomplete list of just the wildly successful musicals that were adapted from books (sorry, Little Women The Musical). That's because there are a shocking number of book-based musicals out there. I mean, did you know that Legally Blonde was a novel first? I didn't even have time to include the (surprisingly many) musicals based on Sunday funnies or superhero comics... but then again, I'm not sure how many people want to relive Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark.
So whether you're a musical theater nerd from way back when, or just a civilian who wants to understand why everyone is suddenly crushing on Alexander Hamilton, here are a few books that became beloved musicals:
1
'Alexander Hamilton' by Ron Chernow
Nothing says "hip hop musical" like a hefty biography of one of America's founding fathers, right? Lin-Manuel Miranda picked up Ron Chernow's Alexander Hamilton while on vacation, and found himself inspired to write his own take on Hamilton's scrappy life story. The result is Hamilton, one of the most successful Broadway musicals in history.
2
'Les Miserables' by Victor Hugo
If you like musicals about the American Revolution, then how about a musical about the French Revolution (but not the main French Revolution, the really minor one that no one knows about)? Victor Hugo's lengthy epic, Les Miserables, is a novel about redemption and revolution, and it's the basis for an equally epic musical of the same name.
3
'The Phantom of the Opera' by Gaston Leroux
When Gaston Leroux wrote this strange ghost story in 1909, he was probably not imagining a sick electric guitar solo in the background. But somehow, The Phantom of the Opera went from a weird little Gothic novel about unrequited love to a bombastic rock musical that is still running on Broadway after 28 years.
4
'Wicked' by Gregory Maguire
5
'Fun Home' by Alison Bechdel
Not every musical has to be a sweeping epic. Alison Bechdel's graphic memoir Fun Home is a quiet, poignant piece about Bechdel discovering her sexuality and coming to terms with her father's suicide. And yet somehow the musical adaption of Fun Home manages to capture her story beautifully, even on a big Broadway stage.
6
'The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales' by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales has been the basis for so many books, movies, comics, musicals, and everything in between. But one of the most memorable re-tellings of these fairy tales has to be Stephen Sondheim's musical Into the Woods, which weaves together Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, and many more stories, but with a slightly adult twist (i.e. lots of death in act two).
7
'Ragtime' by E.L. Doctorow
8
'The Mystery of Edwin Drood' by Charles Dickens
9
'Gypsy: Memoirs of America's Most Celebrated Stripper' by Gypsy Rose Lee
10
'The Color Purple' by Alice Walker
The Color Purple is another classic of American literature that hardly needs an introduction. But if your high school English class didn't do justice to Alice Walker's masterpiece, then you might want to check out the musical soundtrack for a gorgeous work of adaptation.
11
'Don Quixote' by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
Sure, you might love Cervantes' Don Quixote. But you haven't really read it until you've heard the thesis of the book sung in Brian Stokes Mitchell's booming baritone. Man of La Mancha really only adapts pieces of Don Quixote (it's an awfully long book), but both book and musical have the same snarky-yet-idealistic themes.
12
'Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats' by T. S. Eliot
If you've ever wondered, "So... why is there a famous play where adult people dress as cats and sing?" then you can blame the poet T. S. Eliot. Most of the lyrics are adapted from Eliot's poetry about, well... cats. Just a bunch of poems about weird cats. Good luck getting this song out of your head.
13
'The Berlin Stories' by Christopher Isherwood
14
'Tales of the South Pacific' by James A. Michener
15
'Matilda' by Roald Dahl
16
'War and Peace' by Leo Tolstoy
Yes, even War and Peace has gotten a sexy, musical face-lift. Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 is a new Broadway musical based on Volume 2, Part 5 of War and Peace (apparently that's plenty for a full length musical), but with a much more indie rock, EDM vibe than Tolstoy probably intended.
