Classic books and movies find new life on Broadway stage in New York City
NEW YORK (WABC) -- From classic literature to blockbuster movies, beloved page-and-screen favorites are finding success and new life on the Great White Way.
When it comes to Broadway, sometimes nostalgia is the big draw. Not every hit movie translates perfectly to the stage, but when it does, the result can be pure Broadway magic.
Broadway has seen a renaissance of adaptations, with new shows like "The Great Gatsby," "Water for Elephants," "The Notebook," "Back to the Future," and "The Outsiders" drawing crowds and critical acclaim.
Broadway World's Richard Ridge has been covering the theater for more than 30 years.
"Audiences love these films, they're iconic and generation after generation they've fallen in love with the characters," Ridge said. "So for them to come to Broadway - you know they've musical-ized these pieces so it makes them different so you can flush out characters."
But adapting a beloved book or film for the stage is no easy feat. It is a delicate balance between honoring the original and creating something entirely new.
"The Outsiders" reimagines S.E. Hinton's seminal novel and Francis Ford Coppola's iconic film as a groundbreaking Tony Award-winning show.
"You speak to anybody and say, when did you read 'The Outsiders,' they'll tell you 5th Grade, 8th grade, high school," Ridge said. "And then there was the iconic film that had the beginning of the Brat Pack in that - I mean you had breakout performances from Patrick Swayze, Tom Cruise, Matt Dillon."
As for the '20s, they're roaring again as F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby" comes to life in a dazzling theatrical spectacle. This show is the first Broadway musical adaptation of the classic American novel.
"And of course there were two versions of the film," Ridge said. "Robert Redford and Mia Farrow, and then all the other kids know with Leonardo DiCaprio which we all know - and they have done such a great job with this, and of course, it stars Jeremy Jordan and Eva Noblezada."
Then, there's "The Notebook," based on a tear-jerking Nicholas Sparks novel that was once adapted into a famous romance movie starring Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling. The story graces the stage this time as a deeply moving musical.
"I was bawling my eyes out with this show," Ridge said. "What's great about this stage version, there's three different actors playing Allie and Noah at three different times of their life with a diversified cast, it's really really beautiful."
"Water for Elephants" started out as Sara Gruen's historical romance novel, which leapt to the big screen in 2011 with a film starring Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson. It has now found its place as a Tony-nominated show.
"Director Jessica Stone has combined the best of theater and circus - it's really amazing to watch," Ridge said.
Time traveling from 1985 to 2024 at 88 miles per hour, "Back to the Future" takes audiences through an iconic Sci-Fi adventure.
"Everybody loves Back to the Future," Ridge said. "You've got Doc Brown, Marty McFly, the DeLorean--and this car races, it does everything."
With shows like these attracting audiences new and old, it's clear that great source material can always find a new stage.
"You know the wonderful thing about Broadway is there's something for everybody, there always has been," Ridge said. "That's the great thing walking through the Theater District, it's great to see families and just smiling faces of people who are maybe seeing a Broadway show for the very first time."
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