Book Adaptions into play scripts or musical theatre

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Book Adaptations

If you're interested in adaptations of classic novels then we have
a range of Plays and Musicals for you to choose from.

Musicals


	Gulliver's Travels *by Jonathan Swift, adapted by Chris Chambers, music by Andy Rapps* Principals : 9m, 7f, 1m/f Support : 10m, 4f, 3jr-m, 1jr-f plus chorus NOTE : All Principal and Support roles can be doubled except for Gulliver, Mary and Don Pedro. A colourful, fun and inventive adaptation of Swift's novel bringing out the deeper side of Gulliver's character set to stunning music. The Lilliputians (tiny people) and the Brobdingnadians (huge people) are well known to most, but the musical also covers two not so well known parts of the original book : the lands of Laputa (the flying island) and Houyhnhnm (the land of intelligent horses). Whilst this musical is enjoyable in its spectacle to children, it is most definitely a musical for all ages.

	Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, adapted by Jay Richards Principals : 4m, 6f adult, 3f junior Support :1m, 3f (plus chorus) NOTE: the chorus supplies cameo roles of: 3m, 8f adult, 1m, 2f junior This new musical adaptation captures the passion, struggle, and eventual hope and forgiveness of Charlotte Brontë's magnificent classic novel. This beautiful musical journey takes us through the life of the orphan, Jane Eyre, as she rises above the tragedies of her youth to find redemption and renewed hope.

	Little Women (Coming Soon) by Louisa M Allcott, adapted by Jay Richards Principals : 4m, 6f adult, Support :1m, 1f (plus chorus) This soaring new musical adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s beloved American classic novel follows the sacrifices, struggles and triumphs of the March Family during the American Civil War. Delightful characters bring to life all the loves, laughter, and heartaches of one unforgettable family. It “captures the heart in a way that won’t let go!”.

	Quasimodo based on 'The Hunchback of Notre-Dame' by Victor Hugo* adapted by Humfress & Rapps* The story of Esmeralda and Quasimodo centred in and around the cathedral of Notre-Dame in medieval Paris. Esmeralda has a generous heart and shows this side of her nature to Quasimodo, the deaf and deformed bell ringer, when all others mock him. When she is later threatened following an amorous misadventure, he rescues her and provides sanctuary for her in the cathedral. Sadly though, she dies at the hand of those who have loved her most.

Plays


	Emma by Jane Austen adapted by Tim Luscombe (3m, 4f or 5m, 6f) Austen’s masterpiece takes us on a joyful journey packed full of warmth and wit, romantic schemes and mistaken intentions. Tim Luscombe (who’s had great success with his other Jane Austen adaptations; Northanger Abbey, Mansfield Park and Persuasion) relates Austen’s story with verve and style, honouring its central themes and transporting its famous characters to the stage, including the dashing and restrained Mr Knightley, the comically hypochondriac Mr Woodhouse and the sublimely dull Miss Bates!

	Lady Susan by Jane Austen adapted by Kathryn Attwood (6m, 6f) Lady Susan Vernon is not your typical Austen heroine. The original merry widow, she flirts her way through Regency society, hapless teenage daughter in tow, gaining lovers and a reputation as “the most accomplished coquette in England”. Penniless and reliant on the charity of reluctant friends and estranged family she needs to marry again – and soon! Jane Austen’s lesser-known comic novel was written entirely in the form of letters but makes a seamless and very funny transition to the stage as this fully scripted adaptation shows.

	Mansfield Park by Jane Austen, adapted by Pamela Whalan (6m, 7f) Fanny Price is the poor relation of Sir Thomas and Lady Bertram, and has, from the age of ten, lived with the wealthy Bertram family at Mansfield Park. The shy and retiring Fanny is an intelligent observer of the flirtations and foibles of her four cousins and the sophisticated brother and sister, Henry and Mary Crawford, who move into the neighbourhood and disrupt the peace of the Bertram family.

	Persuasion by Jane Austen, adapted by Pamela Whalan (5m, 8f) The bittersweet story of love that might have been. At the age of nineteen, Anne Elliot was persuaded to refuse an offer of marriage from a young naval officer. Their paths cross again eight years later, but now Anne is a faded spinster and her father is badly in debt, while Captain Wentworth has made his fortune in the war and is a much sought after matrimonial prize.

	Pride And Prejudice by Jane Austen, adapted by Pamela Whalan (4m, 11f) It is not only fans of Jane Austen’s much-loved novel, centred as it is on romantic manoeuvres in early 19th century England, who have been delighted by this adaptation, audience comments too, make it clear that people unfamiliar with the book also had a good time. The title of the play refers to the relationship between the Bennets’ second oldest daughter, Elizabeth, and Mr Darcy, a wealthy but reserved man who is the subject of marital scheming by many people, including his imperious aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, and Miss Bingley, the sister of one of his friends.

	Sense And Sensibility by Jane Austen, adapted by Pamela Whalan (6m, 6f) Lose your heart and come to your senses as you follow the fortunes of Elinor, the sensible sister and Marianne, the sister who is ruled by her feelings. The reserve of one sister and the lack of reserve of the other lead equally to their undoing as they struggle to come to terms with the poverty thrust upon them by their father’s untimely death.

	The Seagull by Anton Chekov adapted by Chris Chambers (7m, 5f) Simon loves Stella, Stella loves Kit, Kit loves Nina, Nina loves Boris, and Boris loves Irina…and Nina. And that is the problem! Kit’s love for Nina is sorely tested as she falls for his mother’s lover. The ensuing narrative, keenly crafted by Chekhov, leads to a tragic end. Chris Chambers’ re-visioning of Chekhov’s masterpiece is an amusing and sometimes cheeky 21st century adaptation. Anyone interested in the great works of Chekhov will be familiar with the story of a family, their friends and their lovers, one destined for greatness, some for inevitable heartbreak, and one for a very sad end indeed.

	The Watsons by Jane Austen adapted by Kathryn Attwood (6m, 7f) Emma Watson, one-time heiress, comes down to earth with a bump when forced to join her hilariously unsuccessful sisters in their hunt for husbands. Jane Austen’s early, unfinished novel is here completed as a highly comic stage play with a wealth of character parts for both sexes. Jane Austen abandoned her novel The Watsons in 1805, possibly due to the death of her father that year. This completed stage version received its premiere in 2017, to mark the bicentenary of the author’s death.

	The Woman In White by Wilkie Collins adapted by David Morrison (10m, 8f) Drawing master Walter Hartright takes up an appointment in Cumberland, and falls in love with his new pupil, Laura Fairlie. But Laura is already promised to Sir Percival Glyde. whom she later marries. However, Percival is desperately short of money, and also determined to keep hidden a dark secret from his past, which could ruin him. He and his sinister friend Count Fosco hatch a plot to solve both problems. But they reckon without the determined Walter and Laura’s half-sister, Marian.