We recently saw the musical The Outsiders. Of course, I knew it started as a book, then became a movie, but it had been decades since I’d read or seen it. So, a couple of weeks in advance of the play, I re-read the book. I’d forgotten so much of the story. It is a good one, though the writing itself didn’t impress me.
Then we saw the Tony Award-winning musical.
It was fabulous. The staging itself was incredible, and the acting (and singing and dancing) was great. They did a pretty good job staying true to the story, although they left out a couple of my favorite scenes and added some backstory that I thought made things a bit too angsty, in my opinion. Still, we enjoyed it.
A few nights later, we watched the 1983 film version directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring actors such as Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, and Tom Cruise beside the likes of Patrick Swayze, Matt Dillon, Leif Garrett, Diane Lane, and Ralph Macchio. I know I saw this movie when it released in 1983, but I haven’t watched it since. I liked that there were so many lines of dialogue pulled straight out of the book. It was much truer to the book than the musical, but again, well done.
Why am I telling you all this? Because I enjoy comparing the same story told in different forms, especially when those are book, screen, and stage. (There really aren’t that many that are all three!) Of course, different story decisions have to be made in each due to time constraints and the limitations (or not) of the medium itself.
For The Outsiders, I still prefer the book, mainly because one of my favorite characters—Sodapop—doesn’t come across the same in any other form of the story. In the book, he is winsome and charming, loves everyone, and everyone loves him. In the stage version he came across more like a dunce. The movie was a bit better, but I felt like he didn’t get enough screen time to do him justice.
Another story we’ve recently been able to do this same comparison with was Life of Pi. When we went to see the play, we’d never read the book or seen the movie. The staging and story were jaw-droppingly awesome. I was mesmerized by the story and how it was told. We heard someone in the audience at intermission say the movie was fabulous, too, so we watched it a few nights later.
I was completely bored. Completely! I much preferred it on stage. We ordered the book, which my husband read. He said it combined the best of the movie and the play. One day I might read it, too, but I don’t know. I’m not sure I want anything to taint my enjoyment of it played out on stage. (Caveat: this story is definitely one of universalism—many ways to God.)
Some others that I have enjoyed in all three forms include: Les Misérables (prefer the musical), The Scarlet Pimpernel (love them all but adore the musical), Phantom of the Opera (not sure which I like best), Little Women (again, all three have their merits!), and The Secret Garden (haven’t seen the musical in many years but I love the book best).
Two others are on our radar. We will see the musical version of The Great Gatsby in a few months. Beforehand, we each intend to re-read the book and hopefully watch at least one of the versions of the movie. (My preference is the Robert Redford version.) And our daughter has told us we need to see Operation Mincement, another musical based on a book that is also a movie! We watched the movie, which was great. And we’ve listened to the musical soundtrack. But we are looking forward to experiencing the story on stage as well as reading the book!
All this again confirms that, truly, I love every storytelling in any form, although sometimes one rises above the others.
Do you have any favorite stories that have been told in books, on the screen, and on the stage? Which medium did you prefer?