It’s certainly not going to be easy, and it’s probably going to be very hard, but no matter what The Notebook is now officially on its way to becoming a Broadway musical.
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A stage musical version of the beloved 1996 Nicholas Sparks book which became the even more beloved 2004 Nick Cassavetes movie starring Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams was announced earlier today, a move that’s been speculated about for quite some time now.
Sparks is set to work closely with producers Kevin McCollum and Kurt Deutsch in bringing the musical to life. The former of the two producers has a storied history on Broadway, having picked up the Tony award for Best Musical three times in the past: once for In the Heights in 2008, once for Avenue Q in 2004, and once for Rent in 1996.
In addition, Bekah Brunsetter, who serves as a supervising producer on the similarly emotionally manipulative This Is Us, has been tasked with developing the musical for the stage alongside famed singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson, who will handle the bulk of the composition work.
Of the new gig, Michaelson could barely contain her excitement in a statement issued to media.
When I was approached about working on The Notebook, I had to excuse myself and go to the bathroom and cry and come back into the meeting. I have loved the movie and the story for so many years now that the idea of turning it into a musical overwhelmed me. The concept of unending devotion and love wrapped up in memory and family is something very close to my own personal life. The story sings to me so perfectly. I actually started writing that very night of the first meeting, before I even had the job! I cannot wait for the world to hear these characters come to life in a musical way.
The story is framed from the perspective of an elderly man reading to an Alzheimer’s patient from a diary that tells the story of a whirlwind romance between a poor quarry worker and a 17-year-old heiress in 1940.
There’s no word on when the musical will hit stages in New York, but you might wanna start thinking about getting yr travel plans ready now, mates. Could be one for the ages.
