25: 21 Famous Works of Literature That Inspired Broadway Musicals for homeschool families music education and fun!

In this super fun episode, join us for a fun and educational game as we explore "21 Famous Works of Literature That Inspired Broadway Musicals." From the timeless classics of Charles Dickens to the enchanting tales of Disney, discover how beloved books have been transformed into spectacular Broadway shows. We'll give you clues about each musical's literary origins, and you'll have a chance to guess the titles before we reveal them! Perfect for literature lovers and musical enthusiasts alike, this episode dives into the stories behind iconic musicals that you've hopefully seen (or will see) on Broadway! Listen in to test your knowledge, learn fascinating facts about these adaptations, and get inspired to dive into both the books/plays/poetry and the musicals. Whether you're homeschooling or just looking for a fun way to connect with literature and musical theater, this episode is a delightful blend of education and entertainment. Don't forget to check the show notes for more details and share your favorite musical inspired by literature. Until next time, keep the music alive!
Find all links and resources for this episode here: https://musicinourhomeschool.com/literature-inspired-broadway-musicals/

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Transcript

21 Famous Works of Literature That Inspired Broadway Musicals

[00:00:00] 

Hi everyone, we're going to play a game today. I thought this would be a really fun way to talk about famous works of literature that inspired Broadway musicals. 

So here's how the game is going to work. I have 21 different musicals and I'm going to give you a few clues about each one. Each of these musicals is based on a book or a play or a set of poems. And , they have been turned into a Broadway musical. I will give you a few clues and give you a couple seconds to see if you can guess which one it is. And then I'll tell you the answer. 

So this first one is based on a set of poems, published in 1939. The musical is one of Broadway's longest running shows. It was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber And it's based on a pet. Did you get [00:01:00] it? One of the songs is "Memory." Okay, that one was Cats. Good job. 

Next we have a musical that was based on a book written in 1862. It was originally written in French. The musical was first on Broadway in 1987. And a couple of songs from it are "I Dreamed a Dream," "One Day More," and "Do You Hear the People Sing?" Did You Get Les Miserables? And the author of that book was Victor Hugo. 

I don't think I said the author of Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats was T. S. Eliot.

All right, here's the next one. This musical was based on a book written by Ian Fleming. in 1964. [00:02:00] One of the main characters is a car. It was first on Broadway in 2005 and one of the popular songs is "Hushabye Mountain" and the other popular song is the name of the musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang".

Next we have a musical based on a book that was written in 1934. A woman author wrote this and she wrote several books in a series. Some of the popular songs are "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious," I bet you got it now, "Chim Chim Cheree," and "A Spoonful of Sugar." That is Mary Poppins written by P. L. Travers. 

This next book was written in 1886 by Robert [00:03:00] Louis Stevenson. It's a dark story. It talks about the duality of human nature. It was first on Broadway in 1997. And a couple of the popular songs are "This is the Moment" and "Someone Like You." And that book is The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and the musical is Jekyll and Hyde. 

Okay, what about this one? This one is a children's book written in 1911 by Francis Hogson Burnett. It tells the story of Mary Lennox, who moves from India to Yorkshire. A couple of the popular songs are "Lily's Eyes" and "The Girl I Mean to Be." It was on Broadway in 1991. And the musical and the book are [00:04:00] The Secret Garden. 

This next musical was based on a play from 1913. The play was written by George Bernard Shaw. The play and the musical do not have the same name. One of the main characters is Eliza Doolittle. A couple of popular songs are "I Could Have Danced All Night," "The Rain in Spain," and "On the Street Where You Live." It first went to Broadway in 1956. And that is My Fair Lady. And the play was Pygmalion. 

Alright, here is another one where the book was originally written in French, in 1909. This musical was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber. It's, the longest running musical on [00:05:00] Broadway ever. Started in 1988 and ran all the way to 2023. The author is Gaston Laroux, and the musical is The Phantom of the Opera. Our next one is also based on a play. This play was written way back in 1597 by Shakespeare, William Shakespeare. The musical was written by Leonard Bernstein and first went to Broadway in 1957. Some of the popular songs with the lyrics by Stephen Sondheim are "Tonight," "America," and "Somewhere." And that musical is West Side Story.

How are you doing? You getting these? Next two musicals are both from the same book. It's the [00:06:00] most popular, bestselling book of all time. They were both written by the same people, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. One of them is based on a character from the "Old." And the other one is based on a character from the "New." Hopefully that gives you another hint. Okay, so the book is the Bible. The Old Testament and the New Testament. Do you know which those musicals are? The Old Testament one is Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. First went to Broadway in 1982. And the second one is Jesus Christ Superstar, which first went to Broadway in 1971. 

The next musical is based 1995 by Gregory Maguire. This musical was written by Stephen Schwartz. It [00:07:00] has a movie coming out this fall, if you're listening to this in the summer of 2024. And some of the popular songs are "Defying Gravity" and "Popular." The musical is Wicked. It's been on Broadway since 2003. 

The next one is based on a book by Charles Dickens, published in 1838. It first went to Broadway in 1963. A couple of popular songs from it are "Consider Yourself," "Food, Glorious Food," and "As Long As He Needs Me." And the book was Oliver Twist, and the musical is Oliver! 

 The next musical was based on a book published in 1944. Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote this musical. It first went to Broadway in 1951. It's set in a country in [00:08:00] the Far East, modern day Thailand, which was called Siam back then. The book was Anna and the King of Siam, and the musical is The King and I.

Our next book and musical have the same name. The book was published in 1988. The musical first went to Broadway in 2013. A couple of the popular songs are When I Grow Up and Revolting Children. That musical is Matilda (book by Roald Dahl).. 

The next one is based on a book published in 1884 by Mark Twain. This musical first went to Broadway in 1985 and has songs like "Muddy Water" and "River in the Rain." And it is the musical Big River based on The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

[00:09:00] Next we have a musical where the book has the exact same name published in 1975 by E. L. Doctorow. The musical was written by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens. And it first went to Broadway in 1998, and that is the musical Ragtime.

Next, we have another musical based on a play, written in 1599. This one, again, was William Shakespeare. The play was Hamlet. I'm telling you that because it's a little bit of a stretch for this story, but you might get it. This is the highest grossing Broadway musical of all time. Hasn't played the longest yet, but it has made the most money. And a couple of the most popular songs in it by Elton John and Tim Rice include "The Circle of Life." That is [00:10:00] The Lion King. 

Next we have a book that was published in 1900. It first went to Broadway in 1903. I think that's amazing how fast that happened. And a couple of the most popular songs include, "If I Only Had a Brain" and "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." The author is L. Frank Baum and you probably got that one, The Wizard of Oz. 

We are almost done. We have three more. And these last three, here's your big hint, all became Disney movies. This first one was published by Hans Christian Andersen and the music is by Alan Menken, "Part of Your World," "Under the Sea" are a couple of the most popular songs. And it first went to Broadway in 2008, The Little Mermaid. 

Next, we have a story that [00:11:00] came from France. The original fairy tale was written and published in 1740, but the more well known adaptation for which the Disney film and then the musical were based was published in 1756. This one has popular songs such as "Be Our Guest" and the title of the musical, but also the song "Beauty and the Beast." 

Our last one is another musical that is still playing on Broadway. It's been there since 2014. It was based on a very old story. We don't even know how old it was, but this story was first published in 1709. Came from a book called One Thousand and One Nights. It's a Middle Eastern story. Have you gotten that one yet? Popular songs include "A Whole New World" and "Friend Like Me." And that one was Aladdin. [00:12:00] 

I hope you've had fun playing this game with us today. I think we'll do a few more of these for different topics. If you have an idea, go ahead and go to the show notes or description, and there's a place that you could click to send me a message or leave a comment. And I would love to do some more fun quizzes with you. Until next time, keep the music alive.

Find all links and resources for this episode here: https://musicinourhomeschool.com/literature-inspired-broadway-musicals/

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