Allie and Noah’s love weathered disapproving parents, postal delays, World War II and, well, severe weather, but will it survive the jump from the big screen to Broadway?
“The Notebook” is officially being adapted into a musical and is headed to the Great White Way, with singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson composing music and lyrics, and “This Is Us” supervising producer Bekah Brunstetter handling the script.
Essentially, the musical will be precision-engineered to make you weep in public and text your ex “It wasn’t over for me!” in all caps before the curtain comes down.
The 1996 Nicholas Sparks novel was adapted into a wildly successful 2004 film directed by Nick Cassavetes and starring Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling as star-crossed lovers, spawning one of the most memorable on-screen kisses in recent memory.
A premiere date and casting for the musical have yet to be announced, but Michaelson appeared on “The Today Show” on Thursday to excitedly break the news after quietly working on the project for the past year and a half.
“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,” Michaelson, who made her Broadway debut last year in “Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812,” said in a statement. “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,” she continued. “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.”
Kevin McCollum (“In the Heights,” “Avenue Q,” “Rent”) and Kurt Deutsch, the founder of Sh-K-Boom & Ghostlight Records, will produce the musical in association with Sparks.
“The Notebook” is the latest hit film to find a second life as a musical, with “Mean Girls” becoming one of Broadway’s biggest smashes in 2018 and an adaptation of “Clueless,” retooled for the stage, opening in December.