The Notebook Is Being Made Into A Musical

New Line Cinema

Calling all theatre fans: The Notebook is being transformed into a broadway musical, just in case we needed another reason to sob into our popcorn.

Do you even eat popcorn at the theatre? I’m showing how little class I have here because I can’t remember the last time I watched a musical #SorryNotSorry.

Anyway, I digress. The bestselling book and 2004 film is being made into a musical, so we’ll soon be able to see Noah and Allie’s romance blossom on the big stage.

As reported by Deadline, The Notebook will be hitting the stage with help from playwright Bekah Brunstetter and singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson, who will be handling the music and lyrics.

Author Nicholas Sparks cannot wait to work with the two of them on this new project, if his latest social media announcement is anything to go by.

Taking to Facebook last Thursday (January 3), Sparks revealed the news to his nearly 3 million followers, saying he was ‘so excited’.

Not holding anything back, the author spoke about how ‘thrilled’ he is to be working alongside the team behind the production.

He wrote, alongside a picture of the original novel:

I’m so excited to finally share the BIG NEWS… #TheNotebook is coming to Broadway! You read that right.

Playwright and This Is Us producer Bekah Brunstetter will be writing the adaptation, with artist Ingrid Michaelson handling music and lyrics.

I‘m thrilled to work with Bekah, Ingrid and our whole team on bringing this beloved story to the stage!

New Line Cinema

For those who have been living under a rock – like my flatmate, who I just discovered has never seen The Notebook – the story follows a couple, Noah (Ryan Gosling) and Allie (Rachel McAdams), who embark on a tumultuous relationship over a series of decades. I’m not saying any more.

It’s emotional enough watching it on a TV screen so god knows what it’ll be like on a Broadway stage. I’m not sure I could cope with it.

And it seems it isn’t just us regular folk who are getting excited about the prospect of this musical, as those working on it are eager to get going with it.

Brunstetter said the story hits home for her in two ways: it takes place in her home state of North Carolina, and has first-hand experience of themes explored in the story in her family.

She told Deadline:

When I first heard about The Notebook potentially being turned into a musical, I was instantly drawn to the idea…

The older you get, it seems, the more invisible you become, and yet, you have so much to say — so putting an older couple at the forefront of a musical is thrilling to me.

I am so excited to continue collaborating with Ingrid on bringing this beautiful story to life in a new way.

New Line Cinema

And Michaelson said she was so overwhelmed by the prospect of working on the musical that she cried when she heard the news.

She explained:

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.

New Line Cinema

Oh my God I can’t wait.

I don’t know about you, but I might actually have to step foot inside a theatre for once to see this.

If you have a story you want to tell, send it to [email protected].

Lucy Connolly

A Broadcast Journalism Masters graduate who went on to achieve an NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism, Lucy has done stints at ITV, BBC Inside Out and Key 103. While working as a journalist for UNILAD, Lucy has reported on breaking news stories while also writing features about mental health, cervical screening awareness, and Little Mix (who she is unapologetically obsessed with).