Tuesday, June 9, 2015

And the Tony Awards go to the books....

The Tony Awards on June 7 were filled of all the magic of theater-going and Broadway. One of my favorite things to do (it comes close to reading books) is go to the theater. So, you can imagine my happiness when the two shows that tied for the most awards were based off of books that I have read.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon was adapted into a play and Fun Home by Alison Bechdel was adapted into a musical. Both won for the best production in their respective categories. They also both won for best actors in their categories. Besides that they won many other awards.

The fact that these two plays were based on books is great for the literary world. Yes, both of these books have already been popular to a wide audience, but the audience has been expanded now.

I am guessing by now that every die-hard Bechdel, Bechdel Test, and graphic memoir fan has read Fun Home. I wasn't a big fan and am surprised that it was turned into a musical, based on the book's content. I loved graphic novels and think that this one got a lot of praise because it was written by Allison Bechdel (similar to Bossypants being popular because it's by Tina Fey. Review here). Even though I wasn't a big fan of the book, I am a huge Bechdel fan and I am glad this musical won and will hopefully increase her exposure. Although I haven't seen the play, I am guessing that they most likely pulled a Wicked, changed the story completely, and Broadway-ized it.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime was Mark Haddon's debut novel and I fell in love with it. At the time, I was a teenager who was interested in learning a lot about Autism for personal reasons and relationships. I have never been a conventional learner, so, a fiction novel through the eyes of someone with Autism was perfect for learning about it. Autism is a highly misunderstood disorder and is very prevalent in our society, so, bringing it to the stage will only help to educate the world.

Although I may be too hopeful, I can only hope the recent success of these two plays will boost publishing sales. Maybe next year we will see even more beloved books on stage.

2 comments:

  1. I believe I've only been to the theater when I was younger and we saw Romeo and Juliet. I did love the experience though and want to go again someday. Fun Home is new to me but now I am really interested! Haven't read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime either, I need to get to that.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I do recommend reading both, but if you only add one to your TBR pile, it has to be The Curiouus Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime!

      Delete