Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

‘The Notebook’ is Broadway-bound with musical adaptation

Nicholas Sparks’ novel that sparked the hit 2004 film starring Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams, will be adapted into a musical. (New Line Cinema Productions / New Line Cinema Productions)
By Libby Hill Los Angeles Times

Ladies and gentlemen, start your weeping.

“The Notebook,” Nicholas Sparks’ beloved romance novel, is getting a Broadway adaptation, with music and lyrics by singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson.

The artist announced the news while serving as a guest co-host opposite Hoda Kotb on NBC’s “Today” Thursday morning.

For those worried that the stage show couldn’t possibly match the heartrending nature of the novel or the 2004 film adaptation – starring Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams – rest easy.

Playwright Bekah Brunstetter has been tasked with writing the book for the musical, and given her background as a supervising producer on “This Is Us,” she knows more than a little about wringing tears out of people.

“I am thrilled to work with Bekah and Ingrid in order to make ‘The Notebook’ a reality on Broadway,” Sparks, who will produce the musical alongside Kevin McCollum and Kurt Deutsch, said in a statement released Thursday. “They are amazingly talented, and obviously, the story is near and dear to my heart.”

Michaelson was most recently seen performing on Broadway, as opposed to composing for it. She made her Broadway debut last summer as Sonya in “Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812.”

“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 revealed 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.”

If Michaelson needs tips for how to craft an appealing musical adaptation, she need look only as far as buddy Sara Bareilles. The “Love Song” singer earned Tony nominations for her music and lyrics for “Waitress” in 2016 and, uh, “SpongeBob SquarePants” in 2018.