A Musical Adaptation of The Notebook, Probably Designed to Make Us Cry, Is in the Works

A musical adaptation of Nicholas Sparks’s novel The Notebook is headed to Broadway. I, for one, can’t wait to see the powerful emotions this paean to enduring love brings out in audience members. Will they cry? Will they shout? At Mike Pence? Will everyone be making out with the friends who brought them when the curtain goes down for the last time?

Another point of interest: singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson is writing the music and lyrics, the ultimate in sentimental pairings. Deadline reported on Thursday that Bekah Brunstetter (This Is Us) is writing the book. Sparks, whose 1996 book was famously adapted into the 2004 film starring Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams, said of this new project, “I am thrilled to work with Bekah and Ingrid in order to make The Notebook a reality on Broadway. They are amazingly talented, and obviously, the story is near and dear to my heart.”

If you do not yet know the story of The Notebook, here’s Playbill with a neat summary (Jezebel also recently rewatched the film if you want the long version):

“The Notebook tells the love story of Noah and Allie, beginning with their first meeting during a lustful summer through the trials imposed on them by class differences in North Carolina. As an elderly couple seeks to learn from their story, we all learn about the obstacles love can overcome—and those it can’t.”

The announcement itself was spot on. Michaelson went on Today and told Hoda Kotb, “I’m writing a musical… and the musical is… The Notebook.” We should be so lucky if the musical itself exhibits such expert pacing and brings out the scream-cry in us all!