A study of adaptation from a novel to a musical : A case study of Many Lives

Abstract

This practice-oriented research “A study of the adaptation from a novel to a musical: A case study of Many Lives” investigates the possibilities of approaches and processes regarding creating a musical from literary text. The aim of this research is to gain knowledge of how to write a musical with multi-plot narrative.The researcher hasdecidedto adapt M.R. Kukrit Pramoj’s Many Lives, with its multi-storyline structure, into a musical with multi-plot structure that follows all 11 protagonists of 11 stories such that they can be understood and appreciated by the audience. This musical will effectively deliver its main message to the audience through its complex structure. The researcher has decided to keep all 11 storylines concerning 11 characters whose lives only interact in the same ferry accident. The researcher initially wrote a complete straight play, but subsequently revised it into a musical. It is found that the adaptation of Many Lives from literary text to musical theatre, despite its unconventional structure, can keep the interest of the audience, as well as effectively deliver its main message.