As we return to school, there are some classic books that teachers read to their students throughout the year. One of these famous examples is The Outsiders, the first book the eighth graders read when they return to school. In this edition of What’s On Stage, you’ll be getting a hot scoop of all of the books on Broadway that you may have read!
The first show is a twist on a famous book and play by William Shakespeare. & Juliet is a hilarious and heartbreaking jukebox musical that features a brand-new end to the ill-fated Juliet. This show features many well-known songs like It’s Gonna Be Me and Since You Been Gone. If you are looking for a far from average show about Romeo and Juliet, then & Juliet is the show (and possibly book) for you!
The next show is returning to Broadway after a successful national tour and Broadway run from 2018-2023. That’s right, Beetlejuice is back on Broadway for a limited 12-week run. This book was published before it became a movie and is now set to run through January of 2026. Though this book isn’t one you will read at all in FMS, it is certainly one that will turn out to be very scary, whether you read it or not!
The last show has been turning heads since it opened. It has been so popular that the eighth graders will be seeing it in June for the eighth-grade trip. The Outsiders musical has won several Tony awards, been very publicized, and is gunning for a 2025 National Tour. The book and the musical are similar, and the sets are far from average. Though The Outsiders isn’t leaving anytime soon, it’s good to see it now while all of the stars of the show are still on it. It is encouraged that you read the book before you see it to relieve you of any spoilers.
As you have seen, many of your favorite books have a spot in a theater on Broadway, and many of them aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. Musical theater and books do much of the same thing: they bring people together, tell life-changing stories, and they all contain a little bit of magic. Whether it’s in New York or in your ELA classroom, I hope one of these books comes into your life!
