Books come to life on Seattle stages for the holiday | Arts & Culture

Seattle is no doubt a literary city. What other city can boast its own action figure based on one of their librarians, after all? Seattle stages are filling this holiday season with all kinds of productions that migrated from books to stage.

Myra Platt, co-Artistic Director of Book-It Repertory Company, routinely adapts books into plays, as that is the goal and focus of every offering from the company.

“Most books do make great material for plays,” Myra says. “Otherwise, Book-It wouldn't even be! Book-It began 23 years ago because as a company of professional theatre artists we were all big readers concerned about the community becoming too engrossed in television, movies and computers.

“Well-written literature is chock full of complex characters, interesting plots, but most importantly for us, they engage the audiences' imagination. We are committed to inspiring people to read more.”

Seattle librarian David Wright chimes in, “Shakespeare based most of his plays on books, and the Greek playwrights were largely drawing upon Homer, who was as familiar to their audiences as Dan Brown is to ours. Novels have such a wealth of material – characterization, dialogue, setting, plotting – that comes ready-made for the playwright to adapt.”

Myra knows that people who see Book-It adaptations often will return to the novel itself to read it, again or even for the first time. “The experience of reading a book is a unique part of how we learn and for us to understand the world we live in... It broadens an individual's cultural literacy when transformed on to the stage.”

David thinks it may be reassuring for someone to know the story of a play from the book before h/she sees it on stage. “We (the Seattle Public Library) definitely see a spike in the circulation of any book that has been adapted for the stage or screen, and often purchase additional copies to meet this demand. When adaptations of books arrive on Seattle stages, we have waiting lists for them.

“Readers like to compare them (print versus stage versions). Did the play do justice to the book? Was it better? Did it clarify things that were unclear in the book, or vice-versa? It is a very satisfying experience. (Readers like to) relate (the story) to their own lives.”

Book-It is reprising a popular adaptation of the book Red Ranger Came Calling based on a book by Berkeley Breathed through December 23rd.  

A world premiere of Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Christmas Carol at Taproot Theatre Company finally opens, after being pre-empted last year by their horrific building fire, which gutted a great deal of the theater. With elements of both Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, local playwright John Longenbaugh has created a blended classic. Taproot Theatre through December 30

Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Montgomery continues at The Village Theatre in a world premiere musical. Villagetheatre.org through January 2 in Issaquah, January 7-30 in Everett

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever started out as a book written by Barbara Robinson in 1972. The book was adapted by Robinson into a play which was first performed on November 26, 1982 by the Seattle Children's Theatre. This year, you can see iterations at both Seattle Public Theatre December 9-24 Seattlepublictheater.org and The Attic Theatre at Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue December 2-4 Theattictheatre.org

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott runs as a musical version at Capital Playhouse in Olympia (through December 19).

It's a Wonderful Life started as a short story The Greatest Gift written by Philip Van Doren Stern before it became a film by Frank Capra and is playing at Whidbey Playhouse in Oak Harbor Whidbeyplayhouse.com through December 19.

Black Nativity performs at the Moore Theatre, produced by Intiman Theatre and features the poetry of Langston Hughes December 10-26

A Christmas Story: The Musical is based on the film that was based on material from author Jean Shepherd and plays through December 30 at the 5th Avenue Theatre.

Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol is clearly based on/inspired by Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and can be attended at both Seattle Public Theatre  through December 24 and Olympia Little Theater  through December 19.

A Christmas Carol is presented for the 35th year in a row as a Christmas tradition at ACT Theatre, the quintessential Charles Dickens classic. Through December 26.

A world premiere musical by Kevin Kling and local composer Richard Gray is Lyle the Crocodile at Seattle Children’s Theatre. Though not holiday-related, it is based on Bernard Waber’s The House on East 88th St. through January 9.

Sleeping Beauty is presented by Centerstage Theatre in Federal Way through December 22

Oliver the musical started life as Charles Dickens’ novel Oliver Twist, and is performing at Whidbey Island Center for the Arts, Langley December 3-19

A Child’s Christmas in Wales is based on writings by Dylan Thomas December 3-24 Stone Soup Theatre.

A play with one of the longest titles imaginable, The Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen’s Guild Dramatic Society’s Production of A Christmas Carol is what you might call ‘loosely based’ on the Dickens novel and is at Phoenix Theatre December 1-23

(A special thanks to Daytona Strong for her help with this story)