Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams hated working with each other

Credit: New Line Cinema

‘The Notebook’ is getting a Broadway musical in 2024

Fri 4 August 2023 9:55, UK

Next year fans of The Notebook can look forward to the story coming to the stage. Starting with preview performances on February 6th, 2024, at New York’s Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, the show will officially open its doors to the public on March 14th. Based on Nicholas Sparks’ beloved 1996 romance novel, some may be more familiar with it thanks to the Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams-led film adaptation in 2004.

This isn’t the first outing for The Notebook musical – it was previously showcased at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater in 2022. The production boasts music and lyrics by Ingrid Michaelson, as well as a book penned by This is Us supervising producer Bekah Brunstetter. Choreography will be overseen by Katie Spelman, with Michael Greif and Schele Williams sharing directing credits.

Centring around the poignant love story of World War II veteran Noah Calhoun and socialite Allie Hamilton, The Notebook was an instant hit thanks to its powerful romance and heart-wrenchingly sad story.

In a 2019 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Michaelson discussed her deep connection to the story and her excitement at its potential as a musical. “When I first heard about ‘The Notebook’ potentially being turned into a musical, I was instantly drawn to the idea. The story hits home for me in two big ways: it takes place in my home state of North Carolina, and Alzheimer’s runs deep in my family.”

Brunstetter, meanwhile, explained how she was drawn into the project almost instantly, visualising the narrative thanks to Michaelson’s music. “I was sent a few songs Ingrid had already written for it, and that week, I spent my drives to and from work car-listening, memorising, imagining the story unfold with music.”

Continuing, she shared how she was “imagining how I might layer worlds, dramatize memory, and before I even knew that I had to write the book for this, it was already starting to happen in my head.”

Let’s just hope that the new actors playing Noah and Allie will get along better than Gosling and McAdams, whose off-screen chemistry wasn’t exactly without its ups and downs.