So I decided to read a few books about India in 2015.
I’ve been trying to track a cheap copy of M.M. Kaye‘s The Far Pavilions for a while.
I was about to get me a paperback copy in English when I tracked a fine used copy of the Italian edition for about five bucks.
“Unknown binding” it said in the seller’s description… ah, the thrill of a small mystery.
Meanwhile, I found out a musical was made of this big romantic melodramatic adventure novel – after all, the theme was well suited to a stage adaptation with song and dance.
And here’s a few songs from the West End production – that despite what the poster said, did not last.
I usually find modern musicals weirdly disquieting – the adaptation of Hugo, Dickens and, indeed, Kaye, gives us people singing about pretty grim stuff.
And yet, Melodrama’s so much fun, as the poet said
Enjoy!
28 January 2015 at 12:11
Oh! They made a musical… I remember reading the Italian translation, some twenty-five years ago (goodness!), as a high school girl. Wasn’t there a movie, too? I seem to recall Amy Irving playing Anjuli? I love how you can always trust a musical will crop up, sooner or later.
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28 January 2015 at 13:15
There was a mini-series, actually, yes.
And probably they recut it to assemble a theatrical feature.
And my copy arrived this morning – the “unknown binding” turned out to be a pretty commonplace hardback.
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