Ask a bookworm and they will tell you – there is something about your favourite book coming to life that makes the heart skip an involuntary beat! 

Whether you are watching Tolkien’s hobbits scurry around on T.V. or soaking up the glitter of Gatsby’s evening parties at a Broadway show, it is sheer magic to see the scattered images of our imagination leap from silhouettes to visuals, wriggling into screen or playing out on a stage. And as far as stage adaptations go, Mumbai has been on a roll! Of the landmark international productions that the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre has brought to India, and those announced to be in the pipeline, three are book-born stories that have been loved across time and space. 

‘Matilda the Musical’ star Matthew Ronald sums up the charm in an interview with Radio City. “These are stories we were brought up with – they are a part of our childhood!”, reasons the actor who plays the titular protagonist’s boorish father Mr. Wormwood in the stage adaptation of Roald Dahl’s beloved classic. But nostalgia alone doesn’t explain the staggering rush of people who scrambled to catch the Royal Shakespeare Company production earlier this year. Enter, beautiful sets that move and motion, whisking you away to a changing scene, music that makes you want to tap your feet, and international stage veterans performing live – a thrill on any day!  

With so much more to look forward to, here are five page to stage theatricals that you can earmark on your bucket list. Psst: You can catch two of them real soon, right here in the city!  

The Little Prince | The Grand Theatre 
Where: NMACC, Mumbai 
Hold your heart, Mumbai! After a dazzling run in New York’s Broadway, it is our turn to witness ‘The Little Prince’ – a grand-scale adaptation of French author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's classic book by the same name. The dreamy theatrical makes its India debut at The Grand Theatre for a limited run from September 25-29. Mirroring the story originally published in 1943, the play traces the interplanetary adventures of a boy-prince from Asteroid B-612. The moving tale of cosmic love is manifested on stage through a giddy mix of music, dance, aerial and terrestrial acrobatics, and cutting-edge video mapping. Elements of traditional and modern storytelling merge to manifest the magic-realism at the heart of the book, giving birth to a production that, much like its protagonist, pushes the boundaries of the known.   

Wicked  
Where: Broadway, New York  
Nothing spells magic or music like a Broadway show – and this crowd-favourite production has copious amounts of both! Inspired by American author L. Frank Baum’s classic novel, ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’, Gregory Maguire gave us the book version of ‘Wicked’ in 1995. On page and on stage, ‘Wicked’, celebrates the unlikely and multi-hued friendship between two young women – the blonde and popular Glinda (The Good), and the misunderstood, green-visaged outlier, Elphaba (Wicked Witch of the West). This heartwarming adaptation takes our original protagonist Dorothy’s more conventional understanding of ‘good’ and ‘evil’ and questions it in profound yet easy-to-enjoy ways, as a crossroad in friendship coaxes the foil characters to pursue divergent paths, before they can teach each other about harmony in otherness.  

Life of Pi  
Where: The Grand Theatre, NMACC, Mumbai 
If ‘The Little Prince’ takes you on a star-studded adventure through the galaxies, ‘Life of Pi’ sets you adrift on a boat in the Pacific. Based on Yann Martel’s Man Booker Prize-winning novel, the epic tale of resilience comes  to town between December 5-15 at The Grand Theatre. This larger-than-life stage adaptation by Lolita Chakrabarti, to be staged in India for the very first time, has won five Olivier Awards and three Tony Awards. For those who have read the book, it is easy to imagine the ebb and flow of emotions that surround the story of shipwrecked Indian protagonist Pi Patel, who survives 200 days at sea with a motely pack of animals including a Royal Bengal tiger! What is hard to imagine is the magnificent proportion of production that comes together to bring alive these fantastical elements in a live performance! Think seasoned puppeteers maneuvering life-like animals, award-winning sets that shift to evoke a sense of time and place, and some truly extraordinary acting.   

Les Misérables 
Where: West End, London  
If there were a handbook of unmissable musicals, this Tony Award winner would be top of the list for many. Set in the socio-politically rousing landscape of 19th century France, the moving tale of ex-convict Jean Valjean was adapted from Victor Higo’s 1862 novel by the same name. Having made its stage debut in Paris, the English language production produced by Cameron Mackintosh has held sway at London’s theatres since 1985 – making it the longest-running musical at West End, and the second-longest running musical in the world! Themes of love, hope, resilience, and sacrifice bring the narrative together, giving it a universal quality that transcends time and space. The musical genius of renowned composer Claude-Michel Schönberg, lyricist Alain Boublil, and librettist Herbert Kretzmer come together in the form of classics such as “I Dreamed a Dream” – a well-vetted goose-bump giver.  

Aladdin | Broadway, New York  
A swish of the magic carpet, and a sweep of childhood nostalgia – Aladdin the musical might be the portal to ‘a whole new world’, but for those who grew up with bedtime stories from ‘One Thousand and One Nights’, it is a trusted old favourite. From the collection of centuries-old Middle-Eastern folktales to the eponymous Disney movie and then Broadway, the story of Aladdin takes on a visually stunning form in this exuberant musical comedy. Air-borne adventure, punchlines packed with laughter, and a big romance meant for the big stage, be careful what you wish for with Aladdin… you just might get it! If you’re looking for hummable songs that can lift your spirits long after curtain call, consider your wish granted – for the production features an enchanting score, including five hit songs from the Academy Award-winning soundtrack, and others specially composed for the stage.