The biggest West End shows that are originally based on books

Inspired by literary characters and best-selling works, both fiction and non-fiction can find a new lease of life on the stage. Read all about shows based on books in the West End right now.

There's West End musicals based on films. There's even stage shows based on television series. But, did you know that plenty of West End hits are based on books?

Inspired by literary characters and best-selling works, both fiction and non-fiction can find a new lease of life on the stage. Read all about the shows based on books in the West End right now. There's also books about theatre, and we've rounded up our favourite picks here.

Cabaret

You may think of Cabaret as a glozzy, jazzy, Golden Age musical. But did you know it was based on a collection of short stories? Christopher Isherwood's 1939 novel "Goodbye to Berlin" details his four years living in the German capital, and characters like Sally Bowles were inspired by real life singers. Now experience this hedonistic haven in the West End, as Cabaret opens in London, starring Fra Fee and Amy Lennox.

Book Cabaret tickets on London Theatre.

Hamnet

Life of Pi's Lolita Chakrabarti adapts Maggie O'Farrell's best-selling novel into a timeless play. Be transported back to Shakespearean times in this historical wonder; Agnes and William Shakespeare must build a new life when they lose their only son. Hamnet transfers to the West End following sell-out performances at the RSC in Stratford-upon-Avon. Madeleine Mantock stars.

Book Hamnet tickets on London Theatre.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

What happened after Harry Potter left Hogwarts? Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the eighth story in the Harry Potter series and the first to be presented on stage. It's based on an original story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, and is currently the most awarded show of all time in Olivier Awards history. The Harry Potter and the Cursed Child story is kept a secret from all people that haven't seen the show. You'll have to visit the Palace Theatre and book Harry Potter and the Cursed Child tickets to discover the magic.

Book Harry Potter and the Cursed Child tickets on London Theatre.

Les Miserables

It's been performed in over 50 countries and seen by over 120 million people worldwide — Les Miserables is definitely one of the biggest global musical theatre phenomenons in history. But, did you know that it's based on writing? Victor Hugo's epic novel of the same name explores French history, culture and society during the early nineteenth-century, with characters storming the barricade in spectacular fashion.

Les Miserables is often assumed to be set in the French Revolution, but its broad sweep of history tells of France in a general revolutionary era. Les Miserables continues its record-breaking London run at the Sondheim Theatre.

Book Les Miserables tickets on London Theatre.

Matilda

A master of childrens literature, Roald Dahl is the creative brain behind books like The Twits, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach. He's also the original mastermind behind Matilda, adapted into a musical by Dennis Kelly and Tim Minchin.

The musical follows the original text — a gifted child quenches her thirst for knowledge to the demise of her parents, trying to defeat her bully of a headmistress Miss Trunchbull. Approaching a decade at the Cambridge Theatre and breaking Olivier records, Roald Dahl's presence can definitely be felt in the musical. 

Book Matilda the Musical tickets on London Theatre.

The Phantom of the Opera

Widely considered to be one of Andrew Lloyd Webber's most successful musicals of all time, Her Majesty's Theatre has been home to this legendary production. But, did you know that it's based on a twentieth-century novel? It's originally a French novel by Gaston Leroux called 'Le Fantôme de l'Opéra', taking inspiration from nineteenth-century tales of skeletons of people that died at Paris Opera House. Thankfully, there's no dated spirits in The Phantom of the Opera.

Book The Phantom of the Opera tickets on London Theatre.

Wicked

After The Wizard of Oz came a variety of Ozian-inspired works. Gregory Maguire's fantasy 1995 novel, named Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West explored what could have happened if Elphaba and Glinda met at a younger age. Their stories are now dramatised in Wicked, which sees Elphaba taking to the Western sky and using her newly-found bewitching powers. Wicked's clocked up over 15 years at the Apollo Victoria Theatre.

Book Wicked tickets on London Theatre.

The Little Big Things

The Little Big Things, based on the bestselling autobiography by Henry Fraser, has adapted into an uplifting new musical with a pop-inspired score. In this remarkable true story, Henry refuses to let a life-altering accident shape his identity and boldly faces the challenges stacked against him. The Little Big Things marks the fifth production, and the first musical, to grace the West End's newest theatre.

Book The Little Big Things tickets on London Theatre.

Photo credit: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Photo courtesy of production)