A good writer's prose can sometimes be described as musical. So why not turn their prose into a musical? Minneapolis children's writer Kate DiCamillo will see her 2009 novel, "The Magician's Elephant," staged this fall in London. The Royal Shakespeare Company will turn the story into a musical by Nancy Harris and Marc Teitler and it will be staged in October, directed by Sarah Tipple, DiCamillo announced this morning on her Facebook page.
The story of an orphan named Peter, "The Magician's Elephant" tells of his search for his missing sister, who he had been told had died at birth. But when he spends his last coin on a fortune-teller, the fortune-teller says that she is alive.
It will be staged Oct. 29-Jan 17 as part of the company's annual Christmas production.
This is not the first of DiCamillo's books to be set to music. "Edward Tulane," based on her novel "The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane" will be premiered by the Minnesota Opera March 21-29, with a score by Brooklyn-based composer Paola Prestini.
(Photo of Kate DiCamillo from Star Tribune file)
