As many of this site's regulars know, Ray loved to see his writings adapted for the stage, and enjoyed seeing his work set to music. Here is a link to site about an interesting adaptation of THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES, performed as a musical. The music and lyrics are by Daniel Levy, with the book and lyrics by Elizabeth Margid.
I can think of FAHRENHEIT 451; THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES;THE DAY IT RAINED FOREVER; 2116; LEVIATHAN 99; and the cantata Ray wrote with Jerry Goldsmith, CHRISTUS APOLLO. Perhaps some other folks out there can add to this list.
I thought of two more: DANDELION WINE and MADRIGALS FOR THE SPACE AGE. The music for the latter was composed by Lalo Schifrin (who composed the theme for MISSION IMPOSSIBLE).This message has been edited. Last edited by: Richard,
2116 is a personal favorite. Originally written for Charles Laughton and Elsa Lanchester, I saw the production in Pasadena just a few years before Ray's death. It was wonderful. I have the compact disc of the show that was issued, and copies of the CD occasionally turn up for sale on eBay. Highly recommended!
I recently picked up an outline for a proposed musical called ROCKET SUMMER, based upon the MARTIAN CHRONICLES, a project that never materialized. It was written by Ray, Sidney Carroll (a film and television screenwriter probably best known for his screenplay for THE HUSTLER, for which he was nominated for an Oscar), and Leonard Rosenman (a film composer who won Oscars for his work on BARRY LYNDON and BOUND FOR GLORY, and who also scored the James Dean films EAST OF EDEN and REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE). I have never seen an adaptation of the MARTIAN CHRONICLES quite like this one. In this proposed musical, Captain York and three of his colleagues are prevented from leaving Mars, and are tried by the Martians for invading their planet. York is defended before the Martian tribunal by the Martian Ylla, who has fallen in love with York. The ROCKET SUMMER musical outline dates back to 1958, and is a interesting glimpse of Ray's vision at the time, and what might have been.This message has been edited. Last edited by: Richard,
The link below will take you to the website of Daniel Levy, in which he discusses how the musical version of THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES, written by Elizabeth Margid and Mr. Levy, came into being. The posting is called "Ray Bradbury and Me – the Story Behind the MARTIAN CHRONICLES Opera". This site also contains performances of two songs which were part of the musical, which Mr. Levy sang for Ray at his home when he met with Ray to get his permission to proceed with the project:
