Joss Stone and Dave Stewart have written the music behind the new stage adaptation of Audrey Niffenegger’s bestselling novel, The Time Traveller’s Wife.
Stewart, the guitarist who’s sold over 100 million records during his time in Eurythmics, has teamed up with his Nashville neighbour and Grammy award-winning singer to write the songs for the new musical.
Speaking to Sky News ahead of its opening night at the Apollo Theatre in London, Stewart said approaching the subject of time travel was a concern at the beginning.
“I was worried about periods of music,” he said. “My responsibilities were trying to write songs along with Joss Stone and music that manages to propel the narrative, but at the same time make them very infectious songs and that have melodies.”
Since the original book was published in 2003 it’s gone on to be read by millions and has been turned into a television drama and a film.
Most will know the plot – man develops rare genetic disorder that causes him to time travel, meeting his soulmate throughout her life.
The complex love story adapted to the stage by playwright Lauren Gunderson, then jumps through time – proving a challenge for director Bill Buckhurst.
“It’s quite an integral part of the story and we’re very lucky to be working with some very clever people on the show, a wonderful illusion director Chris Fisher, who I worked for quite a few years now on making all that illusion work on stage for an audience,” he said.
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It meant learning a different way of working for Stone, who said having to write so many emotions into one song to tell the complicated love story was new.
She said: “Usually, I write a song about one feeling. If I’m writing a love song, it’s a love song from the beginning, middle and end… I do not normally write like this.”
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Like in the HBO TV series, when the protagonist jumps through time he arrives at the next location without clothes in the stage adaptation. But Stone and Buckhurst say it’s still suitable for all ages.
“There’s a little bit of nudity going on but it’s a family show, so it’s done very tastefully,” Buckhurst told Sky News.
“There’s no bum,” Stone adds with a giggle.
The Time Travellers Wife is on at The Apollo Theatre in London until 30 March.
