We've fielded a lot of questions at the Box Office about the adaptation of The Grapes of Wrath from the novel to the stage. We've gotten everything from "How can a 500 page novel fit into a 2.5 hour show?" to "Is the turtle-crossing-the-road scene in the play?" We found a terrific interview with Frank Galati, who adapted the novel for the stage, that answers those questions (and many others):
Haven't read the book in awhile? Spend less than seven minutes listening to this song written and performed by Woody Guthrie. One of our fabulous Facebook friends posted it with a little background: "This is the original "Tom Joad" recording by Woody Guthrie, written overnight after he saw John Ford's film version ... John Steinbeck said that Woody told the story better in the song's verses than Steinbeck had in his 500+ page novel ..."
So yes, not only can you adapt the novel to a 2.5 hour play, it can also be adapted into a 7 minute ballad!
(And we note that Woody Guthrie also left out the part about the turtle...)
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