Writer adapts Kerouac novel

Writer Chris Jefferies said he has always been a fan of beatnik author Jack Kerouac.
Kerouac became a household name in the late 1950s and early 1960s for his novel “On the Road.”

“I started reading Kerouac books in the ’80s,” Jefferies said. “Most were out of print by then, of course, but every time I went to a used bookstore I would look for his books. I kept hearing about ‘Maggie Cassidy’ but could never find it.”

Jefferies, a Yale graduate, finally found the book.

His musical adaptation of “Maggie Cassidy,” which was commissioned by Seattle-based A Contemporary Theatre, debuted Friday at the Bloomington Playwrights Project.

Jefferies said he received support from the Jack Kerouac estate to write the first stage version of a Kerouac novel.

“On the Road,” a film recently released in the United States, is the first big-screen movie adaptation of a Kerouac novel.

But a Kerouac musical?

“Most people would assume that, as a musical, there would be a lot more wild jazz that (Kerouac) models himself after,” Jefferies said. “This is modeled after America with swing still on the radio and even older stuff. I feel that the question that great musicals ask is ‘What is America?’ The conflict within Jack Kerouac is which American dream to follow.”

Like a lot of Kerouac’s work, “Maggie Cassidy” is highly autobiographical.

The novel tells the coming-of-age story of Kerouac’s first love — Maggie Cassidy — while growing up and having to face difficult decisions.

“He’s 17 in the book,” Jefferies said. “He’s in Lowell, Mass. It’s a view of Jack Kerouac that you don’t know exists. It lends itself to being a musical. There’s a lot more room to picture it as a musical.”

Jefferies said the musical is far from being complete.

But thanks to cast members and director Chad Rabinovitz, the show is strengthening.

“It’s a work in progress,” Jefferies said. “There have been a lot of different hands helping me revise the material. Chad has had a lot of excellent suggestions. Thanks to Chad’s feedback, some numbers have been redone.”

For Rabinovitz, Kerouac isn’t just another novelist.

“He created a whole subculture,” Rabinovitz said. “Up until now, there has been no show, no movie about his early life. A lot of us read ‘On the Road’ in school. I hadn’t read ‘Maggie Cassidy’ prior to this.”

Brianna McClellan, an IU senior majoring in theater and drama, took notes from the novel when it came to portraying Pauline, Maggie Cassidy’s arch-nemesis, in the musical.

“The musical follows the storyline pretty closely,” McClellan said. “Chris carries a highlighted, underlined copy of ‘Maggie Cassidy’ with him everywhere. Everyone we worked with was very professional, and we rehearsed for about three and a half weeks from the read-through.”