The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Other adaptations

Hitchhiker's has also appeared as a stage show, three LP albums with condensed (and slightly contradictory) versions of the first six radio episodes, a text-only adventure computer game, and three series of comic books (with a set of collectors' cards spun off containing art from the comics).

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Stage shows

There have been multiple professional and amateur stage adaptations of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. There were three early professional productions, which were staged in 1979 and 1980 {{mn|Gaiman2002|3}}, {{mn|Simpson2005|5}}.

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The first of these was performed at the Institute for Contemporary Arts in London, between 1st-9th May 1979, starring Chris Langham as Arthur Dent (Langham later returned to Hitchhiker's as Prak in the final episode of 2004's Tertiary Phase). This show was adapted from the first series' scripts and was directed by Ken Campbell, who went on to perform a character in the final episode of the second radio series. The show ran 90 minutes, but had an audience limited to eighty people per night. Actors performed on a variety of ledges and platforms, and the audience was pushed around in a hovercar, 1/2000th of an inch above the floor. This was the first time that Zaphod was represented by having two actors in one large costume. The narration of "The Book" was split between two usherettes, an adaptation that has appeared in no other version of H2G2. One of these usherettes, Cindy Oswin, went on to voice Trillian for the LP adaptation.

Related Topics:
Institute for Contemporary Arts - Chris Langham - Prak - 2004 - Tertiary Phase - Ken Campbell - Cindy Oswin - Trillian

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The second stage show was performed throughout Wales between 15 January and 23 February 1980. This was a production of Clwyd Theatr Cymru, and was directed by Jonathan Petherbridge. The company performed adaptations of complete radio episodes, at times doing two episodes in a night, and at other times doing all six episodes of the first series in single three hour sessions. This adaptation was performed again at the Oxford Playhouse in December 1981 and also at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry in July 1983.

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The third, and least successful stage show was held at the Rainbow Theatre in London, in July 1980. This was the second production directed by Ken Campbell. The Rainbow Theatre had been adapted for stagings of rock operas in the 1970s, and both reference books mentioned in footnotes indicate that this, coupled with incidental music throughout the performance, caused some reviewers to label it as a "musical". This was the first adaptation for which Adams wrote the "Dish of the Day" sequence. The production ran for over three hours, and was widely panned for this, as well as the music, laser effects, and the acting. Despite attempts to shorten the script, and make other changes, it closed three or four weeks early (accounts differ), and lost a lot of money. Despite the bad reviews, there were at least two stand out performances: Michael Cule and David Learner both went on from this production to appearances in the TV adaptation.

Related Topics:
Rainbow Theatre - Michael Cule - David Learner

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Future stage production rights got tied up with the rights to make the film, though various amateur adaptations appeared worldwide at least up to 2004.

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LP album adaptations

The first four radio episodes were released in a new double LP adaptation, also entitled The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, first by mail-order only, and later into stores. The double LP and its sequel were originally released by Original Records in the United Kingdom, in 1979 and 1980 with the catalogue numbers ORA042 and ORA054 respectively. They were released by Simon & Schuster's Audioworks in the United States in the 1980s, and Hannibal Records in Canada (the US edition of the first cassette carries a 1982 Hannibal Records copyright, the second only has Adams' 1980 copyright).

Related Topics:
Original Records - United Kingdom - United States - Hannibal Records - Canada

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The script in the first double LP very closely follows the first four radio episodes, although further cuts had to be made for reasons of timing. Most of the original cast returned, except for Susan Sheridan, who was recording a voice for the character of Princess Eilonwy in The Black Cauldron for Walt Disney Pictures. Cindy Oswin voiced Trillian on all three LPs in her place. Other casting changes in the first double LP included Stephen Moore taking on the additional role of the barman, and Valentine Dyall as the voice of Deep Thought. Adams' voice can be heard making the Public Address announcements on Magrathea.

Related Topics:
Susan Sheridan - Princess Eilonwy - The Black Cauldron - Walt Disney Pictures - Cindy Oswin - Trillian - Stephen Moore - Valentine Dyall

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The sequel LP was released, singly, as The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Part Two: The Restaurant at the End of the Universe in the UK, and simply as The Restaurant at the End of the Universe in the USA. The script here mostly follows Fit the Fifth and Fit the Sixth, but includes a song by the backup band in the restaurant ("Reg Nullify and his Cataclysmic Combo"), and changes the Haggunenon sequence to "Disaster Area."

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Interactive fiction and video games

Main article: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (computer game)

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The TV series was followed in 1984 by a best-selling "interactive fiction", or text-based adventure game, distributed by Infocom. It was designed by Adams and Infocom regular Steve Meretzky and was one of Infocom's most successful games. As with many Infocom games, the box contained a number of "feelies" including a "Don't panic" badge, some pocket fluff, a pair of peril-sensitive sunglasses, an order for the destruction of Earth, and an order for the destruction of Arthur Dent's house (signed by Adams and Meretzky).

Related Topics:
Interactive fiction - Adventure game - Infocom - Steve Meretzky - Feelies

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In September 2004 it was revived by the BBC on the Hitchhiker's section of the Radio 4 website {{ref|Radio4_home_page}} for the initial broadcast of the Tertiary Phase, and is still available to play online {{ref|Radio4_game_page}}. This new version uses an original Infocom datafile with a custom-written interpreter, by Sean Sollé, and Flash programming by Shimon Young, both of whom used to work at The Digital Village. The new version includes illustrations by Rod Lord, who was head of Pearce Animation Studios in 1980, which produced the guide graphics for the TV series. On March 2nd 2005 it won the Interactive British Academy of Film and Television Arts in the "best online entertainment" category.

Related Topics:
September 2004 - The Digital Village - Pearce Animation Studios - British Academy of Film and Television Arts

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A sequel to the original Infocom game was never made. An all new, fully graphical game, designed and developed by PAN Interactive (no connection to Pan Books/Pan Mcmillan) and which became Phase 3 Studios, was planned and developed between 1998 and 2002, but also never materialized. M. J. Simpson has information on the graphical game on his Hitchhiker's Guide website {{ref|PAN_game}}.

Related Topics:
PAN Interactive - Phase 3 Studios

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In April 2005 Starwave Mobile released 2 mobile games to accompany the release of the film adaptation. The first, developed by Atatio, was called "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Vogon Planet Destructor" {{ref|Wireless_game1}}. It was a typical top-down shooter and except for the title had little to do with the actual story. The second game, developed by TKO Software, was a graphical adventure game named "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Adventure Game" {{ref|Wireless_game2}}. Despite its name the puzzles were new and different from the Infocom ones and the game followed the movie's script closely and included the new characters and places. The "Adventure Game" won the IGN's "Editors' Choice Award" on May 2005.

Related Topics:
April 2005 - Starwave - TKO Software - IGN - May 2005

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Comic books

In 1993, DC Comics, in conjunction with Byron Preiss Visual Media, published a three part comic book adaptation of the novelisation of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. This was followed up with three part adaptations of The Restaurant at the End of the Universe in 1994, and Life, the Universe and Everything in 1996. There was also a series of collectors' cards with art from the comic adaptations, and a graphic novelisation (or "collected edition") combining the three individual comic books from 1993, itself released in May 1997.

Related Topics:
DC Comics - Byron Preiss Visual Media - The Restaurant at the End of the Universe - Life, the Universe and Everything

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