Has there ever been a successful Bway musical that used existing songs? - Page 2

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 4/19/13 at 2:51pm

The Broadway musical tweaked the story, but not significantly enough that it would be considered entirely new or separate from its source material.

Posted: 4/19/13 at 3:03pm

Yeah, Tommy was written as a "rock Opera" and the Broadway show just moved it to the stage. The plot and characters the songs were written for remained the same. The same is true of Jesus Christ Superstar.

I guess Crazy for You and the like sort of qualify- bu again, we've got the work of a single composer and some songs written specifically for the original show.

Return to the Forbidden Planet is the most like what they want to do- but I don't know how successful it was. It's going to be an interesting process for sure. Here's hoping;

[SFFrontRow]

Posted: 4/19/13 at 3:28pm

Hit or not, there are several instances:

Oh Calcutta an amalgam of popular hits by the likes of Lennon.
Mama Mia - a book musical but using all of ABBA songs.
Movin Out - a sort of book musical with Billy Joel songs.
Several Sondheim based productions - Side by Side by Sondheim, Putting it Together, Sondheim on Sondheim.
Buddy - book musical that used all Buddy Holly songs.
Rock of Ages - book musical with hair band songs.
Motown - book musical with Motown hits.
American Idiot - book musical based on Green Day albumn.

I have often thought that some albumns would be great fodder for really decent musicals with a book written to take advantage of those songs. The first time I heard Jackson Browne's Running on Empty (one of my favorite albumns), I thought this would make a great band on the road stage musical about a band on the road, the cost of fame and one night stands, the class struggle between the band and its roadies, how the band and the roadies use the groupies and the adulation and dedication of the fans (and I know it would be similar to an old movie with Willie Nelson called Honeysuckle Rose... am I showing my age?). Or maybe even Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - there is a lot of fodder for good book material in that. Why just stick to the classic Porter et al and approach more modern subject matter. Maybe that would even pull in younger audiences like those for Tommmy, American Idiot, Spring Awakening.

For that matter, ALW's Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita and Elton John's Aida were concept albumns before being full blown stage adaptations (although I am sure those were written for stage before being released as concept albumns).

More tounge in cheek - how about the "Lorraina Bobbit Story - a Wife Cut Short" using Taylor Swift and/or Alanis Morissette songs (LOL). And dont hate me, I do like Alanis and that albumn A LOT but find Taylor a bit too hooked on the "I hate the guys who have been in my life" route.



Updated On: 4/19/13 at 03:28 PM

Posted: 4/19/13 at 3:42pm

Rock of Ages- hadn't thought of that. certainly fits the bill.

Wasn't there a "Sgt. Pepper" musical back in the 70's? Not the film, a stage musical?

[finebydesign]

Posted: 4/19/13 at 3:55pm

Didn't Priscilla do this?

Posted: 4/19/13 at 3:57pm

YES! But again,not exactly successfully.

Updated On: 4/19/13 at 03:57 PM

[sanda]

Posted: 4/19/13 at 4:00pm

What about Rock of Ages?

Kismet?

[lull89]

Posted: 4/19/13 at 4:08pm

Thoroughly Modern Millie, in addition to the original songs and the songs from the source material, included multiple preexisting standard-type songs too, did it not?

And Motown has music from a lot of different artists, though that's clearly a different kind of beast and is closer to a catalog jukebox show in spirit.

[ErinDillyFan]

Posted: 4/19/13 at 4:49pm

SFFrontRow - Oh Calcutta is not an "Amalgam of popular hits" jukebox musical. I believe they were all written for the show.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 4/19/13 at 5:13pm

Oh Calcutta an amalgam of popular hits by the likes of Lennon.

Huh? You must be thinking of something else.

The term "jukebox musical" has evolved a bit. It was originally coined from the advent of Mamma Mia for a show using previously existing music with the lyrics integrated into the plot as a traditional book musical (unlike catalogue shows, which are usually biographical utilizing the music of the subject artist with most of the songs used as performance scenes). Now, it's just the catch-all term for any show using pre-existing songs, generally pop.

I'm just wondering if the songs in Bullets Over Broadway are going to integrate the lyrics into the plot or if they will exist solely at atmospheric numbers for setting. Personally, I feel like trying to develop that screenplay into a book musical will only slow down what is essentially a farce. But a play with period music could work better.

[ErinDillyFan]

Posted: 4/19/13 at 5:37pm

Not broadway. But, another type of show is something like "Menopause: The Musical" where they take hit songs and re-write the lyrics and many cases not so many lyrics are changed to meet the needs of the show.

[ErinDillyFan]

Posted: 4/19/13 at 5:40pm

MisterMatt: 'The term "jukebox musical" has evolved a bit. It was originally coined from the advent of Mamma Mia'

Sorry, no. The term goes all the way back to the 40s.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 4/19/13 at 5:42pm

I did not realize. I remember reading an article around ten years ago about it, but maybe it just had to do with its application towards Broadway.

Anyway, all I know is, the less I know about Menopause: The Musical, the better.

Updated On: 4/19/13 at 05:42 PM

Posted: 4/19/13 at 7:49pm

Kismet took the classical melodies of Borodin and put words to them. Teddy and Alice did the same with Sousa marches.

[Nick Murphy]

Posted: 4/19/13 at 8:03pm

42nd Street

[Nick Murphy]

Posted: 4/19/13 at 8:04pm

George M!

Posted: 4/19/13 at 9:41pm

Both those examples use the songbook of one composer: 42 St used Dubin & Warren (and most of the songs were lifted from the original film 42nd st.)

George M of course, used the songs of George M Cohan.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 4/19/13 at 10:05pm

Showboat

[ErinDillyFan]

Posted: 4/20/13 at 11:17am

Updated On: 4/20/13 at 11:17 AM

[Jon]

Posted: 4/20/13 at 11:39am

Oh Calcutta had an all original score by Peter Schikele (of PDQ Bach fame).

John Lennon was listed as a contributor because he wrote one of the sketches.