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Books you feel could be made into a musical...- Page 3

Books you feel could be made into a musical...

SweeneyPhanatic
#50re: Books you feel could be made into a musical...
Posted: 2/11/08 at 8:16pm

I've been thinking about "The Exorcist" for a while. Originally, I intended to approach it in a style like "Carrie": total camp, but unlike "Carrie," "Exorcist" was to embrace this campiness and not take itself seriously. Some song titles I'd thought of for this version were "I'm Gonna Piss on You," "Let Jesus F**k You,” and "Compels You." The more I watched the film and read the novel, the more I realized that there was the potential for something legit, and I changed my approach to the material. Now I envision a show which starts with either a very lush "Light in the Piazza" type score, or a score similar to any classic Broadway musical. As the show goes on and the Demon begins to take hole, the score takes on more and more pop and rock influences, finally bursting at the seams in the second act with a huge rock number for the final confrontation between the Priests and the Demon. As the show wraps up, the score begins to resemble what it was at the start of the show, but still with the slightest rock influence, a reminder of the scars the Demon left on Reagan and her mother forever. Some song titles I've played with include "Rags," "Lost," "Let HIM," "You Must Help Her," and "The Power Compels You."

Maybe I'm insane, but I think it could work!


-- SDG

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adamgreer
#51re: Books you feel could be made into a musical...
Posted: 2/11/08 at 8:20pm

I have always wondered why there hasn't been a musical version of The Great Gatsby yet. It could have its "big" moments (imagine a big dance number about Gatsby's big summer parties) and its poignant moments (the scene in the hotel room is one of my favorite bits in all of literature).

Gothampc
#52re: Books you feel could be made into a musical...
Posted: 2/11/08 at 8:24pm

"I have always wondered why there hasn't been a musical version of The Great Gatsby yet."

I think because the material is so good that you really can't capture it. The Redford-Farrow movie just didn't capture how good the book is.


If anyone ever tells you that you put too much Parmesan cheese on your pasta, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.

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nitsua
#53re: Books you feel could be made into a musical...
Posted: 2/11/08 at 8:40pm

I've always wanted a The Picture of Dorian Gray musical.

Wasn't there a rumor of one?


"Writing is like prostitution. First, you do it for love, then you do it for a few friends, and finally you do it for money." ~ Moliere

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Glory
#54re: Books you feel could be made into a musical...
Posted: 2/11/08 at 8:45pm

A Patch Of Blue please!

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Dancin Thru Life
#55re: Books you feel could be made into a musical...
Posted: 2/11/08 at 8:56pm

"The DaVinci Code" could be AWESOME!

Think of the number of people who read the book and saw the film! That would make for one hell of a large audience who would want to see that!


"To love another person is to see the face of God!"

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lakezurich
#56re: Books you feel could be made into a musical...
Posted: 2/11/08 at 9:11pm

One of my childhood favorites, Roald Dahl's "The Witches"


Rant, Wickud, Rant, Wickud, Rant! We're not gonna pay Rant! 'Cause everythink is Wickud!

"Leave Walt Disney Theatricals new sparkling production of The Little Mermaid on Broadway alone!!!"

lakezurich will be played by Paul Groves in the BWW musical
Updated On: 2/11/08 at 09:11 PM

deadparrot
#57re: Books you feel could be made into a musical...
Posted: 2/11/08 at 9:12pm

I'm currently reading "The Ladies' Paradise," by Émile Zola. It could make an interesting show, lots of relevancy even thought it was written over a century ago.

george95
#58re: Books you feel could be made into a musical...
Posted: 2/11/08 at 9:45pm

J.D. Salinger has always been against any dramatizations of "Catcher in the Rye" for the same reason that Holden hated most plays and movies---a "phony" would have to act out his words, which would be too painful for him to watch or deal with.

How about "The Chocolate War" or "The Secret Garden" or one of Wendy Williams autobiographies might work in a campy sort of way.


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Gobstopper
#59re: Books you feel could be made into a musical...
Posted: 2/11/08 at 9:52pm

"Has anyone read "The Perks of Being a Wallflower?"

Um, yes, yes I have. (points to icon) haha, I don't know though I think Perks is too internal too really work as a musical.

"The Secret Garden"

That already happened and it was amazing.

#60re: Books you feel could be made into a musical...
Posted: 2/11/08 at 10:21pm

givesmevoice, you're right! I just looked online, and in 2006, the musical Rebecca opened in Austria. Wow, I wonder if that will ever make its way over here.

Everyone has such good suggestions! I completely agree with-

Circle of Friends
Neverwhere (could be the most hilarious thing ever)
I Capture the Castle
The Chocolate War (But only if they make it as dark as it deserves to be. I would be devestated if they didn't do Cormier justice.)

husk_charmer
#61re: Books you feel could be made into a musical...
Posted: 2/11/08 at 10:22pm

I agree with gobstopper, I worked on "Perks" for 2-3 years off and on and just couldn't find a workable angle.


I've think that "Thirteenth Tale" could make an interesting, workable musical.


http://www.youtube.com/huskcharmer

commasplice
#62re: Books you feel could be made into a musical...
Posted: 2/11/08 at 10:26pm

"The Turn of the Screw" is already an opera by Benjamin Britten. I don't think it can be approved upon."

Oooh, fantastic!! Thank you for the heads-up; I'm going to check that out now.

nitsua, The Picture of Dorian Gray was turned into a musical, called Dorian. It played in CA in 2004 with Max von Essen as Dorian and was workshopped for a few years before that, but I don't know what's happened to it since then, and it doesn't look like the website has been updated since then, either - http://www.dorianthemusical.com/

Boq101
#63re: Books you feel could be made into a musical...
Posted: 2/11/08 at 10:35pm

Cat's Cradle!

just picture it!

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Glitter and be Gay
#64re: Books you feel could be made into a musical...
Posted: 2/11/08 at 10:58pm

This should go in one of the Disney threads, but instead of adapting their animated musicals, they should adapt one of their popular non-musical movies. Like Freaky Friday. Which was based on a book, so it does fit in this thread.

I second whoever posted The Devil Wears Prada.

And I love The Lush Life by Douglas McEwan, a deliciously camp fictional memoir about a delusional Joan Crawford wannabe that whores herself up the Hollywood ladder but never gets past the second rung. But she coulda been a contender! If not for the booze and the drugs and the gay husbands and her complete lack of talent.


d811990
#65re: Books you feel could be made into a musical...
Posted: 2/11/08 at 11:01pm


I love the Gatsby idea.

Ive also been thinking A LITTLE PRINCESS by Frances Hodgson Burnett would make a great musical.
anyone else think so?

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musicallover2008
#66Giver the Musical
Posted: 2/11/08 at 11:07pm

I have to ask, Giver:The Musical, Are you kidding? I just finished designing sound for the play version of "The Giver" and after reading the book again, and reading what Lois Lowery said about "The Giver" it is important that music is not part of the play until the end when Jonas hears it. The Giver is the only one who has heard music and he doesn't share that memory. That is part of the beauty of "The Giver." For that, "The Giver" as a musical would be a terrible idea and defeat the purpose of the whole story.





Sorry about the rant.

george95
#67Giver the Musical
Posted: 2/11/08 at 11:12pm

no thats a good point.


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nate2
#68Giver the Musical
Posted: 2/11/08 at 11:17pm

All But My Life would be an amazing musical drama. I would LOVE to see Jurassic Park be made into a musical...if Spider-Man can be made into a musical, why not Jurassic Park...even though it never will lol.

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crzyray
#69Giver the Musical
Posted: 2/12/08 at 12:24am

well i'm actually in the process of writing a play for the "shadow children series" it's based on the first 3 books, The opening is actually of Nina as an older lady and the story is told by her to her Granddaughter. There's a lot of symbolic things i've done with the opening that i really like and think will make this show work. I showed it to my friend and now he's starting to write music for it, so we might just turn it into a musical... but yeah, point is i think the shadow children series (especially the first 3 books) would make a good show (whether it be play or musical)

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TheatreFreak05
#70Giver the Musical
Posted: 2/12/08 at 12:38am

even though I am the one who posted "The Giver" I agree with you completely. actually when I was reading the book I thought of it more as a play than a musical anyway. I didn't know they actually have one

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musicallover2008
#71Giver the Musical
Posted: 2/12/08 at 12:46am

The play was written by Eric Coble and has a very strong script. Also it was commissioned by the Oregon Children's Theatre.

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sondheimboy2
#72Giver the Musical
Posted: 2/12/08 at 12:57am

When I read "Devil in the White City", I found the story of the architect and the city itself to be much more interesting than the serial killer. Possibly because the writer was so genteel with that part of it.

For a while I felt that Tom Wolfe's "The Right Stuff" could be a modern opera, but that came from watching the movie. When I read the book, it didn't sing to me. After that I gave up on the idea because it felt to me that the person who wrote the screenplay had done most of the hard work and it would be like I was stealing answers from his test paper. If you know what I mean.


"A coherent existance after so many years of muddle" - Desiree' Armfelt, A Little Night Music "Life keeps happening everyday, Say Yes" - 70, Girls, 70 "Life is what you do while you're waiting to die" - Zorba

overthemoonboy
#73Tuck Everlasting and Dorian
Posted: 2/12/08 at 1:12am

Apparently, there is a Tuck Everlasting musical. Andrea Ross, ALW's little prodigy, starred as Winifred.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=BT7a17mbuuo

Also, there was a Dorian Gray musical called Dorian. As you can see from the cast list, a few well knowns were in it!

http://www.dorianthemusical.com/main.html

Mind you, neither of these have played Broadway.

PUPPETMAN
#74Tuck Everlasting and Dorian
Posted: 2/12/08 at 1:16am

Pride and Prejudice has already been done as a musical using Jane Austin's first choice of a title - First Impressions


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