Does anybody have a guess as to what Disney's next musical endeavor will be?- Page 2

[jagfkb]

Posted: 8/4/09 at 7:35am

The next show to come to broadway will probably be Peter and the Starcathers, IF the reading at La Jolla went well enough to continue working on it. I have my bets than when Peter gets ready for Broadway, Mary will either close up shop or tranfer using the touring set. I'm serious, Mary Poppins IS Disney's next Beauty & the Beast: they're not going to let it go so easily.

[sbflyfan]

Posted: 8/4/09 at 7:55am

I'd love to see "Aladdin" starring Curtis Holbrook. It would be awesome!

[candydog2]

Posted: 8/4/09 at 8:01am

If Hunchback comes to Broadway it will DEFINITELY not be like the darker version they produced in Germany, it'll be toned down a lot to make a more family-friendly show.

Just look at how Mary Poppins has changed since it's original run in London!

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 8/4/09 at 9:21am

There have always been rumours about Hunchback coming to Broadway. I doubt it will ever happen. It isn't exactly the "happy" Broadway musical that Disney likes to push on families.

Neither was Aida. I think Disney can probably do well with the new book of Hunchback if they can find a decent director and brilliant designers. Honestly, it has nothing to do with whether the show is the darker version or not. Les Miserables and Phantom of the Opera turned depressing and/or horror stories into shows that have been attended by families for decades.

Just look at how Mary Poppins has changed since it's original run in London!

It didn't really change that much. One song was rewritten because it resembled a nightmare sequence. But it is a very different style based on very different source material. The heart of the story itself revolves around the child characters.

I really think we need to move away from the idea that the German book for Hunchback will be an automatic fail because it had a darker ending that more closely resembles the original story. The book will be less criticized for doing so than if it changes back to the film, which was far more heavily criticized. The German book needs some slight revisions and it's ready to go. It is the design and direction that will be key in making it a great show (not using the German sets will be a huge plus) and the Disney marketing team will need to work a little overtime in the pre-show marketing through the first six months of the run. And considering the film was not one of the substantial Disney hits, an out-of-town tryout is crucial.

[candydog2]

Posted: 8/4/09 at 11:11am

What I meant by Mary Poppins changing is that even though it was never really TOO dark, they STILL toned it down and made it more family friendly in areas so it'd work in the US.

Now if you take the much darker musical created when Hucnhback went to the stage, it's obvious that Disney would never take it to Broadway without some serious changes.

Really I was just saying that if Mary Poppins couldn't make it without a bit of toning down, Hunchback definitely won't.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 8/4/09 at 11:26am

While the thought of HUNCHBACK on Broadway makes so many people on here moist, the simple fact is that the show would be huge and would be a massive flop. How do I know? Because even popular properties like THE LITTLE MERMAID can't find an audience on Broadway now, so how do you expect one of Disney's least popular films to fare better? There's no popular/recognizable songs to draw in the audiences, no great "characters" the kids dress up as and play pretend with. This is just a mediocre film with one good song ("God Help the Outcasts" - Midler's version especially).

As for the others, I don't rank AIDA in the same category as BEAUTY, TARZAN, MERMAID etc. because they weren't going for the same audience. They made an adult musical and succeeded very well at the quality of what they produced. It's a shame they've only been able to do that once with their other outings (BEAST). They need to take a step back and examine why that worked on stage and a big part of it was spectacle. That is something that if done right, they can reproduce with ALADDIN and I think that's a very smart idea for them to try.

[AndAllThatJazz22]

Posted: 8/4/09 at 11:28am

Weren't there rumors of a Nemo transfer (not that that would excite me...with or without Alison Case)?

[RippedMan]

Posted: 8/4/09 at 11:45am

I don't think that's true Jordan. I mean, Little Mermaid is a very popular title, but the actual show is a disappointment. That's why it's closing. It's just not a good production. The design is lame, which most people expect to be amazing considering it's Disney, and the whole score/book/story just isn't as good as the movie.

Also, on a side note, does anyone know who is playing Woodie in that link for the Toy Story musical? He looks really familiar!

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 8/4/09 at 11:47am

I meant that even with extremely popular titles like THE LITTLE MERMAID, it's still not a safe bet so the idea of HUNCHBACK (a very UNpopular title) is just not a good idea whatsoever.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 8/4/09 at 12:10pm

Weren't there rumors of a Nemo transfer (not that that would excite me...with or without Alison Case)?

There was one poster here who claimed to have "inside information" about a transfer, but I can assure you that Disney has never considered Finding Nemo for any sort of commercial run outside of its theme parks. Any transfer would require writing a book (the book, as it exists now, is a series of VERY short pieces of dialogue between songs), expanding the score (the shore is 32 minutes long), and redesigning it, as the current designs borrow VERY heavily from The Lion King.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 8/4/09 at 12:24pm

Here is the list of films which I think would do well if turned into a 2 1/2 hour stage musical -

Pinocchio
Alice in Wonderland (maaaaaaybe)
Cinderella
Sleeping Beauty
Aladdin

That's it. Every other movie (and this is coming from a Disney FANATIC just doesn't have what it would take to last, I think. Even the first three films on that list only have a handful of songs. If they were to be put onstage an entire score would need to be written as with all Disney films, most especially those pre 1990. I think it would be fascinating to try to do something with FANTASIA, but where's the audience for that?

Disney films are very limited as to what will look good live since so many animals are part of the stories and that limits what looks realistic (If I never see another life size crab being chased around by a Chef that's smaller than he is, I'll be very happy). Even SNOW WHITE would be a nightmare to put on unless you could find a steady stream of little people who can fit into the roles but again even there, there simply isn't enough material to stretch into 150 minutes. There's a lot to take into consideration when you talk about this.

[Nick Plasia]

Posted: 8/4/09 at 12:25pm

Peter & the Starcatchers will never come to broadway.
Finding Neverland will be up and running by then.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 8/4/09 at 12:26pm

My only comment to that would be, no one thought that The Lion King would ever work onstage, either, and it's become their most acclaimed show. It's all about assembling the right team.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 8/4/09 at 12:31pm

AdamGreer, you're absolutely right. But that show lends itself beautifully (if not boringly) to that concept and it's such an expensive thing to risk. Plus, at this point it's "been done". Anything else they put on stage like that will only be compared to THE LION KING and seen as a knock off.

[SandraDee]

Posted: 8/4/09 at 1:03pm

One of my friends and I were actually just discussing this recently (i.e. what we'd like to see Disney do next), and she said Aladdin, while I said Sleeping Beauty. We both liked each others' ideas, and I really hope both of them are done at some point (especially as other people who've already commented here seem to agree). But I'm really curious to see them expand the story and score of Sleeping Beauty; with the right team, I know it could be done really well.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 8/4/09 at 1:10pm

What I meant by Mary Poppins changing is that even though it was never really TOO dark, they STILL toned it down and made it more family friendly in areas so it'd work in the US.

Now if you take the much darker musical created when Hucnhback went to the stage, it's obvious that Disney would never take it to Broadway without some serious changes.

Really I was just saying that if Mary Poppins couldn't make it without a bit of toning down, Hunchback definitely won't.

I understand what you're saying, but you're comparing apples to oranges. Mary Poppins is a very different type of story, film, and musical. I don't think Disney would make book changes to Hunchback based solely on a nightmare sequence in Mary Poppins that had a tendency to make small children cry. Mary Poppins by nature has a built-in demographic for children whereas a the Hunchback story and score was written for a broader audience, which is why Disney has been able to float more than one show on Broadway simultaneously. The challenge is when they have more than one show that appeals to the same demographic. Then it is a matter of how the shows will differ in tone and artistry. This is how Beauty and the Beast/Lion King were able to run at the same time for so long. They were lavishly produced, but in completely different styles appropriate to the material. Little Mermaid failed on the visual and could never feasibly sort out the biggest hurdle which was the costumes and movement (never mind the ugly sets). Tarzan was not one of Disney's biggest hits, which put it at a disadvantage, but the mostly static set failed to sustain the burst of momentum promised by the dazzling opening sequence (a plight similar to the redundancy in the German staging of Hunchback).

It's a shame they've only been able to do that once with their other outings (BEAST). They need to take a step back and examine why that worked on stage and a big part of it was spectacle.

Except that Lion King has been even more successful.

Disney films are very limited as to what will look good live since so many animals are part of the stories and that limits what looks realistic

Again, Lion King worked out very well for them and it is ONLY animals. It's the human/animal combo that is most challenging as they have to work out proportions, which was why they couldn't hit the mark on the costuming for Little Mermaid. Tarzan was less challenging as apes are very close to human proportions.

Here is the list of films which I think would do well if turned into a 2 1/2 hour stage musical -

Pinocchio
Alice in Wonderland (maaaaaaybe)
Cinderella
Sleeping Beauty
Aladdin

Pinocchio has the most potential as it really lends itself to being beautifully stylized and imagined with combinations of wood textures and Italian art and culture. Plus, the story and imagery is much more dark and complex than most Disney animated films. I think Cinderella is just simply too iconic to ever satisfy critics or audiences on stage. Sleeping Beauty could be gorgeous and sumptuous and the animals could be cut completely as they actually add nothing to the plot. They were really only utilized for the waltz scene in the forest and I think a bit in the final battle. The biggest problem is that there is very little to the book and the only efforts made to expand at all were insufferably weak (though could be strengthened with knockout additions to the Tchaikovsky score). I don't see Alice in Wonderland working at all. The film is all about the visual and nothing else. The score is forgettable and the story is almost entirely vignettes with no real plot. Aladdin...well...it could be thrilling, but I just think Disney will be opening itself up to more racial/political criticism from pretty much all sides and they're going to have their hands full with The Frog Princess.

Personally, I would love to see Hercules or Mulan on Broadway. True, Mulan will probably have some racial criticism from radical liberals, but if they open up the book and score with a bit more heritage, get a brilliant designer to create sets based on the culture, and cast intelligently, it could be wonderful. And Hercules needs the Taymor treatment. You wouldn't have as much proportion issues with fantastical creatures as you would with representations of real animals. Plus, that score deserves to be performed live. Make it a bright, whimsical spectacle filled with dazzling special effects and a cast that can sing the roof off the theatre and you could find Disney's next major international hit.

[noradesmond]

Posted: 8/4/09 at 1:40pm

^^^ Don't you have homework to finish?


lol

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 8/4/09 at 1:43pm

Nope. Slow day at work.

[jansal]

Posted: 8/4/09 at 1:44pm

Musical endeavor? Don't you mean 'disaster'?

[TheaterBoy7777]

Posted: 8/4/09 at 1:50pm

Ripped Man- To answer you side note question- Im pretty sure this is the Wonder 18 cast, which would be Joel Hughes as Woody and David Silvestre as Buzz...

Off the side note...
Also rumor has it that they will close Aladdin at California Adventure and replace it with another company of Toy Story. So maybe not Broadway yet...but possible hope for Aladdin for Broadway, closing the theme park show to possibly open a Broadway show?

Also Also rumor has it that Hunchback is a go for Broadway with rewrites of course that may not be going in the direction we all would hope for...but these are rumors not reliable sources:)

[Patty3]

Posted: 8/4/09 at 2:04pm

This one goes back a few years but I'd love to see Bedknobs and Broomsticks turned into a Disney musical. I think the story has a lot of potential for a stage production. Wish Angela Lansbury could recreate her role from the movie.

[darquegk]

Posted: 8/4/09 at 2:10pm

I don't think this would be very good, at least not Hunchback good, but imagine John Tartaglia in a new Lopez-Marx musical, "The Emperor's New Groove," as both man Kuzco and puppet-llama Kuzco.

That's the only element of the fantastic that would require puppeteering in the show, anyway.

[candydog2]

Posted: 8/4/09 at 2:40pm

Yeah, I agree with pretty much everything Mister Matt said there, especially the human/animal costumes when the two are appearing side by side. It's hard to portray humans as animals alongside humans as humans unless the costumes make a clear definition of each.
As for Sleeping Beauty, I think it could work, but Phillip and Aurora's roles would have to be expanded greatly. Remember, neither of them speaks throughout the entire second half of the movie and the plot is mostly driven by the three good fairies (who would incidentally open up three great roles for some older comic actresses).
Scenes like the final battle with the Dragon are too iconic to cut, so they'd definitely be the ones that gave the show it's spectacle.

I'm not sure about what else I'd want to see. Mulan and Hercules etc could be great, but I think that a real classic like Sleeping Beauty would be a pleasant change for the broadway audiences.

And I'd also hope that Sleeping Beauty would be the last Disney movie to go to Broadway if they did produce it. I mean really, they can't turn every film into a show, regardless of how well tickets sell. It'd make the musicals something of a joke, and I think that regardless of how much they milk their successes, Disney still have too much pride in their brand to let that happen.

[iamchanging9]

Posted: 8/4/09 at 5:29pm

If Disney could get Julie Taymor to conceive Pochahontas, it would be STUNNING.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 8/4/09 at 6:08pm

Musical endeavor? Don't you mean 'disaster'?

Why would you make that assumption? Disney's track record on Broadway is 4 hits and 2 flops. They had a flop American tour with On the Record but a hit with the German production of Hunchback. Logically speaking, it would make more sense to assume their next project would be a hit than a flop by nearly twice as much probability, especially if they continue to learn from experience.

Also Also rumor has it that Hunchback is a go for Broadway...

Meh. "Rumor has it" that Donald Trump will personally finance a Broadway musical of my life with 100% of the profit distributed to me once the show recoups.