FLASHDANCE THE MUSICAL Coming to Broadway in Fall 2012

[Rob]

Posted: 12/15/11 at 3:42pm

Click Here to Read FLASHDANCE THE MUSICAL Coming to Broadway in Fall 2012

[ljay889]

Posted: 12/15/11 at 3:44pm

I feel like every movie in history is being announced for Broadway.

[WOSQ]

Posted: 12/15/11 at 3:59pm

To quote Sheridan Whiteside, "I may vomit."

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 12/15/11 at 4:01pm

The West End flop? Hooray?

This was my least favorite of the 80s F-Trinity (Fame, Footloose and Flashdance...amen).

I feel like every movie in history is being announced for Broadway.

Oh, no. Though it's been going on for decades, Broadway (or in the case, the West End) hasn't even scratched the surface of film adaptations. And I will not allow them to stop before My Best Friend's Wedding is produced to my satisfaction.

[AnythingGoes2]

Posted: 12/15/11 at 4:21pm

I left this show at the interval and if it wasn't for the sake I was with some industry folk I would have left after 15 mins. The worst show I've seen since woman in white

[Princeton Returns]

Posted: 12/15/11 at 4:44pm

One of the most boring shows I've seen in recent years. Shame as the cast was brilliant.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 12/15/11 at 4:44pm

Ugh, this was the worst show I saw in my last 3 trips to London. It was absolutely terrible. I almost left at intermission to try and catch a different show instead (it was a 5:00 pm matinee). I stuck it out hoping it would get better, but it was such a train wreck. LET IT DIE!

[blaxx]

Posted: 12/15/11 at 5:04pm

Oh, no. Though it's been going on for decades, Broadway (or in the case, the West End) hasn't even scratched the surface of film adaptations.

That said, there is a major focus in producing musicals based on films from the late 80's/early 90's. I guess someone thought nostalgia from this specific period would sell so well (not).

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 12/15/11 at 6:04pm

These kinds of shows do better in London anyway and, as mentioned, didn't it flop there? Will it be vastly changed?

The movie is a guilty pleasure and I have a near sick love for even the campest of Giorgo Moroder's dance and disco music--I know years back Moroder was apparently working on a full stage show, but from what I've read none of the songs used in the musical are from him (are they jukebox tunes? a new score?)

If Mister Matt says it's worse than the ATROCIOUS stage version of Fame (which I had the horror to perform in as a teen), then I'm especially worried. I do have some guilty pleasure feelings for Footloose though (as ell as Sat Night Fever which both at least made more sense on stage than Flashdance does).

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 12/15/11 at 6:07pm

*edit* I see the only Moroder tracks they use from the movie is What a Feelin (of course) along with some songs he didn't do, and a handful of new songs by Robert Roth and Caey--whoever THEY are...

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 12/15/11 at 6:14pm

"That said, there is a major focus in producing musicals based on films from the late 80's/early 90's. I guess someone thought nostalgia from this specific period would sell so well (not). "

Exactly, particlularly ones that have a beloved/now nostalgic soundtrack. No matter that most if not all of these shows were not musicals in any true sense--they just had iconic soundtrack moments (Dirty Dancing, the three Fs, Sat Night Fever, etc all fall into this category) and much more often than not it's hard to shoe horn the songs into an "actual" musical.

[fashionguru_23]

Posted: 12/15/11 at 6:20pm

There is no real plot to the movie. How is it going to be a successful musical? Or even a musical at least?

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 12/15/11 at 6:22pm

Sorry but i have to say i enjoyed it. It was far better than shows like Fame and Footloose (and i think the UK Footloose is pretty good, the Broadway one was a wreck). The show actually got some OK reviews as well it just did not catch on. Oddly it's pre West End tour (that was very different to what opened in London) was a huge success.

I think the score has some real gems in it, i remember The Long Way Home was a brilliant ballad in act 1 that was stuck in my head for weeks, i also loved the opening number and a great song they had in a dance studio called High Art. For me the only duff songs were Totally Different People and Up In Smoke

It's not as playful as the other 80s shows and did actually have a heart to it. It will be good to see what they have done with it. I would take Flashdance over most of the jukebox musicals anyday, at least they gave it a fresh score (apart from the few famous songs from the film)

Musical numbers
Act 1
Working Man's Orchestra - Company
Steeltown Sky - Alex and Company
Up In Smoke -Hannah and Alex.
In Touch With The Beat - Keisha, Jazmin, Gloria and Alex
High Art - Alex and Company
Maniac - Keisha, Jazmin and Gloria
The Long Way Home - Gloria
Totally Different People- Alex, Sammy, Abe, Joe and Hannah
Manhunt - Keisha, Jazmin and Gloria
Don't Stop - Nick and Alex
Don't Stop (Reprise)- Alex
My Next Step - Alex, Jimmy, Jazmin, Keisha and Company
Act 2
Working Man's Orchestra - Company
New Economy - Dr Kool, CC, Jimmy, Nick and William Hurley
You Can't Keep Me Down - Jimmy and Company
You're Not Done - Hannah and Alex
I Love Rock and Roll - played on radio
Gloria - Keisha and Jazmin
Don't Stop (Reprise) - Alex
In Touch With The Beat (Reprise)- Keisha
What A Feeling - Keisha, Jazmin and Gloria


PS fashionguru_23 The plot was beefed out for the show, still not great but worked fine.

Updated On: 12/15/11 at 06:22 PM

Posted: 12/15/11 at 7:10pm

WHY???? Stop the madness!!

[Ryguy7]

Posted: 12/15/11 at 7:18pm

I thought it was ok when I saw it. Could use some major improvements or changes, but I still don't feel it'll be a success on Broadway. Would like a cast recording though - I liked some of the songs..

[SeanMartin]

Posted: 12/16/11 at 11:15am

To those asking "WHY?? all the musicals from movies of this period???"... simple. The generation that grew up with them is now successful enough (hopefully) to afford the tickets to see them again all dressed up in shiny new party frocks. It's like getting that date again with the captain of the football team and maybe this time he'll — uhm... uh... well, never mind about that.

[Marianne2]

Posted: 12/16/11 at 11:52am

I've only seen the movie. It was so boring. The dog was the best part. Did he get cut from the musical?

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 12/16/11 at 5:21pm

Original London Production
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJVM7SPgSrY

Part of the finale
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krS6FATXxWY

[blaxx]

Posted: 12/16/11 at 5:24pm

To those asking "WHY?? all the musicals from movies of this period???"... simple. The generation that grew up with them is now successful enough (hopefully) to afford the tickets to see them again all dressed up in shiny new party frocks.

They might be able to afford the tickets, but they are not buying them. Most of these 80's/90's adaptations have proven to be real flops.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 12/16/11 at 6:45pm

You are right Blaxx, they don't do well in the US which is why im shocked Flashdance is even attempting Broadway. Footloose was not well recieved (though ran over 700 performances, the UK redid the show and made it far better), Fame has never taken off there (the original 88 production of Fame though at the Coconut Grove Playhouse was incredible), Dirty Dancing never made it to Broadway etc.

However some have snuck through like Xanadu.

I think the UK are up for more of the fun night out with a group of friends type shows than the US are. They should just launch a new UK tour with the new changes than try London for a season again

[SeanMartin]

Posted: 12/16/11 at 10:28pm

Wow.

Okay, when she took off the welder's mask, I thought "LESBIAN!!"

-- and she did nothing in the rest of the clip to dispute that.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 12/17/11 at 12:51am

This just seems like a huge waste of money. Does anyone care about this film? It's not even like it's a "cult classic." It's just a movie that existed once.

[SeanMartin]

Posted: 12/17/11 at 9:24am

You know, as horrendous as the results might be, if you're gonna go mining stuff like this because you're having trouble thinking of an original plot, there's a whole spate of movies out there from the period that would seem far better suited to adaptation. SIXTEEN CANDLES seems so obvious I'm surprised no one's thought of it. Ditto PRETTY IN PINK. These at least have (1) reasonable places to build a musical number and (2) an actual plot.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 12/18/11 at 4:35am

"is just seems like a huge waste of money. Does anyone care about this film? It's not even like it's a "cult classic." It's just a movie that existed once. "

While not sticking up for the movie, it is a prettyiconic 80s movie. The fact that the ending has been ripped off in several recent music videos speaks to that--I think it's well remembered even if the actual film is all kinds of dull now--visually it was very iconic as was trhe synth soundtrack.

[SeanMartin]

Posted: 12/18/11 at 9:08am

And it was difficult to find any sketch comedy show that *didnt* do a riff off that water-cascade-on-the-chair scene.