Historical people/moments you want to see in a musical

[outthere1998]

Posted: 6/21/16 at 5:22pm

I personally love shows that take place in a definitive place in history, normally when it is central to the plot (Les Mis/Cabaret) and sometimes when it is not (I would say Spring Awakening) 

Most of my favorite musicals take place in the past in certain moments of history:

Les mis, miss saigon, ragtime, etc.

 

I was wondering what other points in history you'd like to see recreated or set around in a musical.

 

I'd love to see another Civil War era musical (I know Wildhorn took a stab at not that long ago but id like to see a new and more coherent story) Id also like to see someting else during the industrial revolution or something else like that. 

 

This could also apply to people in history like Wildhorn did with Bonnie and Clyde that you'd like to see immortalized on stage. Id love to see Clara Bow (she had such a tragic upbringing from what I've heard) or a roaring twenties musical in its own.

[_IrisTInkerbell]

Posted: 6/21/16 at 6:44pm

Maybe this is already out there, but Iving Berlin's live was pretty interesting. I think an autobiographical "jukebox musical" about him, in the same vein perhaps as Beautiful or Jersey Boys could be fascinating.

And thinking a bit more out of the box, has there ever been a musical about a person behind one of the big scientific discoveries? Politics seems to be covered a lot, but many of the brilliant scientists were such weird people (side effect of being brilliant I guess), and sometimes also gifted musicians... I'm thinking along the lines of Einstein, Marie Curie, Newton. This guys had big ideas and big vision so their personalities and stories could potentially lend itself to be musicalized...

[jomilo21]

Posted: 6/21/16 at 7:16pm

A musical based on Jose Rizal and the Philippine Revolution would be Sooooooooooooooooo amazing... If you don't know anything about it, look it up. 

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 6/21/16 at 7:26pm

_IrisTInkerbell said: "Maybe this is already out there, but Iving Berlin's live was pretty interesting. I think an autobiographical "jukebox musical" about him, in the same vein perhaps as Beautiful or Jersey Boys could be fascinating."

 

There is a Berlin revue called The Melody Lingers On that uses his life as a framework to get from song to song. I worked on a production back in 2002, so I don't remember if the songs were presented in completely chronological order, but the one thing that has stuck with me is that Act 1 closes with a pretty somber rendition of "Blue Skies" (which was written for his first daughter when she was born in 1926) as Irving Berlin talks about going into a depression after his only son died in infancy on Christmas Day of 1928.

[outthere1998]

Posted: 6/21/16 at 7:28pm

AEA AGMA SM said: "_IrisTInkerbell said: "Maybe this is already out there, but Iving Berlin's live was pretty interesting. I think an autobiographical "jukebox musical" about him, in the same vein perhaps as Beautiful or Jersey Boys could be fascinating."

 

There is a Berlin revue called The Melody Lingers On that uses his life as a framework to get from song to song. I worked on a production back in 2002, so I don't remember if the songs were presented in completely chronological order, but the one thing that has stuck with me is that Act 1 closes with a pretty somber rendition of "Blue Skies" (which was written for his first daughter when she was born in 1926) as Irving Berlin talks about going into a depression after his only son died in infancy on Christmas Day of 1928.

 

"

That actually sounds really amazing. I'd love to see it or hear the album for it!

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 6/21/16 at 7:36pm

Chinese railroad workers

The Greenwich time lady: http://www.futilitycloset.com/2016/06/06/podcast-episode-108-greenwich-time-lady/

The making of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 6/21/16 at 7:38pm

It actually does work fairly well for a revue, outthere, though it's not nearly as in-depth as a full bio-musical ala Jersey Boys or Beautiful. 

 

Sadly there is no cast recording, and according to the Rodgers & Hammerstein website (which handles licensing for the show) there are no upcoming productions in the near future.

[usurper]

Posted: 6/23/16 at 11:11am

I'd love to see something centered around Christopher Marlowe. There's so much to work with...rise from humble birth, brilliance, career as a spy (double-agent?), success as a playwright, arrest for counterfeiting & near death brush there, conflicts with authorities, mysterious violent death/faked death at age 29....

But since Something Rotten is set in that period, I don't think there'd even be an opening for something like that for a very long time

[backwoodsbarbie]

Posted: 6/23/16 at 11:59am

Balanchine and his women

[SnoopyQc]

Posted: 6/23/16 at 12:04pm

And thinking a bit more out of the box, has there ever been a musical about a person behind one of the big scientific discoveries?

I'd love to see a musical about Alexander Graham Bell (inventor of the telephone) with the participation of Deaf West. Alexander Bell has deep connection with the deaf community.

In "Submission Only" (the web serie), there was a musical about Thomas Edison. I know it's was a fictional musical, but it would be fun to see it come to life.

I would like to see a musical about the colonization of America (beginning with the french colonization). To see the shock culture between First Nations and Europeans. It's will be great to see honest representation of native american history on Broadway.
 

Updated On: 6/23/16 at 12:04 PM

[backwoodsbarbie]

Posted: 6/23/16 at 12:11pm

Bombshell jokes aside, Marilyn Monroe

[outthere1998]

Posted: 6/23/16 at 12:14pm

backwoodsbarbie said: "Bombshell jokes aside, Marilyn Monroe

 

"

As much as I love the music of Smash I agree with this. Bringing Bombshell to Broadway wouldnt be terrible with an amazing book writer and songs that could be tied to the story of Bombshell and not to the story of Smash which is what I heard is the problem with almost every song except Second Hand Baby Grand.

[ChiTheaterFan]

Posted: 6/23/16 at 12:17pm

One of my favorite books is Ines of My Soul. It's a novel so it's not entirely factual but it's about the life of Ines Suarez. I think it would make fantastic source material. 

 

(If you like historical fiction, I highly recommend the book)

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 6/23/16 at 12:31pm

usurper said: "I'd love to see something centered around Christopher Marlowe. There's so much to work with...rise from humble birth, brilliance, career as a spy (double-agent?), success as a playwright, arrest for counterfeiting & near death brush there, conflicts with authorities, mysterious violent death/faked death at age 29....

But since Something Rotten is set in that period, I don't think there'd even be an opening for something like that for a very long time

 

There already was an infamous flop Broadway musical about Christopher Marlowe, which was simply titled "Marlowe." It ran for 40 performances in the fall of 1981 and starred Patrick Jude as Marlowe, who was coming off the mega-bombs "Got Tu Go Disco" and "Charlie and Algernon." (Jude followed up Marlowe with his as of now final Broadway credit, "The News." The female lead was Lisa Mordente (Chita's daughter) and she managed to eek out the sole Tony nomination for Lead Actress in a Musical.

 

There are both audio and video of the show floating around and the book and lyrics are an absolute howl. It's like Hair (or rather Dude) meets The Pirate Queen meets good knows what. In Not Since Carrie, Mandelbaum asserts that it ran as long as it because there was mob money tied up in the show, but even that couldn't save it. 

 

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 6/23/16 at 12:37pm

The Cold War is an interesting topic for a musical.

i could imagine a lot of musicals/plays coming about in the future about trump.

lizzie, I love the spider man idea.

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 6/23/16 at 12:43pm

SnoopyQc said: "In "Submission Only" (the web serie), there was a musical about Thomas Edison. I know it's was a fictional musical, but it would be fun to see it come to life."

 

I refuse to accept any Thomas Edison musical that does not include Topsy the Elephant and this sequence.

 

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ypqSHg1YvZA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

https://youtu.be/ypqSHg1YvZA

[Kad]

Posted: 6/23/16 at 12:50pm

I'd love to see a work about Teddy Roosevelt.

Or gay life in New York prior to WWII. There is some fascinating, little-known, and fabulous history that sort of gets overshadowed by Stonewall onward. Harlem drag balls, the pansy craze, early days in the Village- all in the time that most people think gay life was shadowed, obscure, and unknown.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 6/23/16 at 12:54pm

Kad, Maybe someone could musicalize The Nance? 

[Kad]

Posted: 6/23/16 at 12:58pm

WhizzerMarvin said: "Kad, Maybe someone could musicalize The Nance? "

That's not a terrible idea. It's already set up in such a way that musical numbers make sense.

It just needs someone to bring more focus the play.

 

I could see a team like Frankel & Korie doing a good job with its score. Updated On: 6/23/16 at 12:58 PM

[adam.peterson44]

Posted: 6/23/16 at 1:31pm

"The Cold War is an interesting topic for a musical. "

There already is at least one musical about the cold war - Chess.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 6/23/16 at 1:32pm

Kad said: "WhizzerMarvin said: "Kad, Maybe someone could musicalize The Nance? "

That's not a terrible idea. It's already set up in such a way that musical numbers make sense.

It just needs someone to bring more focus the play.

 

 

 


I could see a team like Frankel & Korie doing a good job with its score. "

 

 

I agree that they would be a good team to do it. 

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 6/23/16 at 4:41pm

I'd love to see a work about Teddy Roosevelt.
 

Wasn't there a flop starring Len Cariou as Teddy? With the music of Sousa used Forrest/Wright style I believe.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 6/23/16 at 4:59pm

Mr. Nowack said: "I'd love to see a work about Teddy Roosevelt.
 

Wasn't there a flop starring Len Cariou as Teddy? With the music of Sousa used Forrest/Wright style I believe.

 

Yes there was called "Teddy & Alice." It played 77 performances at The Minskoff in the late 80s. The score was a mash-up off original songs and hybrid songs with Sousa's music; Richard Kapp composed the original music as well as Forrest-Wrighted the rest. 

Get a loud of the cast:

Len Cariou did play Teddy and Nancy Hume, in her only Broadway outing, played his daughter Alice. Beth Fowler played his wife Edith and Ron Raines played Alice's suitor. Nancy Opel played Eleanor Roosevelt and Karen Ziemba played Isabella Hagner, the first social secretary to a First Lady. 

 

Ken Howard also played Teddy at the end of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. 

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 6/23/16 at 5:04pm

I know this is going to sound ridiculous... but what about a musical about a founding father? Maybe like Alexander Hamilton or somebody? Just a shot in the dark.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 6/23/16 at 5:09pm

Witty.