Love, Simon as a Musical

I was much more moved than I expected. I know we are currently suffering from a surplus of film-to-stage adaptations right now, but I would absolutely love for this to get adapted. I can see it appealing to the same audiences for Dear Evan Hansen and Mean Girls.

Updated On: 7/15/18 at 03:22 PM

BwayLB said: "Because seeing a college production back in my senior year of high school, I was scared when the sound of Nazies marching echoed throughout the theater."

I think that’s the point.

^In the novel the movie is based on, they do Oliver not Cabaret.

Updated On: 7/15/18 at 03:34 PM

For the record, Greg Berlanti's ''Love, Simon'' made movie and pop-culture history as the first Hollywood studio movie about a gay teen's coming out. It rated 91% at Rotten Tomatoes and garnered a rare A+ from CinemaScore, which polls filmgoers. Made for $17 million, it grossed $40 million in the U.S. and another $25 millon abroad. (Compare that to ''Call Me by Your Name'': $18 million in the U.S. and another $23 million abroad.) ''Love, Simon'' was one of the best-performing teen romantic comedies in recent years. ''It also inspired many articles and YouTube reviews about its timeliness, in reaching straight allies and LGBT fans of all ages. It was recently released on DVD-Blu-Ray, and Nick Robinson and co-star Keiynan Lonsdale won the MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss.

With the right writers, ''Love, Simon'' could be a terrific musical.

(And the movie didn't use ''Oliver!'' because of rights' issues.)

Updated On: 7/15/18 at 04:53 PM

''Love, Simon'' was directed by Greg Berlanti, a proud, openly gay director who brought his own experiences to making this movie. He not only cast it more ethnically diverse than the universe in Becky Albertalli's book, but he added the character of Ethan, who doesn't really exist in the novel. Berlanti says: ''I wanted to add an openly gay kid because I think it’s much more common today to have more than just one gay kid at school. Also, I wanted to show that there are all different ways to be an openly LGBTQ kid in high school.'' Plus, he gave Simon and Ethan their own heart-to-heart scene toward the end to show ''they're really the same.''

Clark Moore, the out actor who played Ethan, says he was so proud to play a gay character who was more than a punchline. He says Ethan also got to show his vulnerability, and Moore adds: ''I love that I got to sort of act out my high school fantasy. Ethan is sort of who I wish I was in high school. He's way cooler than I ever was.''

Updated On: 7/15/18 at 07:54 PM

I literally thought while watching the movie (for the third time) that it could be an excellent musical, with the right writers/composers.

Just a couple of examples of plenty of great moments that could translate really well into musical numbers.

I think "Love, Simon" would make a terrific musical. I've been binge watching LGBT films this summer and while there are many teen romances there are a shortage of fun ones with articulate protagonists.

The book and film deleted scenes include some moments that would adapt well to stage including:
Leah and Nora's angry band performance.
Simon's awkward visit to a gay dance club.
Simon's ugly, drunken fight with his parents (a nice build up to the more saintly speeches they give later in the story).
Abby's one-on-one with Simon where she calls him out for the way he's treated her.


I think the film's device of multiple actors playing "Blue" could supply some clever numbers. I'd also like to see Simon's friendship with the "real Blue" get developed in song before Simon learns his identity.

Updated On: 7/16/18 at 07:17 AM

MrsSallyAdams said: "Simon's awkward visit to a gay dance club.
Simon's ugly, drunken fight with his parents (a nice build up to the more saintly speeches they give later in the story)."

I thought this deleted scene was well-executed and entertaining on its own. However, I can see why it didn't make the final cut. It seems clear that additional scenes would be required to pivot to (a) the ensuing saintliness, as you say, and instant acceptance by his parents, and (b) Nick's anger towards Simon after learning of his scheming. I can see that the inclusion of the deleted scene - plus everything that would be necessary to situate it into the plot of the move as we know it - might have been rather clunky.

Updated On: 7/16/18 at 01:51 PM

Wayman_Wong said: "For the record, Greg Berlanti's ''Love, Simon'' made movie and pop-culture history as the first Hollywood studio movie about a gay teen's coming out. It rated 91% at Rotten Tomatoes and garnered a rare A+ from CinemaScore, which polls filmgoers. Made for $17 million, it grossed $40 million in the U.S. and another $25 millon abroad. (Compare that to ''Call Me by Your Name'': $18 million in the U.S. and another $23 million abroad.) ''Love, Simon'' was one of the best-performing teen romantic comedies in recent years. ''It also inspired many articles and YouTube reviews about its timeliness, in reaching straight allies and LGBT fans of all ages. It was recently released on DVD-Blu-Ray, and Nick Robinson and co-star Keiynan Lonsdale won the MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss.

With the right writers, ''Love, Simon'' could be a terrific musical.

(And the movie didn't use ''Oliver!'' because of rights' issues.)"

The comparison to Call Me By Your Name's box office is useless. CMBYN was released in far less theaters and had a budget of $3.5mil. LS made just under 4x its budget, CMBYN made over 11x its budget.