Titanic Musical Based on Movie 1997

[theatrekid3302]

Posted: 3/31/24 at 3:25pm

Please sign this petition. We desperately need another truly great musical love story on Broadway. The new musicals that have been produced on Broadway have been less than stellar when compared to shows like Les Mis and Phantom. Titanic is the path to get back to that style of theatre. Just imagine the gorgeous score of Titanic performed live by a 20-piece orchestra or seeing the sinking of the Titanic live on stage. Imagine the lyrics and additional music that will be produced to match the storyline and existing score.

I know we already have a Titanic musical but that is not based on the movie and Titanique is a parody musical. We need the real thing let's make it happen. 

 https://chng.it/2b9P8Fmc2s

[theatrekid3302]

Posted: 3/31/24 at 3:28pm

https://www.change.org/titanicbroadway

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 3/31/24 at 7:00pm

Kinda confused here. I did a Google search and nothing came up regarding a movie titled “1997.” Why would a Titanic musical be based on that film?  

[dramamama611]

Posted: 3/31/24 at 7:28pm

I'm sorry - exactly to whom is this petition going?  To the Broadway boss?   Any available composer? 

 

And no, we do not "need" this.  The original Titanic musical was stellar.  And I'm crazy grateful that it was NOT a version of the film.

[Jonathan Cohen]

Posted: 3/31/24 at 8:01pm

James Cameron wouldn't let this happen unless he was hands on involved and he has his hands full with the Avatar movies. Plus I'm not aware of him having any interest in musicals. 

Additionally composer James Horner died in a plane crash nearly 10 years ago. 

At the very least turning the film into a musical is a commercially viable idea, Titaníque proved that, but I don't really see a path forward on it.  

 

[jimmycurry01]

Posted: 3/31/24 at 8:08pm

I don't need to imagine it; I saw the Titanic sink on stage. The original production of Titanic the Musical that was on stage in the late 90s was massive. The set was a huge hydraulic beast that rose multiple stories on one end, and then it sank very effectively. 

I don't think there is any reason to bring the 97 film to stage when the 97 musical did a fine job telling the story of the ill-fated liner. Additionally, there are already several musicals on Broadway that are beating the star-crossed lovers trope to death.  One more would just add to an over saturated market.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 3/31/24 at 8:18pm

"what do you SAAAAY to taking chances?" -- theatrekid3302

[spicemonkey]

Posted: 3/31/24 at 8:48pm

OP, as much as I adore your passion, i'm sorry to say that change.org won't make a difference. 

[theatrekid3302]

Posted: 3/31/24 at 8:50pm

Jonathan Cohen said: "James Cameron wouldn't let this happen unless he was hands on involved and he has his hands full with theAvatar movies. Plus I'm not aware of him having any interest in musicals.

AdditionallycomposerJames Horner died in a plane crash nearly 10 years ago.

At the very least turning the film into a musical isa commercially viable idea,Titaníque proved that, but I don't really see a path forward on it.

"

       It would definitely be profitable due to the huge fan base of the movie but it would cost a lot of money and would probably be one of the most expensive productions ever. The reason I want this so bad is because I am very disappointed with the selection of shows we have currently. For Example, shows like "Kimberly Akimbo" and "A  Strange Loop" won the Tony Award for Best Musical in 2022 and 2021 respectively. Were those the best possible musicals we could have had 10-15 years ago they wouldn't have even been nominated. Both shows are also not making it to the next Tony season.  The Outsiders was a breath of fresh air though that was done right i just saw that and hope it wins a Tony we need more art on Broadway. 

       You rarely see shows produced with massive larger-than-life set designs, an innovative rich score that isn't cheezy or annoying to listen to. I feel with the popularity of the Titanic film if you were to get a really good composer and great director they could bring back the era of Mega Musicals like Les Mis, Phantom, and Miss Saigon. I would love to title it "My Heart Will Go On" rather than Titanic due to their already being a Titanic Musical. Another movie that comes to mind is "Pirates of the Caribbean" which could very easily be written with a more traditional "epic" musical theatre score similar to "Les Mis". Just look at Andrew Lloyd Webber he went from writing shows like Phantom, Sunset, and Evita to writing School of Rock and Bad Cinderella that in itself shows the decline of musical theatre. 

[theatrekid3302]

Posted: 3/31/24 at 8:51pm

dramamama611 said: "I'm sorry - exactly to whom is this petition going? To the Broadway boss? Any available composer?

And no, we do not "need" this. The original Titanic musical was stellar. And I'm crazy grateful that it was NOT a version of the film."

I listed Cameron Mackintosh and James Cameron as Decision Makers on the petition. The existing Titanic musical is not profitable to the larger American Audience due to the fact that no one would want to see a show about Titanic without Jack and Rose which has become synonymous with Titanic. I am sure a lot of disappointed faces will be leaving the City Center in June when Titanic plays there. 

Updated On: 3/31/24 at 08:51 PM

[JSquared2]

Posted: 3/31/24 at 8:55pm

Wow, this place has really gone to sh*t and the children have taken over...

 

[tacotheatrelover]

Posted: 3/31/24 at 9:31pm

JSquared2 said: "Wow, this place has really gone to sh*t and the children have taken over...

Some of us (I say as a 15 year old) aren't that bad. Most of us are stupid and dumb, I can admit, I am too. I am sure though that there are more intelligent people around my age group that aren't this dumb.

 

[tacotheatrelover]

Posted: 3/31/24 at 9:34pm

and another thing, we already have Titanìque. Which i would say is what the world needs at this moment.

 

[spicemonkey]

Posted: 3/31/24 at 9:47pm

tacotheatrelover said: "JSquared2 said: "Wow, this place has really gone to sh*t and the children have taken over...

Some of us (I say as a 15 year old) aren't that bad. Most of us are stupid and dumb, I can admit, I am too. I am sure though that there are more intelligent people around my age group that aren't this dumb.

"

we need younger people with passion and love for live theatre. That comment makes me sick. We were all children   once.

Updated On: 3/31/24 at 09:47 PM

[BroadwayNYC2]

Posted: 3/31/24 at 10:01pm

“we need younger people with passion and love for live theatre. That comment makes me sick. We were all children   once.”

 

yes I so agree! But we also need to call out delusion, and there are many ~amongst this demographic~ that confuse disagreement with confrontation. And nipping it in the bud is an important way out of it 

 

[theatrekid3302]

Posted: 3/31/24 at 10:07pm

tacotheatrelover said: "and another thing, we already haveTitanìque.Which I would say is what the world needs at this moment.

"

Titanique is not a real musical it is a PARODY. It serves a completely different purpose than a Broadway Musical adaptation of Titanic would. It is meant to be funny and make fun of the movie and the outside world. That's like saying an SNL Skit of The Catcher in the Rye is the same thing as a movie adaptation. 

 

Just look at the costumes from the movie and the characters you wouldn't want to see that on stage. The ship breaking in half and sinking submerging into the stage. Also, imagine what the score would be like it certainly wouldn't be anything contemporary which is what most Broadway Shows are now which works for some but for others falls flat. We would likely see a very rich powerful score to match the magnitude of the existing music by James Homer. Pirates of the Caribbean would be too i can't believe Disney hasn't adapted that yet that would reach a wider audience than just families such a different type of show than they are used to making.

[Jonathan Cohen]

Posted: 3/31/24 at 10:25pm

theatrekid3302 said: "It would definitely be profitable due to the huge fan base of the moviebut it would cost a lot of money and would probably be one of the most expensive productions ever. The reason I want this so bad is because I am very disappointed with the selection of shows we have currently. For Example, shows like "Kimberly Akimbo" and "A Strange Loop" won the Tony Award forBest Musical in 2022 and 2021 respectively. Were those the best possible musicals we could have had 10-15 years ago they wouldn't have even been nominated. Both shows are also not making it to the next Tony season.The Outsiders was a breath of fresh air though that was done right i just saw that and hope it wins a Tony we need more art on Broadway."
 

Kimberly Akimbo for sure could have been nominated for a Best Musical Tony in the past because Jeanine Tesori did the music. She's been Tony nominated for Best Score for six different shows. (including for Shrek the Musical which was nominated for Best Musical literally 15 years ago).  

A Strange Loop for sure wouldn't be nominated for Best Musical 15 years ago, for a reason that has nothing to do with quality. A musical with an all queer, Black cast, wouldn't have been given a shot on Broadway in past decades. 

But A Strange Loop is a great example of why someone being inspired by the Titanic movie would probably lead to a better musical than literally adapting the film. Michael R. Jackson originally wanted to use the songs of Liz Phair in the show, but Phair told him he needs to do his own thing. 

He did and the original songs he wrote were far more personal than creating a jukebox musical could have been while still conveying the emotions he felt listening to Phair songs. 

An original spectacle musical inspired by how it felt watching the Titanic movie sounds artistically way more interesting than trying to recreate the film on stage. It's also a more commercial idea because again, Cameron would never approve a Jack and Rose musical.      

[dramamama611]

Posted: 3/31/24 at 10:48pm

Length of run has literally nothing to do with artistry. Never has, never will. I would rather have ten Kimberly Akimbos than one bombastic makeover of a popular film. 

 

I don't even know if your idea is good or bad (I truly feel Titanic is one of the worst films to ever win an Academy Award), but what I think most people are pushing back against is your totally unrealistic method to get it to happen. Petitions mean close to nothing. Let's say you get 300k signatures, that doesn't even sell out an 800 seat house for a year....not to mention that not everyone that signs a petition wouldnt actually turn into ticket buyers.

 

 

[NOWaWarning]

Posted: 3/31/24 at 11:57pm

I’m curious why the OP thinks a musical based on the film Titanic would be immune to the issues they pointed out in other new Broadway offerings (weak scores, cheap production values, etc.). Great source material is not what Broadway is missing right now. If it were that easy/affordable/marketable/trendy to just whip up a great score and dazzling visuals, don’t you think every show would have those?

[Elphaba2019]

Posted: 4/1/24 at 1:08am

Updated On: 4/1/24 at 01:08 AM

[theatrekid3302]

Posted: 4/1/24 at 1:21am

NOWaWarning said: "I’m curious why the OP thinks a musical based on the film Titanic would be immune to the issues they pointed out in other new Broadway offerings (weakscores, cheap production values, etc.). Great source material is not what Broadway is missing right now.If it were that easy/affordable/marketable/trendy to just whip up a great score anddazzling visuals, don’t you think every show would have those?"

James Cameron would not move forward with it if it didn’t have those things. I don’t think it is immune from those things but I feel the source material provides the perfect opportunity for Broadway to return to the type of score we only see now in revivals. There are many great composers that could write additional music for the show Andrew Lloyd Webber and Stephen Schwartz particularly come to mind. There would also probably be an obscene amount of money spent on the production to make it look and sound the right way.

I know creating a petition is not a realistic way of getting a Titanic musical but it is more of a way to express my opinion of the types of musicals that should be on Broadway. I am a huge fan of heavily romanticized epic operatic scores which have sadly become rare on Broadway with the exception of revivals. Seeing Sweeney Todd in February made me obsessed with this as I just fell in love with the score of that show and thought that's how Broadway should be that's how Broadway should sound.  I just feel it is important for us as a community to express what we want to see developed into musicals and openly talk about them. We should use this forum not only to express our views of what is currently on Broadway but also what we want to see on Broadway so that we get out of this endless cycle of bad unoriginal musicals. Pirates of the Caribbean is another example there is a lot that you can do with that material. The Princess Bride which is currently in the works that are another example of a potentially great musical that would have a more traditional-sounding score. 

[JackSDawkins123]

Posted: 4/1/24 at 1:43am

Well, this thread started just over 10 hours ago, & since it’s been April 1st for over 16 hours in Sydney already, I’m going to file this under April Fool’s … I hope!

[Mr. Wormwood]

Posted: 4/1/24 at 2:16am

theatrekid3302 said: "Seeing Sweeney Todd in February made me obsessed with this as I just fell in love with the score of that show and thought that's how Broadway should be that's how Broadway should sound.I just feel it is important for us as a community to express what we want to see developed into musicals and openly talk about them. We should use this forum not only to express our views of what is currently on Broadway but also what we want to see on Broadway so that we get out of this endless cycle of bad unoriginal musicals."

I was gonna let this thread pass me by and chalk it up to the innocence of youth but this section really bothers me. Broadway shouldn't sound one way or be one thing. What has always made it great is how many different things it can be even in one era. That's why in 1988 you had your Phantom fans and your Into the Woods fans. And if neither was your cup of tea, there was a tiny little romantic musical playing, an African based musical and a lavish revival at Lincoln Center. And that's just one year I picked out because it had a very distinct "top 2" in terms of types of musicals.

I'm glad you liked Sweeney and I'm sorry you didn't like Kimberly Akimbo. For me, Kimberly Akimbo was one of the best new musicals in years. I'd rather see ten original shows like that before seeing one overproduced spectacle based on old IP. But to each their own I guess.

[veronicamae]

Posted: 4/1/24 at 7:02pm

theatrekid3302 said: "I know creating a petition is not a realistic way of getting a Titanic musical but it is more of a way to express my opinion of the types of musicals that should be on Broadway. I am a huge fan of heavily romanticized epic operaticscores which have sadly become rare on Broadway with the exception of revivals. Seeing Sweeney Todd in February made me obsessed with this as I just fell in love with the score of that show and thought that's how Broadway should be that's how Broadway should sound.I just feel it is important for us as a community to express what we want to see developed into musicals and openly talk about them. We should use this forum not only to express our views of what is currently on Broadway but also what we want to see on Broadway so that we get out of this endless cycle of bad unoriginal musicals. Pirates of the Caribbean is another example there is a lot that you can do with that material. The Princess Bride which is currently in the works that are another example of a potentially great musical that would have a more traditional-sounding score."

And what if whoever writes this musical you are petitioning for writes it with a pop-folk score? Your petition was for naught!

On all serious - I think you'd be better off starting a conversation on a platform like Twitter or Threads - or heck even continuing it here, while listening to what others have to say on the matter rather than insisting that your vision and only your vision is Tony Award-worthy - and just have it not be about signing a petition, which will not lead to anything.

Someone still needs to write, score, direct, cast, and most of all PRODUCE the thing - which would certainly cost $20+ million. Unless you have $20+ million in your pocket, starting a petition for someone, anyone! to create a musical just to your taste is misguided (that's why this thread got the response it has).

And for what it's worth - I'm in my 40s and Titanic came out when I was in high school; I was in love with it, with Leo, and with Kate (and Jack and Rose) and saw it in theaters several times, owned it on both letterbox and 4:5 versions of double-tape VHS where you had to change the tape after they strike the iceberg. I never, ever want to see anyone attempt to remake that film in ANY way and I cannot imagine anyone of my generation (Millennials) being excited by someone trying to remake the film into anything.

Updated On: 4/1/24 at 07:02 PM