Stage to Screen - What has been the best adaptation?

Posted: 11/5/05 at 4:19pm

When you think of films based on Broadway productions, which one do you consider to be the best adapatation?

Best stage to screen adaptation - musical?

Best stage to screen adaptation - drama or comedy?

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 11/5/05 at 4:23pm

Musical:

Oliver!
West Side Story
The Sound of Music
Cabaret

Play:

Angels in America
On Golden Pond
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
A Streetcar Named Desire

[broadway86]

Posted: 11/5/05 at 4:23pm

All of the ones that Munk said, plus Chicago.

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 11/5/05 at 4:24pm

MUSICAL
Cabaret
Hedwig and the Angry Inch
West Side Story

PLAY
Long Day's Journey Into Night (Katharine Hepburn/Ralph Richardson)
A Streetcar Named Desire (Leigh/Brando)
Updated On: 11/5/05 at 04:24 PM

[YouWantitWhen????]

Posted: 11/5/05 at 4:27pm

I might add Grease as well. Probably a better movie than live musical.

[MoonOnAstring]

Posted: 11/5/05 at 4:38pm

I love the movie adaptation of "Night of the Iguana"... one of my favorite movies.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 11/5/05 at 4:42pm

Chicago immediatley comes to mind.

As do:
Cabaret and West Side Story

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 11/5/05 at 4:57pm

I must add STEEL MAGNOLIAS to my list.

A pitiful and boring play on it's own, it was VASTLY improved upon through it's film adaptation.

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 11/5/05 at 4:58pm

Reefer Madness

[rose&lark]

Posted: 11/5/05 at 7:20pm

Musical:
West Side Story or 1776 (except for cutting out "Cool Cool Considerate Men")

Play:
The Miracle Worker (original), though I'll admit I haven't seen many plays on film, so I'm not the best judge.

[MasterLcZ]

Posted: 11/5/05 at 7:23pm

Stage: THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER (Monty Wooley, Bette Davis and a GREAT turn by the underrated Ann Sheridan)

[enjolrasissex]

Posted: 11/5/05 at 7:36pm

Musicals:
Chicago
Cabaret
West Side Story
Sound of Music
Fiddler on the Roof

Plays:
Angels in America
A Streetcar Named Desire

[roquat]

Posted: 11/5/05 at 11:19pm

Best Musicals:

Cabaret (a vast improvement--anyone who wants to start that "Liza sang too well" stuff again better be wearing armor)
Fiddler on the Roof (almost verbatim from the show)
Oliver! (gave that show a scope it could never have onstage.)
Funny Girl
Little Shop of Horrors

Best Plays:
Long Day's Journey Into Night
Driving Miss Daisy
Six Degrees of Separation

Worst Musical Adaptations: (just because I wanted to)
Mame
Man of La Mancha
Camelot
Paint Your Wagon
Carousel (Gordon McRae horribly miscast; try to watch it without groaning.)

[EvelynNesbit1906]

Posted: 11/5/05 at 11:41pm

I'm going to second Little Shop of Horrors. It's amazing to me that people still remember the '60s version but not this one.

[My Fair Lady]

Posted: 11/5/05 at 11:44pm

Chicago
Cabaret
Little Shop (I love it!)

[wickedfreak]

Posted: 11/5/05 at 11:48pm

I thought that the phantom movie was really good!!!

Also CHICAGO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I cant wait for rent!!!!!!!!!!

[GoSmileLaughCryClap]

Posted: 11/5/05 at 11:49pm

Best adaptaion: The Sound of Music, because it took mediocre material and turned it into a classic.

Worst adaptation: A Little Night Music, because it took classic material and turned it into garbage.

[blaxx]

Posted: 11/5/05 at 11:50pm

I might be shot for this, but compared to the original Hal Prince staging (which I think is a snoozer), Evita as a film has many elements that worked on its favor better than it does onstage.

[BroadwayRandy0711]

Posted: 11/6/05 at 1:06am

Funny Girl
Chicago
Cabaret

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 11/6/05 at 2:11am

"I might be shot for this, but compared to the original Hal Prince staging (which I think is a snoozer), Evita as a film has many elements that worked on its favor better than it does onstage."

Hal Prince's EVITA a snoozer? Have you actually seen the production as directed by Prince (and not merely restaged by one of his underlings)? I saw the original cast on broadway as well as some replacemnet cast and the first national tour. Always found it crisp and fast moving. So I am not quite sure what your frame of reference is or what you were expecting.

Having said that, I think the film is about the best possible film that could have beeen made of the piece. Some of the changes (like giving "Another Suyitcase" to Eva herself and shifting it earlier) were brillianst. I find the film really beginsto drag near the end and "You must Love Me" is a needless addition.

As for some of the best stage-film transfers I would include FUNNY GIRL which is much improved over its stage edition. CALL ME MADAM is tighter and faster on film.

Mike Nichols film of VIRGINIA WOOLF is excellent. He took a 3 hour play and shortened it by an hour and yet nothing of import is lost. And the film has a cinematic feel. Often plays seem terribly stage bound when turned into films.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 11/6/05 at 2:16am

VIRGINIA WOOLF is just under three hours on stage due largely to its two intermissions that add a half an hour to the running time. The film runs 2hrs, 10 minutes due to Nichols' brisk pacing and actually very litle of the text was cut.

[PerforMeg]

Posted: 11/6/05 at 2:32am

Am I the only one who doesn't like the movie version of West Side Story? I don't think it does justice to the score. Richard Beymer? If you're going to dub the actor anyway dub it in the same key!
I do love Natalie Wood and Rita Moreno.

My favorite musical adaptations:
-Fiddler on the Roof
-Chicago
-Grease
-Sound of Music (better as a movie than a show, imo)
-The King and I
-Little Shop
-The Bette Midler version of Gypsy

Worst musical adaptations:
-Cabaret...Mostly because of the elimination of the story of Fraulein Schneider and Herr Schultz, which I think gives the musical so much of it's charm and depth.
-Carousel
-The Phantom of the Opera

Best play adaptations:
-Cuckoo's Nest!!!!
-Streetcar named Desire
-Virginia Woolf
-Steel Magnolias
-Driving Miss Daisy

Posted: 11/6/05 at 4:21am

Best:
Phantom of the opera
Chicago

Worst:
I can't think one right now when or if I do then I will tell you

[Sant]

Posted: 11/6/05 at 7:03am

Musicals:

CHICAGO
THE KING AND I
MY FAIR LADY


Plays:

A Streetcar Named Desire
Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?
A Cat On A Hot Tin Roof

[TheaterBaby]

Posted: 11/6/05 at 10:38am

I agree with most of these.

Chicago was the first thing that came to my mind when I saw the title of the thread.

Funny Girl
My Fair Lady
A Streetcar Named Desire
Who'e Afraid of Virginia Woolfe?

Bette Milder version of Gypsy (yes, because it is the most like the actual staged musical)
Little Shop of Horrors (yes, except I hate that they changed the ending). Same thing goes for Sweet Charity (although at least the DVD has alternate endings).