Which plays should NEVER be turned into a musical.

[JarNerdAV]

Posted: 7/13/06 at 1:48pm

A lot of great stage plays have been turned into great musicals (and a lot of great stage plays have been turned into really awful musicals), but I thought it would be fun to ponder which plays would make the worst possible musicals (so bad, they might even be worth seeing). I'll start:

'Night Mother

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 7/13/06 at 1:49pm

'Night Mother would not be a horrible musical.

With the right creative team, anything is possible - and anything can be GOOD.

[Katurian2]

Posted: 7/13/06 at 1:51pm

The Pillowman- perfect just the way it is and...


Hamlet Especially carrying a title like "Funny Boy"

[Theatreboy49]

Posted: 7/13/06 at 2:01pm

Katurian beat me to it. (though not surprisingly) Pillowman is brilliant and should never be touched unless its kep as is.

[once a month]

Posted: 7/13/06 at 2:03pm

The Leaf People

[madbrian]

Posted: 7/13/06 at 2:09pm

'Noises Off' is just about perfect and would never benefit from music.

[Theatreboy49]

Posted: 7/13/06 at 2:11pm

Noises Off wouldnt ever benift from music but as a musical could still be really funny too. and never never touch Arsenic and Old Lace, Rumors, Man Who Came to Dinner or Crucible. They would die as musicals.

[TomMonster]

Posted: 7/13/06 at 2:13pm

'Night Mother, actually, would make a great opera. Has all of the elements: grand themes, short play, wild tension and climax.

Just no puppets, Julie...

[JarNerdAV]

Posted: 7/13/06 at 2:16pm

"and never never touch...Man Who Came to Dinner...They would die as musicals."

That's what a lot of people think of Sherry, but I kind of liked it. Kind of.

[Theatreboy49]

Posted: 7/13/06 at 2:18pm

I think too much goes on in man who came to dinner to have music help. infact it would confuse people more methinks. Imagine, the end act 1 could be the big number by whiteside entittled "im not really crippled"

[James885]

Posted: 7/13/06 at 2:20pm

I don't think The Crucible would make a very good musical.

[overthemoon419]

Posted: 7/13/06 at 2:26pm

I would not want to see One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest or The Normal Heart as musicals.

[bwaylvsong]

Posted: 7/13/06 at 2:27pm

I once had a nightmare entitled "The Crucible- The Musical!" featuring the world-famous, tap-dancin' Puritans.

It is however, a wonderful opera.

[Funny Face]

Posted: 7/13/06 at 2:40pm

I agree with Munk. With a lot of talent and luck, ANYTHING could work. Why limit the creative possibilities of a play, or anything, just because it doesn't seem likely to be succesful in its original form?

[BJC899]

Posted: 7/13/06 at 2:48pm

mmm "the odd couple musical" sounds like a future blockbuster.

[JarNerdAV]

Posted: 7/13/06 at 2:50pm

You are probably right, Munk and Funny Face. I think my original idea was what plays, on the surface, would seem to be illogical candidates to be traditional musicals. But, you are right, that instinct can often be proven wrong. I would never have thought that A Raisin in the Sun, for example, would make a good musical, but I really like Raisin, so go figure.

[TomMonster]

Posted: 7/13/06 at 3:06pm

Remember, though, the piece has to "sing". You never want to stop the action for a song. The song should continue the action and emotion of the character. That's why plays like "Noises Off", which already feels like a musical, because of its inherent rhythms, wouldn't work.

The overall arch of a show should inspire the musical structure. That said, there are plenty of properties out there that would work. However, the rights...? Another issue. Another thread?

[JarNerdAV]

Posted: 7/13/06 at 6:46pm

Speaking of singing, I think "The Trip to Bountiful" would make a great musical, if done right. I'm pretty familiar with the script, and I don't see any reason that it couldn't be cast with a (mostly) black cast and filled with a lot of Gospel-inspired music.

[ZONEACE]

Posted: 7/13/06 at 6:51pm

The Diary of Anne Frank



as for Noises' Off, well, if there was a version that was everytihng going wrong IN a musical, that would be good.

[TomMonster]

Posted: 7/13/06 at 7:00pm

There's already at least one musical version of "Anne Frank"; was quite successful in the 80's. There's a CD available.

And "Drowsy" could be considered a "Noises Off" show... maybe not...

But what about "Skin of Our Teeth"?

I think it's already an opera/musical, but I could be wrong.

EDIT: Ummm, I'm stupid. I lost track of the thread. "Skin" would be a great musical. I forgot this was about plays that shouldn't be musicals. In that case... DOUBT.

Updated On: 7/13/06 at 07:00 PM

[NathanLaneStalker]

Posted: 7/13/06 at 7:02pm

SHERRY was FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!

[Qfan2.0]

Posted: 7/13/06 at 7:28pm

Tom monster beat me to it with Doubt.

But, honestly i think "Crucible-The Musical" Could be potentially like a sweeney (By sounding like sweeney i mean "ballad of sweeney todd" and "My Friends") I even have a title for their "ballad of Sweeney Todd". "Witch Hunt". It could potentially be hardcore. By the way i am not joking my friends and i at college have discussed this

[ByMySide25]

Posted: 7/13/06 at 9:40pm

The House of Bernarda Alba...oh...wait...

[arykahmarye]

Posted: 7/13/06 at 10:43pm

The Children's Hour

I can't imagine that, even as a well-thought opera.

[Over the Moon]

Posted: 7/14/06 at 1:28am

Romeo and Juliet