A LETTER TO THREE WIVES - THE MUSICAL

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 11/27/18 at 7:58pm

Thought lately about what movie could make a truly wonderful musical.

Anyone else agree that this might be it?

[Almira]

Posted: 11/27/18 at 8:11pm

Sincerely surprised that it hasn't been done before.  Years ago I got a hold of the script and tinkered with the idea of doing it.  I recall that there are some challenges (as in all stage adaptions) but that it was totally doable.

Incidentally,  I've always wondered if Marc Cherry was inspired by the film when he was creating Desperate Housewives.

 

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 11/28/18 at 8:07am

Almira said: "Sincerely surprised that it hasn't been done before. Years ago I got a hold of the script and tinkered with the idea of doing it. I recall that there are some challenges (as in all stage adaptions) but that it was totally doable.

Incidentally, I've always wondered if Marc Cherry was inspired by the film when he was creating Desperate Housewives."

Agree on both counts.

Among the challenges is how to handle Addie.  Should she be, as in the film, only a voice?  A celebrity voice?  e.g., Meryl's?  Should she sing?  So much of the power of the movie is that we see Addie only in our and the other characters' imaginations... should that be preserved?  Could changing that possibly work?  Not sure.

 

[ABitOnTheSide]

Posted: 11/28/18 at 10:40am

Among the challenges is how to handle Addie.  Should she be, as in the film, only a voice?  A celebrity voice?  e.g., Meryl's?  Should she sing?  So much of the power of the movie is that we see Addie only in our and the other characters' imaginations... should that be preserved?  Could changing that possibly work?  Not sure.

Give it a gay twist and have Anderson Cooper do the voiceover, just like he did in the recent H2S revival.

Honestly, I think this is one movie that would make a great musical. Plenty of good female roles, a helluva tight screenplay, a great story, and a rather unfamiliar movie that won't just play because of name recognition. Some movie can make great musicals, unlike the current movie-to-musicals currently plaguing Broadway.

Also hoping to one day see a musical version of A Face In The Crowd. There's a show that unfortunately is timeless. 

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 11/28/18 at 6:29pm

It's also a movie that has three female leads who love each other and remain loyal friends throughout the entire story... that's very rare and lends itself "girl power" well to a show for today (it's similar in that respect, and it's New Englandish setting, to Witches of Eatwick, but a much better plot for musicalization).

The "bitch" role of Addie should probably remain off camera/stage.  

[marcslope]

Posted: 11/29/18 at 3:08pm

I recall a long-ago interview with Cherry where he did, in fact, cite this one as an inspiration for the series.

[darquegk]

Posted: 11/29/18 at 3:11pm

It was also the inspiration for one of the last great Simpsons episodes, "Moe Letter Blues." They gender-swapped it, with perpetual scuzzbag Moe Szyslk promising to steal one of the Springfield housewives in order to get the men to appreciate their wives more.