Actual People whose lives would make a good Musical- Page 2

[StageManager2]

Posted: 8/7/06 at 12:58am

Who or what is Orfeh?

[jimnysf]

Posted: 8/7/06 at 1:02am

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orfeh

http://www.geocities.com/andykarl101/new_orfeh_website_005.htm

[StageManager2]

Posted: 8/7/06 at 1:23am

Thanks, jimnysf. Never heard of her.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 8/7/06 at 1:32am

Check out youtube - she's got some pipes.


I like that ALW did a musical on Evita, I'm not a history person, so I had really never heard of her before the musical. I just like that he did something sort of unexpected and musicalized it, and did it rather successfully. I think Vincent Van Gogh would be kind of interesting and dark.

[SweMozArt]

Posted: 8/7/06 at 8:12am

Mozart of course! But the only appropriate composer has been dead for 250 years. Napoleon would also be a great choice with his almost unlimited success, downfall, comeback, and final downfall. You would have pompous battlefield music, the marseilles tune, romantic songs and then later music of a much smaller scale to illustrate his inprisoned life at St helens. And of course the song for the big battle is already written (Waterloo)!

As a swedish choice I would say Axel von fersén. He was a swedish count who lived in the 18th century and who was the swedish king's ambassador at versailles. He was a lover of the french queen marie antoinette. However he had the trust of the King (who had quite a liberal marriage with Marie) and was later put in charge for the escape attempt by the royal family from versaille. They managed to sneak out of paris and were in a border village when they were caught. As the queen was facing execution she smuggled out love letters to him, some sent just days before she was guillotined. According to some sources he was the father of Marie Antionettes son who was successor to the throne. This boy had the title count of normandy (the normands were originally vikings). The King has also written in a letter that he didn't see him as his son. On the other hand one might ask why the royal couple would give the son a title hinting at Axel if he indeed were the father. Before Axel got involved with the queen in france he was taking part as an officer in the american independece war on the american/french side. He met George Washington and were in the room when they signed the independence declaration. When he came back to Sweden after the royal couples death he became one of the mightiest men in the country. However he lost some influence due to the murder of King Gustav III at a mascerade ball(also a good person to make a musical about). Many years later Axel, now an old man was brutally attacked an killed by a mob during a funeral of a danish prince. This prince had been chosen by the swedish classes to take over the Swedish throne. However he had died before assuming office. False rumours had been spread about Axel von Fersén being implicated in the death of the prince (he most likely died a natural death). Some say the lynching of Axel was planned by people who were afraid about his influence and connections to the old royal family.



Updated On: 8/7/06 at 08:12 AM

[camp_actor]

Posted: 8/7/06 at 9:39am

How is Princess Diana's life a musical? She was a girl who met a man who was prince, they had kids, they broke up, she got killed.

I don't understand the whole "I <3 Di" thing.

That's not to be disrespectful. Obviously she was a good woman who did not deserve to die so young.

There's already been a TV Opera made about her on the BBC.

Posted: 8/7/06 at 10:25am

Camp_Actor wrote:

"How is Princess Diana's life a musical? She was a girl who met a man who was prince, they had kids, they broke up, she got killed."

Your one line synopsis leaves out the class difference, the fact that she married the prince, and the always interesting behind the scenes activities of Great Britain's royal family.

Add the marriage, leave out "they broke up", and you've got Princess Grace, also already a musical

Posted: 8/7/06 at 11:33am

A few years back, there was a rumor k.d. lang was interested in doing a music film on the life of Keely Smith-- I think she'd be an awesome subject of a musical!

She was an awkward teenager on an Idian Reservation when she auditioned for Luois Prima's band. She got the job as his female vocalist and started an affair with him although she was only 14. As soon as it was legal they married and were the toast of Vegas-- a "Must-see" show with wild novelty tunes, rocking jazz and Keely's hearbreaking torch songs. Prima was a "Wild Man" often ending up in jail from his escapades but he soon was the #1 draw in Vegas and he & Keely had their own jungle themed theatre to play in.
Their turbulent affair couldn't last and they split up. Each had a bit of a solo career but never hit the heights again. Keely said that Louis was the only of her life....

[Unmasked05]

Posted: 8/7/06 at 11:41am

Like Seriously:

Rick Moranis
Coretta Scott King
Billie Holiday
Franlkin D. Roosevelt
Betty Davis
Judy Garland
Lucille Ball
The Temptations
Stephen Sondheim
Ethel Merman
Cole Porter
Mary Martin

[Al Dente]

Posted: 8/7/06 at 11:42am

I'll second Orfeh. I know a very tiny bit about her in the scheme of things and it's quite fascinating. Stagemanager2, your screen name is, well, stagemanager2, you're a frequent poster and you've never heard of Orfeh? Methinks someone is trying to be naughty (and that's a nice term).


http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=orfeh&btnG=Google+Search Updated On: 8/7/06 at 11:42 AM

[Craig]

Posted: 8/7/06 at 11:45am

I'd love to see a musical featuring the stories and lives of Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, Donald O'Conner, Jane Powell, Ginger Rogers, etc. It would be a musical about the golden era of MGM.

Posted: 8/7/06 at 11:47am

I ad the pleasure of seeing Louis Prima and Keely Smith's act at The Copacabana in NYC. It was possibly the best nightclub performance I've ever seen. If that excitement could be brought to the Broadway stage, it could be a wonderful show.

[Jon]

Posted: 8/7/06 at 12:27pm

FDR was the subject of a musical while he was still in office! "I'd Rather Be Right" - written by Rodgers & Hart, with FDR played by George M. Cohan, who insisted on tap dancing, even though the real FDR was confined to a wheelchair.

[madbrian]

Posted: 8/7/06 at 12:32pm

I think Eleanor Roosevelt would actually be a much more interesting subject.

[MarkRascati]

Posted: 8/7/06 at 12:34pm

A Jerry Seinfeld musical would be hillarious

[MenzelManiac]

Posted: 8/7/06 at 12:38pm

I heard a story about a little girl with telekenesis and an overly-protective religious-fanatic mother named Margaret. I think that'd make a great musical. Trace her journey through high school, not feeling accepted, etc.

Hmm...

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 8/7/06 at 12:47pm

Most definitely Loretta Lynn. It should definitely be her autobiography COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER but in the jukebox musical style -- incorporating her songs into the plot.

Or maybe ala MARLENE -- where Sian Philips (as Marlene) talked about her life in concert form (thru monologue and songs).

Hmmm...

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 8/7/06 at 1:26pm

One of the greatest Americans who ever lived - Harriet Tubman

[Jon]

Posted: 8/7/06 at 2:19pm

There is an Eleanor Roosevelt musical that's been done at several regional theatres.

There's a children's musical about Harriet Tubman created by Teatreworks USA.

[WickedGeek28]

Posted: 8/7/06 at 2:30pm

I want a Broadway version of Mommie Dearest.

[rose_pearl]

Posted: 8/7/06 at 2:33pm

Craig--I second that!

Has there been a musical about Marilyn Monroe yet?

Posted: 8/7/06 at 2:57pm

Rose Pearl asked:

"Has there been a musical about Marilyn Monroe yet?"

There have been at least two. One in Broadway and one in London. Musical theatre *did* exist before Wicked as do places to research these things

[LoneWanderer]

Posted: 8/7/06 at 3:07pm

Chris McCandless, especially with many of the events that are documented in "Into the Wild". It'd be great. I kinda hope someone does it some day as I would adore such a show.

For those who don't know:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_McCandless

~The Lone Wanderer

[YouWantitWhen????]

Posted: 8/7/06 at 3:12pm

My Aunt Clara -

Family owned a Cigar Factory in Cicago - she became involed with someone with mob ties (allegedly Al Capone's doctor).

He fled when Capone was arrested - she followed and came to Los Angeles. Became a silent movie B player, and a Sunshine Girl.

He ended up working on cruise ships out of SoCal.

She played Cleopatra.

Rumor is that she won a million dollars in Vegas, and lost it the next day.

Later, ended up owning a string of bars that were destroyed in the Watts Riots - had no insurance.

After that, had jukeboxes and pool tables in local bars in LA and was a madam when she died.

It is a pretty amazing story.

[WonderBoy]

Posted: 8/7/06 at 3:24pm

HIH Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov
Elizabeth I
Anne and Mary Boleyn (The Other Boelyn Girl)
Sir Walter Raleigh

Ann Miller
Dorothy Dandrige
Billy Holiday

Updated On: 8/7/06 at 03:24 PM