Best and Worst Screen to Stage Adaptations

[theminutepast]

Posted: 11/28/07 at 5:50pm

I saw the thread about stage to screen adaptations, and misread it as screen to stage. So...which movies do you think have been best adapted?

I haven't seen enough to really comment. Although, for my two cents, I think Legally Blonde is dangerously close to being a worst. The overuse of stereotypes and watering down of characters really tore apart the whole message of seeing past appearances.

[nealb1]

Posted: 11/28/07 at 5:52pm

"Wedding Singer" was beyond awful........dreadful! The people who sat directly behind me talked during intermission at great length about how wonderful the play was. And, that it's the best play that they had ever seen.

And, of course, I'm saying to myself, "You don't get out much, do you? And, it's not a play it's a musical!" Ha, ha..
Updated On: 11/28/07 at 05:52 PM

[pab]

Posted: 11/28/07 at 5:54pm

Best - Billy Elliot

Worst - Young Frankenstein

[tazber]

Posted: 11/28/07 at 5:57pm

Never saw Gigi onstage, but the movie is godawful and downright creepy.

[jondouglas]

Posted: 11/28/07 at 6:24pm

Was VICTOR/VICTORIA as bad as I've heard?

[theminutepast]

Posted: 11/28/07 at 6:26pm

For a moment I thought you meant Gigli and I was thinking wtf.

I didn't think Gigi was that bad.

Nealb1: I know! I hate when people say play when they mean musical.

[tazber]

Posted: 11/28/07 at 6:40pm

Gigli the musical!

That made my night minutepast.

Featuring the showstopper "Gobble Gobble".

[Smaxie]

Posted: 11/28/07 at 6:40pm

I think I like Promises, Promises even more than The Apartment.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 11/28/07 at 6:51pm

Best:
NINE
PASSION
GRAND HOTEL
GREY GARDENS
A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC
PROMISES, PROMISES
42ND STREET

Worst:
THE WEDDING SINGER
URBAN COWBOY
HIGH FIDELITY
TARZAN

[sondhead]

Posted: 11/28/07 at 7:50pm

Best:
LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (Can't believe this wasn't included yet)
A Little Night Music
Smile
Promises, Promises
Hairspray

Worst:
Legally Blonde
Young Frankenstein
Footloose
Urban Cowboy (Auuuggghhh.. and both of them)

[kate2]

Posted: 11/28/07 at 8:22pm

The Wedding Singer was pretty dreadful

[jv92]

Posted: 11/28/07 at 8:23pm

Best:
Grey Gardens without a doubt.

Worst:
God, there are too many. Tarzan maybe?

"Was VICTOR/VICTORIA as bad as I've heard?"
It wasn't good, but it wasn't a disaster.

[purpleprince101]

Posted: 11/28/07 at 8:27pm

Best: Grey Gardens (the best), Hairspray, Little Shop
Worst: High Fidelity, Urban Cowboy

[Broadwaywest2]

Posted: 11/28/07 at 8:42pm

Best: Hairspray,Little Shop of Horrors (for god sake's does anybody even remember the Jack Nichlson film?)Young Frankenstein, Ragtime

Worst: Beauty and the Beast

[MerMaggieGalinda]

Posted: 11/29/07 at 8:29am

Best: Little Shop of Horrors and Hairspray.
Worst: Legally Blonde(I like a lot of the music, but the book is a disaster. Does not live up to the original film at all).

[madbrian]

Posted: 11/29/07 at 8:55am

Worst: Saturday Night Fever, Footloose
Best: Hairspray, The Producers

[jbdc]

Posted: 11/29/07 at 11:05am

Ragtime is far closer to the book than the film, as is High Fidelity. I wouldn't classify them with things like Footloose, Legally Blonde, or the Wedding Singer.

42nd Street makes a fun musical, but it lost the dark side of the original film.

[??]

Posted: 11/29/07 at 11:57am

Little Shop of Horrors was a musical before it was a movie.....

[pab]

Posted: 11/29/07 at 12:15pm

"Little Shop of Horrors was a musical before it was a movie....."

Little Shop of Horrors was first a film in 1960, then an Off Broadway musical in 1982, then a movie musical in 1986 and then a Broadway revival in 2003.

Little Shop of Horrors

Updated On: 11/29/07 at 12:15 PM

[??]

Posted: 11/29/07 at 1:22pm

granted,
I assumed we were talking about screen musicals to stage. I didn't think the original B-movie counted.

[??]

Posted: 11/29/07 at 1:24pm

P.S: I have always wanted to see The Muppets Christmas Carol released for stage.

[xxdrewboy85xx]

Posted: 11/29/07 at 1:46pm

The Best:
Billy Elliot
Grey Gardens
Hairspray
42nd Street

The Worst
Wedding Singer
High Fidelity
Footloose
Satuday Nigh Fever

[luvcaroline]

Posted: 11/29/07 at 3:05pm

jondouglas,
To answer your question, anything that features Julie Andrews live on a stage can never be bad. I know that the show had its faults, but Ms. Andrews was so great that I actually loved most of it.

Favorites:
Little Shop of Horrors
Hairspray
Promises, Promises (would love a revival)

I haven't seen enough of the others to have a "least favorite" in this category (I didn't think Wedding Singer was that dreadful)

[ggersten]

Posted: 11/29/07 at 4:20pm

Grey Gardens? Ok, I haven't seen the documentary on which the musical is based, but I think they are very different creatures - especially as one is a documentary and one is a story "inspired" by facts/retellings/myths. I don't think Grey Gardens is a musical adaptation. Of course, I could be wrong.

Does My Fair Lady count? Or King and I? Pygmalion and Anna and the King of Siam were films before the musical productions. Does Cabaret count as an adaptation of I Am A Camera? Sweet Charity?

Best: Little Shop/Producers/Hairspray
Worst: Didn't see the bombs: Urban Cowboy/Footloose/Carrie/Big, but I'm sure one of those should be the worst..