Broadway Musicals Based On Movies - Improvement?- Page 2

[Ado Annie D'Ysquith]

Posted: 3/15/15 at 6:52pm

Do you guys prefer the original Julie Andrews film or the Sutton Foster vehicle that is Thoroughly Modern Millie?

[Fantod]

Posted: 3/15/15 at 7:48pm

Is that even a question? The original movie with Julie Andrews and my favorite Carol Channing is sheer perfection. It's probably one of my favorite movie musicals ever. The musical I've only seen in amateur productions (2 of them), but I find the book to be much worse in the musical, and the new songs are nowhere near the ones in the movie. Plus, in the movie, you get pitch perfect performances from Andrews and Channing, so why even bother with the musical?

[Bwaydide92]

Posted: 3/15/15 at 8:18pm

The Little Shop of Horrors movie was based on the stage show, so you can't really say the stage show was an improvement. The film adaption just wasn't as successful (artistically) as the stage show.

[Fantod]

Posted: 3/15/15 at 8:26pm

There was a movie made in 1960 that Little Shop of Horrors was based off of. It's horrible, but in a so-bad-it's-good way.

[Bwaydide92]

Posted: 3/15/15 at 8:28pm

OH! I was unaware of that. Ignore me then.

[ggersten]

Posted: 3/15/15 at 8:30pm

>>The Little Shop of Horrors movie was based on the stage show, so you can't really say the stage show was an improvement. The film adaption just wasn't as successful (artistically) as the stage show.<<

The Little Shop of Horrors movie was released in 1960. And has Jack Nicholson as the masochistic dental patient. The film was made over a weekend (although wikipedia says there were a few weeks of rehearsal). The stage musical is an improvement on that film, in my opinion, as the musical numbers expand our understanding of the characters from the film.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 3/15/15 at 8:57pm

"The stage musical is an improvement on that film, in my opinion, as the musical numbers expand our understanding of the characters from the film."

Seymour's mother was dropped completely from the musical.

[Lovinbroadway2]

Posted: 3/15/15 at 11:08pm

I'd say Shrek.

[Charley Kringas Inc]

Posted: 3/16/15 at 5:09am

Agreeing on disagreeing with Smiles of a Summer Night vs A Little Night Music. It's one of Sondheim's best scores but Wheeler's book just can't hold up to Bergman's script, which is both sharper and more effortless. It takes a lot of acting power to get the book up to the same speed at which the songs fly.

[best12bars]

Posted: 3/16/15 at 6:22am

Night Music and Smiles are equally good.

Hairspray musical is equally as good as the film it's based on.
(The film version of the musical is not as good as either one however.)

Little Shop is an improvement. That's really the only one I agree with.

Considering how many musicals have been made out of films (especially lately), that's not a good thing.

EDIT: Okay, I agree that The Lion King musical is marginally better than the animated movie. At least it was the first time I saw it (the week of the Tony Awards).

Updated On: 3/16/15 at 06:22 AM

[acekatherineplumber2]

Posted: 3/16/15 at 8:44am

Definitely agree about Newsies. The musical was a colossal improvement over the bore of a movie.