Broadway must ditch musical film adaptations for original stories
Broadway must ditch musical film adaptations for original stories
macbeth
Broadway Star Joined: 5/7/03
#1Broadway must ditch musical film adaptations for original stories
Posted: 5/14/24 at 5:14pm
A friend just sent me this:
https://dailybruin.com/2024/05/14/second-take-broadway-must-ditch-musical-film-adaptations-for-original-stories
Originality and creativity will always hold the greatest degree of artistic credibility and respect, so Broadway needs to rearrange its priorities if it hopes to remain culturally relevant.
Thoughts?
hearthemsing22
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/14/20
#2Broadway must ditch musical film adaptations for original stories
Posted: 5/14/24 at 5:17pm
Same goes for movie musical adaptations. For the love of God stop with those
Bobster159
Understudy Joined: 12/13/10
#3Broadway must ditch musical film adaptations for original stories
Posted: 5/14/24 at 5:20pm
So strange to me that an article with this attitude is happy to crap on the adaptations without uplifting any of the original musicals we do have. I get the attitude and would love more original musicals, but we have had Lempicka, Here Lies Love, Gutenberg, Harmony, and Suffs this season. All but Suffs will be gone soon, and it's hardly a sure thing. So, if you're going to write a screed complaining about the adaptations, maybe mention and uplift the ones we have! Then we might get more...
Updated On: 5/14/24 at 05:20 PM
#4Broadway must ditch musical film adaptations for original stories
Posted: 5/14/24 at 5:30pm
We just have this conversation daily and there isn’t much more to say about it.
KevinKlawitter
Broadway Star Joined: 1/21/20
#5Broadway must ditch musical film adaptations for original stories
Posted: 5/14/24 at 5:51pm
Next thing you'll know someone will write about how Hollywood does too many sequels and remakes.
#6Broadway must ditch musical film adaptations for original stories
Posted: 5/14/24 at 6:07pm
My thought is that this is a truly terrible piece of op-ed writing.
"...everyone finally shut up, and the audience could enjoy the beginning of the Anatevka Pogram in peace."
BentleyB
Stand-by Joined: 4/4/17
#7Broadway must ditch musical film adaptations for original stories
Posted: 5/14/24 at 6:30pm
I love they use Chicago as a musical that went to the screen, when in fact Chicago is based upon a play, that was then made into a movie “Roxie Hart” that was the basis for the musical. Ridiculous article.
#8Broadway must ditch musical film adaptations for original stories
Posted: 5/14/24 at 6:35pm
Many of the great musicals, including much of sondheim’s work - are adaptations. This kind of original is king argument has been discussed to death here over the years and I think we always seek to reach the conclusion that what matters is the quality of the show and there is such a wide variation of quality across adaptations and originals that it usually doesn’t make sense to argue that one is better than the other.
As a general rule, there is no one or place I respect more in terms of theatre criticism than the collective opinions and discussions on this forum. We tackle every topic to death that it’s almost cringeworthy to see people trying to tackle or discuss these topics lol.
"You can't overrate Bernadette Peters. She is such a genius. There's a moment in "Too Many Mornings" and Bernadette doing 'I wore green the last time' - It's a voice that is just already given up - it is so sorrowful. Tragic. You can see from that moment the show is going to be headed into such dark territory and it hinges on this tiny throwaway moment of the voice." - Ben Brantley (2022)
"Bernadette's whole, stunning performance [as Rose in Gypsy] galvanized the actors capable of letting loose with her. Bernadette's Rose did take its rightful place, but too late, and unseen by too many who should have seen it" Arthur Laurents (2009)
"Sondheim's own favorite star performances? [Bernadette] Peters in ''Sunday in the Park,'' Lansbury in ''Sweeney Todd'' and ''obviously, Ethel was thrilling in 'Gypsy.'' Nytimes, 2000
Matt Rogers
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/4/04
#9Broadway must ditch musical film adaptations for original stories
Posted: 5/14/24 at 6:39pm
Almost every single musical is based on some sort of underlying source material. That article is ridiculous.
dramamama611
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/4/07
#10Broadway must ditch musical film adaptations for original stories
Posted: 5/14/24 at 6:43pm
Isn't the "Daily Bruin" a college paper for UCLA? Consider the amateur source.
If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it?
These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.
Alex Kulak2
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/11/16
#11Broadway must ditch musical film adaptations for original stories
Posted: 5/14/24 at 7:35pm
You know what I'd like to see? Musical adaptations of bad movies.
How many times have you gotten out of a movie and thought "the set-up is interesting, but I wish they'd done a better job at it". Do a better job of it... on a stage with songs. Bridges of Madison County is a dumb schmaltzy romance movie, and its musical has one of the greatest scores of the 21st century. Newsies won the Razzie for Worst Song, and it's stage adaptation won the Tony Award for Best Score.
Matt Rogers
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/4/04
#12Broadway must ditch musical film adaptations for original stories
Posted: 5/14/24 at 7:46pm
Alex Kulak2 said: "You know what I'd like to see? Musical adaptations of bad movies.
How many times have you gotten out of a movie and thought "the set-up is interesting, but I wish they'd done a better job at it". Do a better job of it... on a stage with songs.Bridges of Madison Countyis a dumb schmaltzy romance movie, and its musical has one of the greatest scores of the 21st century.Newsieswon the Razzie for Worst Song, and it's stage adaptation won the Tony Award for Best Score."
The Bridges of Madison County (film) is 90% positive on Rotten Tomatoes, and Meryl got an Oscar nomination. Try again.
KevinKlawitter
Broadway Star Joined: 1/21/20
#13Broadway must ditch musical film adaptations for original stories
Posted: 5/14/24 at 8:11pm
Alex Kulak2 said: "You know what I'd like to see? Musical adaptations of bad movies.
How many times have you gotten out of a movie and thought "the set-up is interesting, but I wish they'd done a better job at it". Do a better job of it... on a stage with songs.Bridges of Madison Countyis a dumb schmaltzy romance movie, and its musical has one of the greatest scores of the 21st century.Newsieswon the Razzie for Worst Song, and it's stage adaptation won the Tony Award for Best Score."
A good example of this is The Spitfire Grill. The movie isn't bad for the most part, but its ending is so off-the-wall melodramatic and bonkers that it's impossible to take the resolution seriously. The musical ditches the ending and adds some really nice fokly songs ("Come Alive Again" is a favorite of mine)
#14Broadway must ditch musical film adaptations for original stories
Posted: 5/14/24 at 8:26pm
Lest we forget: Little Shop is adapted from an extremely low-budget B movie that was shot in a few days.
"...everyone finally shut up, and the audience could enjoy the beginning of the Anatevka Pogram in peace."
KevinKlawitter
Broadway Star Joined: 1/21/20
#15Broadway must ditch musical film adaptations for original stories
Posted: 5/14/24 at 8:32pm
Kad said: "Lest we forget: Little Shop is adapted from an extremely low-budget B movie that was shot in a few days."
It's actually a really good movie, though. Cheap as hell to be sure, but it's also really funny and weird. It plays like a comedic episode of The Outer Limits.
RIP Roger Corman
chrishuyen
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/12/14
#16Broadway must ditch musical film adaptations for original stories
Posted: 5/15/24 at 12:10am
Also an ongoing conversation but we really need people to define what they mean by "original" musical. Hamilton is technically based on a book. How to Dance in Ohio is technically based on a movie. So on and so on. Also for the sake of argument, both Outsiders and Water for Elephants started out as books, so if they advertised as being based on the novel, would that be better?
People have been adapting other source material for musicals since the R&H days (and probably before that too). And the recent slate of movie adaptations have actually turned out IMO to be better than a lot of their cash grab equivalents.
Also, comparing & Juliet to an actual production of Romeo and Juliet and saying they're too similar seems laughable
#17Broadway must ditch musical film adaptations for original stories
Posted: 5/15/24 at 12:22am
caveman one: so anyway, that my story
caveman two: that good story, thog. make me want do this. [bangs rocks musically]
caveman one: you adapt thog. owe royalty to thog.
#18Broadway must ditch musical film adaptations for original stories
Posted: 5/15/24 at 12:56am
Kind of crazy to have that thesis statement and then point to Wicked, Hamilton, and The Lion King as proof of hunger for musical theatre. Wicked (owing it's roots to arguably the most popular movie ever made) and Lion King... a literal adaptation of a Disney film.
The argument of screen to stage adaptations on its face is a joke. So many musicals (and plays) owe their origin to film or books or other source material. What you should be arguing is the intent behind an individual adaptations existence. Is it a story that begs to be sung or one that can be staged in a way that makes a musical a worthy medium? Great. Musicals don't find success or fail based on what their source material is and that source material can never guarantee something is going to be a success. Do film adaptations get a headstart when it comes to getting to Broadway? Sure, but they can fizzle out just as quick.
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