Dave the Musical

[TFMH18]

Posted: 7/22/16 at 12:51pm

A reading was just held for a new musical called "Dave," apparently based on the film of the same name. The reading featured Brian d'Arcy James and Carmen Cusack in the leading roles, respectively. 

Anyone have any more info on this project? There isn't much out there. 

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 7/22/16 at 12:57pm

Why must every movie be made into a musical? This seems to be the new trend.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 7/22/16 at 12:58pm

Could someone please link to the instagram that was apparently posted?

[TFMH18]

Posted: 7/22/16 at 1:09pm

https://www.instagram.com/p/BIJszvMBGkr/

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 7/22/16 at 1:17pm

Wow. Thanks!

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 7/22/16 at 1:21pm

Mr Roxy said: "Why must every movie be made into a musical? This seems to be the new trend."

We haven't been seeing as much of them recently. Probably because we've been seeing more flops than hits (9 to 5, Big Fish, Catch Me If You Can, Cry-Baby, Ghost, Honeymoon in Vegas, Leap of Faith, Legally Blonde, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Rocky, Shrek, Sister Act, The Wedding Singer, Young Frankenstein).

Updated On: 7/22/16 at 01:21 PM

[Kad]

Posted: 7/22/16 at 1:22pm

This has been the trend since the success of The Producers and Hairspray.

[TFMH18]

Posted: 7/22/16 at 1:44pm

LOL, Broadway World just wrote this up as a news article with the phrase "BWW has just learned..." You're welcome, Broadway World! 

[UnwoundFantasies]

Posted: 7/22/16 at 1:54pm

This picture also has the casting list

https://instagram.com/p/BII9tJlhQw5/

[madbrian]

Posted: 7/22/16 at 1:59pm

Dave is one of my favorite movies, but I don't see a musical there.

[Tag]

Posted: 7/22/16 at 1:59pm

Hope that actor had permission to post that on his instagram!!

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 7/22/16 at 2:02pm

Stephanie Hsu is in the cast. I wonder if spongebob if she will return to spongebob if it transfers.

[rjm516]

Posted: 7/22/16 at 2:42pm

Omg this was my FAVORITE movie as a kid! BDJ is perfect! 

[kristinj1]

Posted: 7/22/16 at 2:59pm

"Why must every movie be made into a musical? This seems to be the new trend."

Seriously?  Almost all successful musicals over time have been based on a pre-existing popular entertainment media... book, play, movie, etc.  What real difference does it make what the original source of inspiration was, if the musical is good?

 

[gleek4114]

Posted: 7/22/16 at 3:35pm

kristinj1 said: ""Why must every movie be made into a musical? This seems to be the new trend."

Seriously?  Almost all successful musicals over time have been based on a pre-existing popular entertainment media... book, play, movie, etc.  What real difference does it make what the original source of inspiration was, if the musical is good?

 

 

"

THIS. I hate when people complain about movies being adapted for the stage. Pre-existing material HAS always and WILL always be adapted for the stage, weather its a book, play, movie, TV show, video game, board game, etc. Movies seem to be the most popular at the moment, but that doesn't mean all are destined to be horrible and fail. 

 

[gypsy101]

Posted: 7/22/16 at 3:39pm

what even is the movie this is based on though? usually i feel like they should be pretty popular films, ya know, so people who've seen them go see the stage version

[Kad]

Posted: 7/22/16 at 3:42pm

Dave was a successful 1993 Ivan Reitman film starring Kevin Kline, a modest hit and well reviewed. Its screenplay was nominated for an Oscar, and Kline nominated for a Golden Globe.

[Tom5]

Posted: 7/22/16 at 3:47pm

It's no good, especially if the movie was popular, because there are likely to be no surprises in it. That kills the joy of watching an original story. You're watching an adaptation. The Producers was successful because the movie it was based on was basically forgotten. It was also very very very (3!) funny and exceptionally and imaginatively mounted and cast. As for Hairspray, pretty much the same. As for adaptations of books...who reads those anymore/

[kristinj1]

Posted: 7/22/16 at 4:40pm

Tom5 said: "It's no good, especially if the movie was popular, because there are likely to be no surprises in it. That kills the joy of watching an original story. You're watching an adaptation."

 

Honestly, if music and/or dance bring nothing new to the story (most often they bring emotional depth) then it is simply a bad musical.  That has nothing at all to do with the source material.  There are plenty of fully-original bad musicals.
 

 

 

 

Updated On: 7/22/16 at 04:40 PM

[ChiTheaterFan]

Posted: 7/22/16 at 6:49pm

BDJ has had a string of decent runs.  Of course this is just a reading, so who knows what will happen, but I sure hope it's good. Mostly because I really want Carmen to be in a successful show. 

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 9/3/17 at 8:23pm

Any more info on this? It's been over a year. I hope this show isn't dead. 

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 9/3/17 at 10:56pm

The movie was written by Gary Ross, who wrote and directed Pleasantville. There's a movie I always thought could be a great musical...if an absolutely brilliant team were in place for it. 

[gleek4114]

Posted: 9/4/17 at 2:49am

I'd love to se Pleasentville adapted! I think Jason Robert Brown could write an amazing score.

[bk]

Posted: 9/4/17 at 4:21am

gleek4114 said: "kristinj1 said: ""Why must every movie be made into a musical? This seems to be the new trend."

Seriously? Almost all successful musicals over time have been based on a pre-existing popular entertainment media... book, play, movie, etc. What real difference does it make what the original source of inspiration was, if the musical is good?





"

THIS. I hate when people complain about movies being adapted for the stage. Pre-existing material HAS always and WILL always be adapted for the stage, weather its a book, play, movie, TV show, video game, board game, etc. Movies seem to be the most popular at the moment, but that doesn't mean all are destined to be horrible and fail.

"

Well, here's the difference, since it seems to be eluding everyone here: In the old days musicals did what they could to DISTANCE themselves from the source material - but that's not what's happening today, is it?  No.  No, today is about branding because a bunch of movie people are trying to get B'way to be like the movie business.  So, you get Legally Blonde, you get Honeymoon in Vegas, you get 9 to 5, you get every film title as BRAND and usually with "The Musical" tacked on.  You didn't get Green Grow the Lilacs, The Musical, you didn't get Liliom, The Musical, you didn't get The Apartment, The Musical, you didn't get The Matchmaker, The Musical, you didn't get Ah, Wilderness, The Musical, you didn't get Anna and the King of Siam, The Musical - and that's what each and every one of the above would be called today.  But the creators back then wanted their musicals to survive on their own, not be dragged along by some movie brand.  They wanted to create something NEW and they did.  That's not what they do today and  if you don't know that, well, I don't know how to help you.  

[devonian.t]

Posted: 9/4/17 at 5:33am

bk that's a very fair point, but it doesn't negate the fact that it has always been the case that musicals have adapted other source material.

If we were to eradicate all adapted material musicals we would lose She Loves Me, Fiddler on the Roof, Cabaret, Sweeney Todd, The Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables (the last 3 all keeping the title of the original sources).

But the key point is about writing a new piece, rather than transferring slabs of the original screenplay and chucking in some vaguely suitable tunes.

If the writers of Dave are RE-CONCEIVING it as a musical, maybe it will be great,  And it certainly shouldn't be written off just because a film was the source material.