Enchanted: The Musical

[TMedeiros17]

Posted: 6/27/09 at 7:29pm

Could it work?

[blaxx]

Posted: 6/27/09 at 7:31pm

Yes, love, tomorrow.

[James885]

Posted: 6/27/09 at 8:01pm

Wasn't this discussed to death in another thread a while back? Still, I'll bite.

No. I don't think Enchanted could work for the stage. Part of the charm of the film is how the characters go from the animated, magical fairy-tale world to the 'real' world. That charm would be lost on stage. Plus the film employs a lot of effects that would be difficult to replicate on stage, like the CGI animals during Happy Working Song.

How would the climactic dragon fight at the end be handled? It would probably end up being a watered down, much less thrilling version a la The Little Mermaid's stage incarnation. Maybe Giselle could break Narissa's staff, thus killing her.

No. Leave well enough alone and leave it as a movie.

Updated On: 6/27/09 at 08:01 PM

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 6/27/09 at 8:18pm

Also... I love Menken, but I don't think the songs are that good.

[gypsy4]

Posted: 6/27/09 at 8:35pm

the animation world would never work but heres my concept I would just altere it a little bit.

Giselles world on stage would be technicolor filled colorful projections and costumes which would be out of this world.
when she is sent to NYC it is seen the reality is seen through giselles point of view. dull personalities. the set would be dull black and Gray colors as with the lighting and so would the costumes and hair styles everything is just dark.but that would soon change as giselle starts to work her magic. color would slowly be brought in to the lighting and set and the from that in to the costumes and through every ones personalities and the last person to change would the leading man (I can't remember the characters name) but by the of the song Thats how you know! whick I would put as the act one finale New york has became a bright techniclor place. it's sort of similar to Mary poppins during Jolly Holliday! tell me what you think?

[degrassifan]

Posted: 6/27/09 at 9:16pm

^ Not going to lie, but I like that concept. Although, I would say that "That's How You Know" is more like the big number before the Act One finale, ala "Be Our Guest," "Under the Sea," and "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious."

The leading man's name is Robert.

I think Enchanted could make a really good stage musical. It just needs the right creative team.

[WishingOnlyWounds2]

Posted: 6/27/09 at 10:20pm

Ever since the movie came out I've been dieing to see this on stage, but I have no idea how they would pull it off with the animations.

[TalkinLoud]

Posted: 6/27/09 at 11:09pm

What SporkGoddess? The songs are great in this!

I mean, they're supposed to be pretty derivative.

[sondheimboy2]

Posted: 6/27/09 at 11:35pm

If they did try, they would have add a ton of songs (like all good cartoon film scores "Enchanted" only has five or six).

Which would have to be "shoehorn-ed" in.

And would just pad out the show. Making everyone say that it isn't as good as the original.

Let's just hope the Disney decides to leave well enough alone.

[esparza 333]

Posted: 6/28/09 at 11:35am

If they ever did this Kerry Butler would have to be Giselle. She and Amy Adams have always seem similar with their quirky personalities.

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 6/28/09 at 11:47am

The dragon fight at the end would be changed, much like the huge fight with Ursula at the end of The Little Mermaid was (and replaced with that stupid 'Contest' idea).

Updated On: 6/28/09 at 11:47 AM

[broadway122]

Posted: 6/28/09 at 11:52am

Lately when ever I see I movie, I wonder how could this transfer to the stage. The latest, most wild idea was Transformers. My friend and I had some pretty strange ideas how this could work.

Anyways back on topic. My friend and I have been wondering how Enchanted would work. I think gypsy4 has the GREATEST idea. I can really see it working now.

[broadway122]

Posted: 6/28/09 at 12:11pm

Also taking someone else's idea. I think jagfkb's avatar would be an awesome dragon for the climactic battle.
jagfkb's avatar

[GimmeABreak2]

Posted: 6/28/09 at 1:09pm

I always thought the dragon fight was the weakest part of the movie (which I love, I just didn't find the massive sudden cgi/"quips" the dragon makes the whole fight as much fun), so would be up for a change.
I wonder though how they'd handle the chipmunk character?

I haven't seen Little Mermaid, but how do they change the ending on that show?

[James885]

Posted: 6/28/09 at 1:31pm

^^^^
Basically instead of Ursula turning into a giant and Eric killing her, Ariel kills her by smashing her magic shell which is supposed to be the source of her power. Flotsam and Jetsam don't get killed, they just run away in fear when Ariel grabs the shell. Also Ursula's transformation into Vanessa and the whole bit with her hypnotizing Eric and almost marrying him was cut from the show.

Updated On: 6/28/09 at 01:31 PM

[broadway122]

Posted: 6/28/09 at 1:31pm

Ursela has all the tentacles that pop out of the proscenium. Ariel breaks the shell and the stage fills with smoke and Ursela is dead. It is such a disappointing ending. Nothing epic at all. Except for the epic fail I give Disney for the weak ending.

[GimmeABreak2]

Posted: 6/28/09 at 1:35pm

Oh man, the Vanessa subplot was something I thought was really cool when I was little! How anti-climatic--thanks for the responses though!

[TalkinLoud]

Posted: 6/28/09 at 1:39pm

gypsy4, I really like your idea!

[timesquare01]

Posted: 6/28/09 at 3:29pm

I've been thinking about this a lot lately and I have some idea's...

For the animation sequences, why not use the motion capture technology that the nice folks over at Shrek use to do the magic mirror/mask scene with John Tartaglia. It may be pricey, but let's face it, it's Disney, they have no budget. Do the whole first 10 or so minutes on a screen so the audience is honestly "watching a traditional animated Disney movie" then we see Giselle land in the black world and she comes up through the stage and she's real. MAGIC.

As far as padding the show out musically, I think Giselle could have several variations of "I've been Dreaming..." throughout the show (I'm still dreaming..., I was dreaming..., I kept dreaming...) and it could become her theme. Then write a song about Nancy and Morgan's "Big Girl Bonding Time" which will have a reprise later while Morgan and Giselle are shopping. Write Prince Edward an Agony-esque lament. Give Robert a "Struggling single father" song. Turn the "soup kitchen/apple" scene into a Poor Unfortunate Souls type song in the style of the Witche's instructions in the Prolouge of Into the Woods. I also thought it would be fun to have a song where Giselle teaches Morgan how to be a princess.

And I think on stage, the ending battle could simply be between the human witch and Giselle. No need for a dragon.


That all being said. I REALLY like gypsy4's concept.

[AvenueQResident]

Posted: 6/28/09 at 4:20pm

No.

It works so well as a movie because it's a tribute/spoof to the many films/animations that have shaped Disney's legacy. This wouldn't make any sense on the stage.

Also, I wouldn't consider 'Enchanted' a musical. There are a few songs, but part of the transition is Giselle going from a fantasy animated musical world into the real world, with added character development (not singing back to Edward when he yet again tries to duet with her on 'True Love's Kiss' is an example of this). It defeats the point by giving her more songs when she's in New York, when this is the type of person she's meant to be shying away from.

Updated On: 6/28/09 at 04:20 PM

[daughter of air]

Posted: 6/28/09 at 4:39pm

I think it could work! I really like gypsy4's concept. I also like the idea of Kerry Butler as Giselle.

[toanythingtaboo 2]

Posted: 6/28/09 at 4:49pm

I like the ideas being put forward so far, it really makes it look possible.

The video screen of the animated scenes and live action for reality would enhance the whole fantasy/reality conflict...but I feel it would flatten the potential of the fantasy world.

Having the story book pages projected onto the curtain, which has the 'pop up' scene of Andalasia, which then fades into the actual set....or, could make it more of a dramatic burst into the world, with the animals being puppets.

I can imagine that man hole transition into the reality being really cool, maybe having an actual flipping section of stage which turns mid air, lowers while Gisele is kneeling upside down...so she can crawl through and up into New York. That whole scene would allow the set be completely transformed. Kind of taking what they did with Ariel's transformation...

Oh, and the dull tones of NYC would work, with injections of colour would work perfectly.

Plus, the dragon at the end could literally be done with a massive abstract puppet...maybe the neck/head extending into the audience breathing fire, tons of piro, smoke + lights would make a fantastic climax.

[jagfkb]

Posted: 6/28/09 at 7:12pm

Seriously, though, the dragon is almost a neccessity when it comes to Enchanted being a satire of disney movies, which it basically is. Also, a little random, but potential casting:

Giselle- Allison Case or Kerry Butler
Robert- Gavin Creel (sorry, but he works really well in this role in my opinion,despite being so young) or James Barbour (Who is the perfect age)
Narissa- Patti LuPone (she'd never do it, but we can dream)
Pip- Michael Bologna (As in every Disney musical, Pip and the other animals, or children in the real world, would be played by children. Everything would just be pantomimed)
Edward- Cheyenne Jackson ('Nuff said)
Nathaniel- Nick Wyman
Robert's Girlfriend (I forget her name)- Shoshana Bean

Also, it would just be a little ironic if either Sierra Bogess or Chelsea Morgan Stock played Robert's secretary (Who in the film is actually Jodi Benson)

[broadway122]

Posted: 6/28/09 at 7:16pm

^
I would use the dragon you designed for the dragon at the end. It is perfect.

[jagfkb]

Posted: 6/28/09 at 7:30pm

The set design, though very large, wouldn't have to be overly complex at all. Really, it could work rather well.