"Grease Live! WAS a Broadway stage musical live; it just wasn't done in the more straightforward "broadcast theater" style that NBC has been using for its productions"
OK, I did not watch it yet. Recorded it and will watch this week. From what I read, people seem to be saying it was more like a movie being done live.
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/22/03
Except insofar as movies aren't done live.
It was more like the movie done live, yes.
Which means they won't take risks like that by totally reinventing a stage show without it already having been done for them.
... which is why West Side Story is a such a strong contender.
But she needs to sing it as Celine Dion because her Celine Dion impression is fvcking hilarious!!
They would never pick it because no one knows it, but Drood would translate terribly to television. In the show, there's about 10 minutes tops between when the voting concludes and when the murderer is decided, and the fun of that show is seeing it live and in a theatre.
After Grease Live, they aren't going to look for shows that are "stage-bound" like Drood or A Chorus Line, or anything on a unit or solo set. They'll want to open them up and try new things on TV, because if they don't, they will be called out for taking a step backwards in development.
Understudy Joined: 5/4/12
I will say, if all the networks decide to jump on board, I'd love to see Disney take a crack at doing some of their shows live. Maybe not Lion King, but Newsies or Mary Poppins would be fantastic.
Or maybe a property that hasn't been adapted yet: Tangled, Pocahontas, Hercules?
But if Fox keeps doing live musicals, can we all pray they don't do the obvious and have Ryan Murphy direct Lea Michele in Funny Girl?
That's why they should do EVITA and transmit it live from Argentina!!
Updated On: 2/1/16 at 03:45 PM
Heathers or Mamma Mia would attract the same audience. More than just theater lovers
They should do IN THE HEIGHTS and broadcast it from Washington Heights for authenticity's sake!
It's gritty, it's urban, it's hip and it's written by that guy that wrote HAMILTON!!!!!
I have no idea how it would translate, but yea, I think it might work and checks off a lot of boxes.
Featured Actor Joined: 2/1/16
I'd love to see Flora the Red Menace get a live broadcast next.
Mamma Mia, Guys and Dolls, My Fair Lady, 42nd Street, Seussical, The Producers, Cinderella, and Dreamgirls could be fun. I'd also love to see a more dramatic musical, such as Ragtime, Evita, or Fiddler On The Roof. I'm surprised we haven't gotten something by Andrew Lloyd Webber or a Disney musical on ABC. I could see Mary Poppins or The Little Mermaid come to life easily.
Honestly, I wouldn't mind the Lea Michele-"Funny Girl" thing finally coming to fruition as a live television musical as opposed to a stage version. If it's destined to happen, this os a way to go about it. Plus, she and Ryan Murphy have ties to Fox.
Or just film Hamilton. Easy enough.
I could see Show Boat being done.
Little shop
Leading Actor Joined: 1/23/12
best12bars said: "It was more like the movie done live, yes.
"
What they essentially did was take the CONTENTS of the film script, mix it with elements from the stage script, and block it out for theatrical staging as filmed on soundstages and a backlot, which I think is a format that worked well and should continue to be used by them and them alone.
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/21/06
Looking at past musicals that have had less than stellar film adaptations as well as broad audience appeal, I'd like to see live versions of:
Footloose wouldn't be a bad idea, a film many people know with several known songs, decent amount of dancing and get Derek hough to reprise his role that he did in the west end
Oh! Calcutta!
Little Shop is an excellent choice.
I wonder if they would consider La Cage.
Broadway Legend Joined: 1/30/15
Is it possible that a West Side Story is coming? I ask because going off of Glee, they've picked Grease and Rocky Horror so West Side Story seems like the next one up that they had the rights to (aside from Funny Girl).
Fox want to do either young casted and or edgy musicals that don't involve unit sets.
My guess on possible productions would be:
Rent
Spring Awakening (Totally F*CKed=Totally Stuck)
Newsies (Disney could easily pawn off the demand for a remake by having Fox do it for them and considering Fox can only mostly promote Live productions through Disney owned talkers its a perfect partnership)
West Side Story (although i think this may be a little old for Fox)
Any jukebox musical
On the No list for Fox would be:
Hair (Its a plotless musical that would fall apart kn screen)
In the Heights (Greenblatt at NBC is a producer of Hamilton)
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/18/11
I'll second Pippin, which doesn't have an iconic film to compete with, has roles for young pop stars with a score to suit their voices, and opportunities for older stars in cameo roles. Bye Bye Birdie isn't a bad idea but blowing the dust off that title would be a challenge.
Videos