Has the same source material been adapted twice?

GONE WITH THE WIND comes to mind.

Phantom of the Opera, but the two shows were relatively close together in time, and the Yeston one has never played Broadway.

---

Thought of another ... Peter Pan. Two musicals.

---

If you're not including Broadway, but just musicals in general, there are tons. The Secret Garden has a couple, Cyrano de Bergerac, Little Women and Peter Pan have been adapted countless times all over the world (Cyrano twice for Broadway). Twelfth Night was adapted on Broadway for Play On and All Shook Up and Off-Broadway for Your Own Thing. Phantom of the Opera probably has about a dozen different musical adaptations. Anne of Green Gables has two, I think. Romeo and Juliet has the European spectacle popularized in the 90s and West Side Story (and unofficially, The Beautiful Game). The Boys From Syracuse and Oh, Brother! were adaptations of A Comedy of Errors, if memory serves. Hunchback of Notre Dame saw the Disney version in Berlin and Notre Dame de Paris in Europe and London. There is a popular argument that The Lion King is loosely adapted from Hamlet, so it could be shared with Rockabye Hamlet, I suppose.

And many many others, I'm sure.

---

Sounds like in most (but not all) cases listed here, the source material is in the public domain. That would make it more appealing financially and less risky to adapt, since no percentages, payments, or options would need to be in place first.

Peter Pan would be the exception (so far). But its copyright has already run out in certain countries. There is actually an ongoing "argument" about whether or not it has expired in the U.S. But who wants to deny royalties to the Hospital for Sick Children in the UK? They receive all revenue from the J.M. Barrie work.

---

Considering 90% (or more) of all musicals are adaptations, then most flops would fall into that and I've no doubt we'll see more repeats, especially in the case of Shakespeare, who has probably been adapted by every entertainment medium more than any other writer. Personally, I'd love to see another shot given to Pride and Prejudice, preferably with a score by Lucy Simon.

---

The play THREE MEN ON A HORSE (by George Abbott and John Cecil Holm) opened in January 1935 and ran 835 performances - an exceptionally long run for the 1930's.

IT was adapted into a musical, BANJO EYES starring Eddie Cantor, which opened Christmas Day 1941 and ran 126 performances, closing April 12, 1942. Six months later a 4 wee revival of the original play opened. Ths musical did not get a full cast album but Eddie Cantor recorded the one hit song for Decca: "We're Having a Baby (My Baby and Me") - the song achieved wider popularity 11 years later when Desi Arnaz sang it to Lucille Ball at the end of the I LOVE LUCY episode where Lucy tells Ricky she is "enciente."

Then in 1961 the play became the source for LET IT RIDE, a flop musical that ran 68 performances. The RCA Victor cast album was released on CD by ArkvivMusic last summer after having been out of print for 45 years. Here is the Masterworks Broadway listing for it: http://www.masterworksbroadway.com/music/let-it-ride-arkiv-version


The original play can be an enjoyable old-fashioned screwball comedy. Neither musical seems to have succeeded in capturing that quality.

---

Wizard of Oz has been adapted countless times.

And, B12B, a local theatre (who produced it off-Broadway, I think) is doing Night of the Hunter as part of their 10-11 Season.

---

Taz - LET IT RIDE and JIMMY are hardly overlooked gems, but each album is a source of fun even in that "OMG this is bad" way. Enjoy!!

---

"Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell"... sort of...

---

"And, B12B, a local theatre (who produced it off-Broadway, I think) is doing Night of the Hunter as part of their 10-11 Season."


I know it's produced regionally from time to time, but I'd like to see a better adaptation. And on Broadway please! I'll bet actors would be lining up to play the preacher, the widow, and the old woman who takes the children in (played so well in the movie by Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, and Lillian Gish, respectively).

Sondheim would have been fantastic for this, since so much of it is a psychological journey. Good/evil. Innocent/guilty. Somebody, tell him to do it! :)

The problem is that it's so rare that works are revisited for musical adaptations. Especially if the first one didn't do all that well.

---

Matt,

The Lerner and Lane flop Carmelina from 1979 is clearly based on the film, though the creator denied it, the general consensus is that the plot was lifted from the film.

And Mamma Mia! also takes the film's plot without giving it credit.

---