If you could have an original musical on Broadway . . .

[BobbyBubbi]

Posted: 5/8/14 at 5:58pm

What would it be? Could be anything. Based on a book, a person, a film, a historical event, an original idea, what would your musical be!?!?? Who would you cast in it??

Updated On: 5/8/14 at 05:58 PM

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 5/8/14 at 6:24pm

It would be ripped to shreads as most musicals have been this year.

[wicked1492]

Posted: 5/8/14 at 6:27pm

A chamber piece about the Underground Railroad

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 5/8/14 at 6:30pm

Sounds like a show Brantley would go bananas over.

Updated On: 5/8/14 at 06:30 PM

[Gothampc]

Posted: 5/8/14 at 6:40pm

There is a French movie called "Le Bal". It's about a dance hall between the 1920s and the 1970s. Even though the eras change, you see the same actors throughout the movie dancing the dances of each era. I'd like to see an Americanized version of this where the actors play each generation of patron, or where they play the grandparents, the parents, the children and the grandchildren. Perhaps it could even have a Follies ghost-like element to it. But what I like about it is to see how it changes. Some generations it has a fresh coat of paint and then other generations it's dilapidated and run down, sort of going from the place to be seen to the place where nobody goes.

[Stage Door Sally]

Posted: 5/8/14 at 7:06pm

Kitchen Confidential: The Musical, based on the book Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain.

It would be a tasty comedy with lively music, including parodies such as a play on Never on Sunday, i.e. "Never on Monday" to warn restaurant patrons about what days they shouldn't order fish in a restaurant.

I have this one boldly in mind. But how could I get it produced?

[rjm516]

Posted: 5/8/14 at 7:12pm

"There is a French movie called "Le Bal". It's about a dance hall between the 1920s and the 1970s. Even though the eras change, you see the same actors throughout the movie dancing the dances of each era. I'd like to see an Americanized version of this where the actors play each generation of patron, or where they play the grandparents, the parents, the children and the grandchildren. Perhaps it could even have a Follies ghost-like element to it. But what I like about it is to see how it changes. Some generations it has a fresh coat of paint and then other generations it's dilapidated and run down, sort of going from the place to be seen to the place where nobody goes."

amazing idea!

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 5/9/14 at 12:08am

PERSUASION

a new musical

based on the novel by JANE AUSTEN

LAUREN AMBROSE
ANDY KARL COLM WILKINSON
SHIRLEY HENDERSON JAY ARMSTRONG JOHNSON
MARIANNE FAITHFULL

music and lyrics by SCOTT FRANKEL and MICHAEL KORIE
book by EMMA THOMPSON
directed by BARTLETT SHER


Updated On: 5/9/14 at 12:08 AM

[Starship]

Posted: 5/9/14 at 12:17am

IS IT HOT IN HERE?
The Musical

Plot:
Basically just a bunch of Broadway's hottest hunks walking around the stage shirtless.

Featuring:
Every hot man on Broadway

[juice23]

Posted: 5/9/14 at 12:58am

HBO Presents: GIRLS the Musical.

Starring Keala Settle as Lena Dunham as Hannah
Sutton Foster as Shoshanna
Idina Menzel as Marnie
Caissie Levy as Jessa

Gavin Creel as the gay ex-bf
Adam Chandler Beret as the tall coffee shop guy that hooks up with Shoshana

Book by Harvey Feirstein
Score by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey


edit: Please note that I am in no way serious about this. My dream for an original musical would just be Kelli O'Hara singing the phonebook for two hours.

Updated On: 5/9/14 at 12:58 AM

[Hackasaurus_Rex]

Posted: 5/9/14 at 1:12am

If it's based on something else what makes it original?

[beltingbaritone]

Posted: 5/9/14 at 2:00am

I would love a musical based on Memoirs of a Geisha or Total Eclipse.

[BobbyBubbi]

Posted: 5/9/14 at 2:57am

"If it's based on something else what makes it original?"

Please READ the post. I said it could be anything.

I always thought the book, "The Giving Tree" would make a great short children's musical.

Gothampc- I love your idea. It would be really interesting to see how those relationships between generations would entangle as well!
Updated On: 5/9/14 at 02:57 AM

[Charley Kringas Inc]

Posted: 5/9/14 at 3:17am

A bit odd, but I'd love to see something daring done with Barbara Demick's (nonfiction) book "Nothing to Envy", which is about a set of North Korean defectors. The tales told were oddly romantic in the old-fashioned sense of the term.

Also, any of Peter Greenaway's 1980s films would be fabulous (I've always thought Belly of the Architect felt like an adaptation of an opera).

[Hackasaurus_Rex]

Posted: 5/9/14 at 7:33am

"Please READ the post. I said it could be anything. "

I did READ your post (and the ideas everyone suggested) and it is precisely why I am asking the question.

I obviously know what you mean but I guess I am posing a more philosophical question about what makes an "original" musical original. We can all agree that a musical is made up of two equal parts- BOOK and MUSIC/ LYRICS. Without a book you have a concert or review. Without music/lyric you have a play. Both are essential and both are equally important to the creation of a musical. So my question remains... if the book is based on some other material that you as the show's writer didn't create how is the musical truly original. By this logic would we consider Rock Of Ages or Mamma Mia original musicals since the books for those are original creations and instead of borrowing the story, they borrowed the other essential half (the music) from an artist's catalogue?

I don't ask the question to be argumentative. It's a legitimate question regarding what truly constitutes originality. It seems to me to simply suggest that only the music and lyric make a musical original negates the work of a book writer... or storytellers in general, since creating a good story can be just as challenging as any other aspect of creating a musical. And no book writer with any conscience would take full credit for the authorship of a musical based on a piece of source material they didn't write (a movie, novel, etc...)

So yes, the question remains.

[hak5]

Posted: 5/9/14 at 8:06am

nonmusical idea:

a dark twisted version of Alice in Wonderland

where Alice is a mental patient, the white rabbit is her doctor, the Tweedles are a patient w/ two personalitis, the tea party would be w/ absinthe, etc etc

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 5/9/14 at 8:46am

Clearly what OP meant was not a musical not based on anything (the way original musical is typically used) but a musical that is simply new (as opposed to a revival or remounting of an existing musical).
Updated On: 5/9/14 at 08:46 AM

[newintown]

Posted: 5/9/14 at 9:10am

I've thought that the idea of the Tammy Faye Bakker musical always sounded good - as long as it was actually about something, rather than just an A-Z of her life. I think interesting things could be explored, like the way men (including God) used her/influenced her, or the idea of using make-up/"beauty" to hide problems and inner ugliness. It could be interesting; I imagine it won't be, but...

I'm not generally a fan of quiet introspective humorless chamber pieces, where people sit on chairs and sing 6-minute long songs about unhappiness. So I would love to see more adaptations like Gentleman's Guide - narratives with look with humor at life (even really dark humor). I think some of Patrick Dennis' other novels could make good musicals.

But the biggest challenge is that writers ought to adapt - make the piece new, see far beyond the source material - it's facile to just take a story as is and plop songs in - we see that with Shrek, Legally Blonde, Rocky. Of course that kind of show has some fans; but why not aim higher? We get one life - make the most out of it, try to do more than you think you can.

[promisespromises2]

Posted: 5/11/14 at 7:18pm

^Do you think RISE will explore that part of Bakker's life (I know you said you imagined it won't be, I was just wondering if any information has been put out about it yet)? I know Chenoweth mentioned that that's the musical she is going for or will be her "announcement coming soon" musical that people have been waiting for (you know, of the multiple musicals that she has been lining up for years).

I just finished Villette by Charlotte Brontë and it might be the weird romanticist/love of REAL relationships in me but I would love to see that on stage as a play or musical. Unfortunately a crapload would have to be chopped from the book , but I think it would be interesting to leave the audience completely unsure of the ending like Brontë originally did.

[Littleshopofcarrie]

Posted: 5/11/14 at 7:27pm

I've always wanted Disney to bring THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS to Broadway.