MY BEST FRIENDS WEDDING Is Now A Jukebox Musical

I see your point, but I wouldn’t really consider this a “jukebox musical”. The original movie contained a bunch of pop classics —including some Bacharach and David songs. Most famously the “I Say A Little Prayer” scene in the restaurant. Hopefully they’ll find a way to work the other songs in just as gracefully!

Updated On: 12/10/19 at 09:35 PM

Alex Kulak2 said: "Is this a money thing? I can't imagine licensing 15+ hit songs for a show is cheaper than hiring a songwriting team. If anything, I think it'd be more expensive."

 

Obviously it depends on who the team is.  "Names" like Adam Guettel, Ahrens & Flaherty, Yazbeck, etc. don't come cheap!  .  A couple of kids from the BMI workshop -- not so much.

 

All those shows were better for having those writers, but their names weren't what got them to Broadway, and they didn't need to be. If a producer has a pretty good chance for a show to succeed with the name alone, why not take a risk with the creative team?

Jordan Catalano said: "I think 3 songs were “featured” in the film but this is a full musical using old music. Why couldn’t those few songs be featured in a show with an original score is what I’m saying.
It’s just getting very old."

In all fairness, this is a touring production, and those come with lower expectations. It’s also not the first time a famous “chick flick” has been adapted in this fashion - a touring stage version of “An Officer and A Gentleman” adopted a similar jukebox approach a couple of years ago.

Alexandra Burke is a talented singer, but I don’t expect too much from this...