Movie Adaptions that Got Stuck Out-of-Town

We all know movie to stage adaptations are becoming more and more popular, but I was wondering if the odds are more or less likely that they'll actually transfer to Broadway, so thought I'd compose this list of shows that had out-of-town tryouts that have not yet made their appearance on the Great White Way. This list is definitely not exhaustive, just the ones I could think of off the top of my head. Please feel free to add!

Alliance: Bull Durham, Ever After, Trading Places

Paper Mill: Benny & Joon, The Sting, Hercules

Goodspeed: Because of Winn Dixie, Summer Stock

Ogunquit: Nutty Professor, Mr. Holland's Opus, Mystic Pizza

Old Globe: Come Fall in Love, First Wives Club

Chicago: Devil Wears Prada

St. Louis: Karate Kid

Houston: Secret of My Success

Hartford: The Flamingo Kid

DC: Dave, Beaches

I don’t know if it makes it more or less likely for a show to transfer, but there are two obstacles: 1) I’d guess they’re traditionally more expensive than a work not based on a movie. 2) Underlying rights payments in addition to the authors’ option. When the UR expire, producers have to decide whether or not to renew. As opposed to a work without source material (or with a not-notable source material), where development can just go on and on and on and the show never sees the light of day.

I do wonder how bad things have to be to not transfer since we've had some pretty bad ones.

Many of these shows only had their tryouts premiere within the past year and half, so I think it’s a bit premature to say they’re stuck out of town.

Beaches still seems like it's trying to make it work.

Chaz Hands said: "ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "I don’t know if it makes it more or less likely for a show to transfer, but there are two obstacles: 1) I’d guess they’re traditionally more expensive than a work not based on a movie. 2) Underlying rights payments in addition to the authors’ option. When the UR expire, producers have to decide whether or not to renew. As opposed to a work without source material (or with a not-notable source material), where development can just go on and on and on and the show never sees the light of day."

Interesting!! I didn’t know this!! Thank you!!

So Bull Durham is most likely dead then, because it’s unlikely the writers would keep renewing the rights since it’s been 8 years since its last performance??"

I was really hoping Bull Durham would make it to Broadway. Susan Werner has been one of my favorite singer/songwriters since the mid-90’s

The Baker's Wife

Breakfast at Tiffany's (or was that a book adaptation?)

Freaky Friday (which Disney decided to film instead)

Disney's Hunchback and Hercules (two different shows - not one that has both Hunchback and Hercules)

Is Rebecca an adaptation of the book or the movie?

ggersten said: "The Baker's Wife

Breakfast at Tiffany's (or was that a book adaptation?)

Freaky Friday (which Disney decided to film instead)

Disney's Hunchback and Hercules (two different shows - not one that has both Hunchback and Hercules)

Is Rebecca an adaptation of the book or the movie?"

Breakfast at Tiffany’s did perform on Broadway I thought. Maybe I’m misremembering though haha??

My knowledge is much better of the more recent “Broadway-Bound” shows thus why my list skewed newer. Chalk it up to recency bias haha!

Another show I forgot to mention was Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion which had its out-of-town tryout in Seattle in 2017.

Additional adaptations that haven’t seemed to make it past out of town:

The Diner, music by Sheryl Crow and doesn’t seem like there’s been any additional developments.

August Rush, premiered at The Paramount in Aurora, IL in 2019 and no peep since then.

Jarethan said: "

I can't remember if it ever moved to Broadway, but Papermill had a tryout for Paper Moon, which was also painful to watch. I seem to recall it was expected to move to the Marquis. If it did, it must have run for nano-seconds, because I have a mind for theatre trivia and I don't remember it making it to Broadway, which might simply have been my mind wanting to block out the experience of having to sit through it. I would have left during intermission, but I was with people, so I had to endure.

The Ogunquit also had a horrible tryout for the movie Grumpy Old Men. Truly terrible.

A few weeks ago, I saw a production of a theatrical version of The DaVinci Code in Oguinquit. Once again, I really only went because we were visiting a friend who surprised us with tickets. That said, it was well done, the actors were good, but one walked away feeling that it was just unnecessary. I imagine it has been conceived not for Broadway, but for regional theatres with subscription bases, a la the recent runs seemingly everywhere of Murder on the Orient Express (which I assume was successful, if again totally unnecessary.

One very pleasant surprise, however: I am not sure that I have ever seen Michael Urie in anything where he did not play a slightly or more over-the-top gay person, mostly in comedies. In this, he took Tom Hanks' role, which I guess you'd say was asexual, and he played it straight (no pun intended). He really gave a solid performance and, for the first time, I suddenly can see him in a broader range of roles. Since I have always liked Urie a lot, I should not have been surprised that he would succeed as well as he did.

He's a Juilliard graduate who got cast in Ugly Betty and I think actors get pigeonholed when they have early success. I know he played Hamlet in DC a few years ago.
"

George Stiles (composer) is probably too busy raking in the $$$$$$ from producing SIX!

Australia- An Officer and a Gentleman

George Street Playhouse, NJ- The Fields of Ambrosia, Joy

Hamilton Stage, NJ-Bubble Boy

Magic Theatre, CA-The Opposite of Sex

Papermill Playhouse, NJ- A Wonderful Life

UK/Ireland Tour-Bedknobs and Broomsticks

US Tour-Busker Alley, Flashdance: The Musical, Selena Forever

West End-Bend It Like Beckham: The Musical, The Bodyguard, Calendar Girls, Fame, Made in Dagenham, Metropolis, Mrs Henderson Presents, Peggy Sue Got Married, Scrooge, Strictly Ballroom, The Time Traveller's Wife, Top Hat, The Witches of Eastwick

Likely Cancelled or in Development Hell-Bridget Jones’ Diary, My Best Friend's Wedding, Magic Mike

Little Miss Sunshine off-Broadway and off-West End