Movie Musicals Are Back?

[WaitingForKathy]

Posted: 7/21/07 at 1:04pm

We had Dreamgirls last year...Now Hairspray...the new Julie Taymor Beatles musical is this fall...could this really be the start of regular movie musicals?

[Dancin Thru Life]

Posted: 7/21/07 at 1:12pm

Sorry if this is kind of off topic, but...

That Taymore/Beatles thing is on the preview reel here before Hairspray, so I had to sit through that fpr the first time the other night. In my opinion, IT LOOKS AWFUL!!!!

Now...back on topic...

I am as happy as you that the studios are no longer afraid to take a chance with musicals! One a year is the perfect pace, too!

[outovfashion07]

Posted: 7/21/07 at 1:20pm

Not to mention Sweeney Todd, Mamma Mia!, Nine, The Rolling Stones Musical, and possibly Jekyll & Hyde.

It is great that studios are taking chances to forever preserve some of these great shows.

[me2]

Posted: 7/21/07 at 1:28pm

Plus Disney's ENCHANTED.

I think HAIRSPRAY needs to do really well.
Broadway Blog: Film Musicals: The $50 Million Answer (and 50 Amazing Broadway Performers in 50 Weekdays)

[bwaylover2]

Posted: 7/21/07 at 1:32pm

i say yes they are back and with a vengence and i am happy they are back cause they are entertaining

[Dancin Thru Life]

Posted: 7/21/07 at 2:08pm

RE: "Plus Disney's ENCHANTED"

That's not being considered a musical, is it??? In the preview trailer, every time one of the charcaters starts to sing they are quickly stopped by another character!

It's more a comedy than a musical I think,...but I have only seen 3 minutes of it! HAHA!

[TheActr97J]

Posted: 7/21/07 at 2:19pm

It's definitely a musical. The score was written by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz.

[BrianIdol]

Posted: 7/21/07 at 2:39pm

Thank goodness!!! And Sweeney Todd is the perfect choice for the next movie-musical. People need to realize that musicals are not just about comedy and dancing...they can really tell a story in an interesting way...I have to say i'm pretty excited about Nine.

[Mr. Tuttle]

Posted: 7/21/07 at 3:27pm

Yes..movie musicals are back. But also look at the limited numbers of them. One or two a year doesn't make it a huge revivial. At least it is something.

But all it will take is one big bomb (i.e. Taymor) and then it's another 30 years of Disney animated musical crap.

[worrell4077]

Posted: 7/21/07 at 3:36pm

I'm excited that they are bringing movie musicals back and I'm looking forward to Hairspray(I wanna see it either before or after Simpsons Movie), Sweeney Todd, Nine, and whatever else comes. I'm really hoping that they green light Jersey Boys as a movie.

[bigred3535]

Posted: 7/21/07 at 4:46pm

Would Jersey Boys work very well as a movie? I still haven't seen it but isn't the majority of it songs without a huge amount of dialogue or plot? I would imagine the excitement of something like that is seeing and hearing it live and that it would lose a lot of excitement and interest on screen (when you could just watch old footage of the real Four Seasons or something)...

[Fan2]

Posted: 7/21/07 at 7:40pm

Also "Carousel" that Hugh Jackman is starring in and producing. Hugh said last year they just got the rights to it and they were looking for a writer and a director. Also don't forget he has a three-picture movie musical deal with Disney - he's doing an original movie musical called "If You Could See Me Now" which had out a casting call a few months ago and the rumor is he's also going to be doing "Guys & Dolls."

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 7/21/07 at 7:43pm

And don't forget THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG (I think that's what it's called), the new Disney animated musical that stars Tony-winner Anika Noni Rose as well as the AIDA rumors.

[FeelingElectric]

Posted: 7/21/07 at 8:05pm

Don't forget about Sunset Boulevard as well.

[Tkt2Ride]

Posted: 7/21/07 at 8:09pm

It will be nice to see more Musical on DVD. I just hope they look more to some Musical's that haven't already been put on tape before. That will have a bigger impact on Theater in general than just remakes of ones that have already been done before.

I think Jersey Boys can be presented in a way to make a good Movie. It is so popular on stage and I love the music. Hopefully a few more original Broadway Musical find their way on to disc sometime soon. Like maybe Avenue Q? Wicked? Shows you would love to be able to just pop into the DVD player to see again when their time has long past it's run on stage.

With Footloose, it will have a whole new approach, so that may be interesting. I suppose the same thing will be done with Sweeney Todd as well. Though, it would still be nice to see something entirely new, rather than updated, for me that is.

[GoSmileLaughCryClap]

Posted: 7/21/07 at 8:32pm

What a summer. Xanadu comes out of nowhere to become a hit, Gypsy makes a big noise at City Center, and Hairspray opens to the best reviews and boxoffice for a movie musical in decades.

Bring on Sweeney.

[jo]

Posted: 7/21/07 at 9:21pm

CAROUSEL and SUNSET BOULEVARD are classics -- the first one is arguably Rodgers and Hammerstein's best musical ( it was once a movie and has had a number of stage revivals) while SUNSET BOULEVARD is a film noir classic on the Hollywood of yesteryears. Both musical scores are beautiful and have popular appeal.

Will these musical remakes need contemporizing to have a more modern appeal?

I hope Hugh features as leading man for both ( as Carousel is a future production of his company, he is definitely reprising Billy Bigelow, this time on screen...he was impressive on the Carnegie Hall concert with Audra in 2002)...while ALWebber has mentioned him in the role not so long ago ( but nothing has been set for Sunset Boulevard, especially in terms of financing and casting it).

Maybe the new CBS TV show he is producing, VIVA LAUGHLIN, where he has a recurring cameo role and which will open this fall ( October premiere) will increase the appeal of storylines enhanced by the appeal of music ( sung songs), even if it is really a mystery drama ( and not a musical, as it is averred ).

[jo]

Posted: 7/21/07 at 9:29pm

If movie musicals are artistic and box office successes, they could have residual box office benefits for their stage counterparts ( remember CHICAGO and even PHANTOM even if the latter was not the financial success that was originally hoped for).


HAIRSPRAY the movie has drawn universal raves and may surprise at the box office. In the UK, some of those who have seen it say that there is now more interest in the forthcoming London transfer of the show, with Michael Ball as Edna Turnblad. Michael, known for his great voice both in London and to some extent in New York, has drawn excellent raves for his comic flair in his recent stage appearances ( NYC Opera's PATIENCE, as Count Fosco in THE WOMAN IN WHITE, and very recently as Hajj in the English National Opera's KISMET).

I saw HAIRSPRAY with Harvey F, am planning to see it with John T, and am hope to see the London stage version with Michael B!



Updated On: 7/21/07 at 09:29 PM

[bertandrew2]

Posted: 7/21/07 at 9:40pm

Nope. Movie musicals are NOT back.

The fact that ONE movie musical opens per year....or something like that...hardly means that musicals are BACK. In 'the day' movie musicals were commonplace--many many per year....I won't consider them "BACK" until they are as common as the crap
we call movies these days.

We can only HOPE to see a time when movie musical are back...for now, these annual
musicals on film will have to do.

Sigh.