Musicals Not Based on Anything- Page 2

[GovernorSlaton]

Posted: 11/23/06 at 5:27pm

Everything is "based" on something, but the question asked what musicals were not based on a book, a play, a movie, etc. Company started with Furth's unproduced plays, so I would argue that it is original. Sunday is a completely original story, as is Into the Woods. I would also classify musicals based on real-life events as original (Dreamgirls, Chorus Line, Caroline or Change).

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 11/23/06 at 5:43pm

I would say all of those are original. The key to noting a non-original musical is the phrase " : The Musical! " That's when you know it's crap.

And, Brooklyn is original - uck.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 11/23/06 at 8:15pm

The upcoming Curtains is an original musical.

Posted: 11/23/06 at 9:40pm

So then 1776 is completely original?

[defyingravity11]

Posted: 11/23/06 at 9:48pm

Someone said Anything Goes, but that's a jukebox musical.

[ILoveMyDictionary]

Posted: 11/23/06 at 10:41pm

Spelling Bee is based on a off-Broadway play

Correct me if I'm wrong but Spelling Bee started off as an off-off-off Broadway play called C-R-E-P-E-S-C-U-L-E and what we have today is the expansion of that play. Again, I could be wrong.

Updated On: 11/23/06 at 10:41 PM

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 11/23/06 at 10:55pm

ANYTHING GOES is certainly not a jukebox Musical!

[wickedfan]

Posted: 11/24/06 at 12:15am

SUNDAY is inspired by Suerat's painting. Not based off of. Two totally different things.

[Julian2]

Posted: 11/24/06 at 12:25am

So then 1776 is completely original?

I would think so. Although I wouldn't be suprised if it had a few direct founding father quotes. But I would consider it original.

Correct me if I'm wrong but Spelling Bee started off as an off-off-off Broadway play called C-R-E-P-E-S-C-U-L-E and what we have today is the expansion of that play. Again, I could be wrong.

As far as I know, that's correct.

Someone said Anything Goes, but that's a jukebox musical.
_____________________________________________________________
ANYTHING GOES is certainly not a jukebox Musical!


Indeed. If it is a jukebox musical, than so is Crazy for You. But the fact is, neither are.

[defyingravity11]

Posted: 11/24/06 at 12:40am

I thought that a jukebox musical was another term for a compilation musical, that is, a musical based around songs already composed by a composer or musical group. Indeed, the songs in all versions of Anything Goes were written before the musical was written. Please correct me if I am misunderstanding what a jukebox musical is as I could very well be wrong.

[gypsiedtokill]

Posted: 11/24/06 at 12:58am

[title of show] tells me that Starlight Express is completely original. Figured that was worth mentioning :)

[nobodyhome]

Posted: 11/24/06 at 1:10am

I would say that Company and 1776 are both originals. The former really just used parts of two and a half ot the Furth plays as a starting point. The plays had never been produced. There was no Robert, though there was a couple and an observer in all the plays.

Anyway, if a play has never been produced and the play's author writes the book of a musical version of the play, even if the musical is more or less a straightforward adaptation of the play (not the case here), I think the musical counts as original.

1776 does feature quotations from the participants, but that doesn't keep it from being an original in my book.

I'd definitely say that ACL is original.

Brigadoon, no. You can't be sure, but Lerner was not always so honest about things. I wouldn't be surprised if he had read or at least heard about Germelshausen. Not that Brigadoon doesn't depart from it in many respects, so it's a thin line.

Some originals (sorry if I'm repeating some mentioned already):

On a Clear Day You Can See Forever
On the Town (though inspired by the ballet Fancy Free)
Allegro
Paint Your Wagon
Love Life
Lady in the Dark
Plain and Fancy
Sweet Adeline
Music in the Air
The Cat and the Fiddle
Of Thee I Sing
Let 'Em Eat Cake
Irma la Douce
Girl Crazy
Annie Get Your Gun
Coco
Pacific Overtures
Bells Are Ringing
Johnny Johnson
Fade Out—Fade In
Hallelujah, Baby!
Celebration
They're Playing Our Song
Anyone Can Whistle
Me and Juliet
Billion Dollar Baby
Bloomer Girl
Finian's Rainbow
Follies
Falsettos

And many, many others.

[areyoukiddingme]

Posted: 11/24/06 at 1:37am

At some point, years ago, I compiled a list. I will see if I can dig it up. It had about 350 musicals on it, only 50 or so of which would be considered to be completely original. On this list, I considered musicals based on historical events to be "unoriginal." Evita falls into this category as does 1776.


Caroline, or Change is original I think.
The Last Five Years

[AnythingCanHappen]

Posted: 11/24/06 at 1:48am

Spelling Bee was based on "Crepiscule."

[neddyfrank2]

Posted: 11/24/06 at 2:07am

Curtains