Posted: 9/3/19 at 9:05pm
TEN PARTS??? Why...?
https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Ryan-Murphy-To-Bring-A-CHORUS-LINE-Patti-LuPone-and-More-To-Netflix-20190903
Updated On: 9/3/19 at 09:05 PM
Posted: 9/3/19 at 9:10pm
It's about the development of A CHORUS LINE, hence the 10-parts. If you read the countless books on the history of the show, it went thru an extensive workshop period. Just the initial midnight meetings that prompted the creation of A CHORUS LINE could cover 3-episodes alone. Plus, all the hoopla that surrounded the show once it arrived on Broadway and the crap the original cast had to endure (selling the rights to their likeliness for $1 while Bloomingdales was selling beach towels and clothing with them on the logo), could cover 2 episodes or more. Read the books, folks. There was a lot more to A CHORUS LINE than what was performed on stage.
Posted: 9/3/19 at 9:12pm
Posted: 9/3/19 at 9:25pm
I'm auditioning for the role of Donna McKechnie/Cassie so I've read the audition sides.
Posted: 9/3/19 at 9:26pm
Posted: 9/3/19 at 9:38pm
Posted: 9/3/19 at 9:38pm
To be fair to BWW, the original Time Magazine profile says this:
"He’s adapting two Broadway musicals for the screen: A Chorus Line will unfold as a 10-part miniseries, and The Prom, a feature, will star Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman. "
Posted: 9/3/19 at 9:39pm
Posted: 9/3/19 at 10:17pm
Variety quoting Time magazine-
Murphy told Time that he has projects in the works that include: a 10-episode adaptation of “A Chorus Line,” a series about the designer Halston starring Ewan McGregor, a documentary series about Andy Warhol, and a Marlene Dietrich project that will star frequent Murphy collaborator Jessica Lange.
So not a documentary. Can they really open up the audition back stories THAT much? I mean even if one episode is Zach and Cassie and one is Paul's ( which will totally gut his monologue IMHO) that leaves 8 episodes. Plus did they not learn from the film this is best in a live medium? Hey I can see it done just not particularly well. Still it will employ a ton o peoples.
Posted: 9/4/19 at 12:39am
Who is more interested in a dramatic adaptation/retelling over a high quality, in-depth 10 part documentary? Genuinely curious... 
Posted: 9/4/19 at 7:45am
Posted: 9/4/19 at 8:44am
Posted: 9/4/19 at 9:39am
Can’t ANYONE else helm theatre properties on film? Like whyyy does it always have to be him?
Obviously not. He’s an enormous fan of Broadway plus Hollywood and just about anything really, therefore he creates any project he wishes as no one else is. The huge success his projects have received, from viewership to critical acclaim has given him the industry credibility that he can produce anything he wishes and since EVERYONE wants to work on his projects, he can get anyone he wants just by the asking. There are many Broadway productions we have to thank him for getting off the ground. Most notably the recent Broadway production of THE BOYS IN THE BAND. Only he could have been able to put a cast together like that AND the clout to having it put on film now.
Posted: 9/4/19 at 9:51am
seahag2 said: "Who is more interested in a dramatic adaptation/retelling overa high quality, in-depth 10 part documentary? Genuinely curious..."
Not me. But really, A Chorus Line was great in its original production, the revival was mediocre and there are enough books/documentaries to make any further documentaries unnecessary.
What Murphy is almost surely doing is neither a remake of the show nor an actual documentary but a docudrama like The People Vs. O.J. Simpson. And he shouldn't. But he probably will.
Posted: 9/4/19 at 10:06am
Well, I guess it's the time of the season for ****ty ideas for adapting musicals to the big or small screen...
Posted: 9/4/19 at 10:27am
And I say MAY THE BROADWAY GODS BLESS YOU Ryan Murphy!!...
Posted: 9/4/19 at 1:56pm
If it's a dramatic miniseries expansion of the show's inherent concept, it's going to feel like a mediocre dramatization of reality television. Consider the structure that makes ACL work: "a diverse group of performers trying to get their break, while being simultaneously auditioned and interrogated from a seat in the house by an inscrutable, cold but not entirely unfeeling industry insider." Some variation on this exact drama plays out two nights a week, but the man in the house is Simon Cowell.
Updated On: 9/4/19 at 01:56 PM
Posted: 9/4/19 at 2:58pm
Nooooooo please can he not do this! This sounds exactly like the adaptation I've wanted to see, but I don't think Ryan Murphy's work is good enough for it.
I think drama like Fosse/Verdon but for A Chorus Line could be extremely effective. It could work as both a backstage drama and also a screen adaptation of A Chorus Line. You can find parallels and contrasts in the songs and the real-life creation, but you have to stay true to the original actors' intentions and wishes. I've thought about this a lot.
One thing that confuses me is, isn't this a copyright nightmare? The cast famously sold their life stories on the tapes to the producers for a dollar, but I was under the impression that other valuable backstory records, such as the book On The Line, were more carefully copyright protected. Wouldn't that mean they'd need to avoid some of that material completely or get permission from everyone?
Posted: 9/4/19 at 3:03pm
I wonder if this miniseries will discuss ACL's film version?
Posted: 9/4/19 at 3:20pm
Updated On: 9/4/19 at 03:20 PM
Posted: 9/4/19 at 3:48pm
Posted: 9/4/19 at 9:25pm
Posted: 9/5/19 at 3:13am
JCs pissed because he didn't get the scoop first from all his Broadway friends.
Who cares how it's approached--it's in the 'planning stages' and will change repeatedly.
I'd like the back story of each individual embellished so they almost get a full episode before they merge into the group--everything fragmented until the presentation on that line.
Posted: 9/5/19 at 6:29am
This does seem like one of the more likely approaches and as you note, could be interesting.
