"Screen to Stage" adaptations that were better as movies
"Screen to Stage" adaptations that were better as movies
"Screen to Stage" adaptations that were better as movies#1
Posted: 9/25/17 at 2:15am
I was watching the AMAZING Kevin Lynch on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/user/kevml33) and he was talking about his top 5 least favorite musicals. A few of them were "screen to stage" adaptations. I decided to ask you all what "screen to stage" adaptations in your opinion were better as movies.
I only have one which is Sister Act. The reason why I didn't like Sister Act the Musical is because I was disappointed that NONE of the songs from the movie (Hail Holy Queen (MY FAVORITE), My God (My Guy), I Will Follow Him, etc.) were in the musical. Raise Your Voice is the only song I like in the show and it gives me so many chills at the end of the song. Besides that, everything else is bad to me.
"Screen to Stage" adaptations that were better as movies#2
Posted: 9/25/17 at 2:54am
the blanket answer in my opinion is usually: most of them.
i'm surprised you chose Sister Act as a standout, I think it's a pretty good adaptation of a really good movie. definitely not among the worst film to musical adaptations IMO
some unnecessary ones include Ghost, Footloose and 9 to 5.
turns out there was a thread on this subject about a year ago
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/13/16
.#3
Posted: 9/25/17 at 2:59am
Groundhog Day
Sunset Blvd
Both mediocre musicals of great films that were helped by the casting of a strong lead performer.
.#4
Posted: 9/25/17 at 3:21am
God, yes, SUNSET BOULEVARD. It's as if they set the screenplay directly to music with no thought or skill whatsoever.
Wasn't MARTIN GUERRE based on a film? Singing all those professions of friendship made for a very odd LGBTQ exercise.
Speaking of French films, LA CAGE AUX FOLLES ruined my favorite foreign-language film by stripping a brilliant farce of every scrap of humor.
I've only seen individual numbers on TV, but MARY POPPINS seems execrable. There's a reason I avoid adaptations of Disney films.
SINGING IN THE RAIN strikes me as pointless, but not as infuriatingly so as SB.
Broadway Legend Joined: 1/25/11
.#5
Posted: 9/25/17 at 3:57am
Agree with Gavston in "most of them"
- Footloose
- Cry Baby
- 9 to 5
- Rocky
- Young Frankenstein
- Shrek
- Honeymoon in Vegas
- Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
- arguably Kinky Boots (I think the musical works through a lot of finessing, but IMHO, the movie was better)
Successful - primarily because they rethought the original film and made major changes to create a successful musical, as opposed to taking the movie script, cutting the dialog to the basics and adding songs somewhat randomly.
- Hairspray (Love both, and both work in their respective media
- The Producers
- The Lion King
.#6
Posted: 9/25/17 at 4:14am
Off topic, but I always wished that The Birdcage was La Cage instead, that cast
.#7
Posted: 9/25/17 at 4:25am
CoolDogeGuy said: "I was watching the AMAZING Kevin Lynch on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/user/kevml33) and he was talking about his top 5 least favorite musicals. A few of them were "screen to stage" adaptations. I decided to ask you all what "screen to stage" adaptations in your opinion were better as movies.
I only have one which is Sister Act. The reason why I didn't like Sister Act the Musical is because I was disappointed that NONE of the songs from the movie (Hail Holy Queen (MY FAVORITE), My God (My Guy), I Will Follow Him, etc.) were in the musical. Raise Your Voice is the only song I like in the show and it gives me so many chills at the end of the song. Besides that, everything else is bad to me.
"
My exact issue with Sister Act, and Billy Elliot, also the reason why I was dreading School of Rock but they included and enhanced the film music so I loved it!
.#10
Posted: 9/25/17 at 9:03am
Most people would say AMELIE, even though I enjoyed it onstage...it's not a perfect adaptation of its very cinematic source material. I fear the same thing for MEAN GIRLS, but I hope that's not the case.
I think 8 1/2 and NINE make for a particularly unique situation. It began as a film, and I love the musical because it expands upon its source material and also doesn't try to be a carbon copy. Sadly, when that story RETURNED to film, there were casting/artistic/plot mistakes all around.
Young Frankenstein could have been outstanding, but they just didn't hit the mark. It happens.
Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame deserved to be phenomenal onstage. I don't know why they decided to try incorporating more elements of Victor Hugo's novel. The animated movie is perfect for what it is and would have translated better, I think.
.#11
Posted: 9/25/17 at 9:04am
Footloose is a 2011 teenager's Tumblr fanfiction.
Ghost and Flashdance are both unwatchable.
Little Mermaid is a nice idea, but had a horrible execution. I don't really know what was going through Bob Crowley's mind when he directed Tarzan, but I can say it wasn't good.
.#12
Posted: 9/25/17 at 9:23am
rosscoe(au) said: "Off topic, but I always wished that The Birdcage was La Cage instead, that cast"
See, I always feel when I see La Cage it had the book of The Birdcage because the jokes are so much stronger, at least to me.
.#13
Posted: 9/25/17 at 9:29am
I can't think of a single screen to stage adaptation where the film isn't better to some degree, and that includes some of my favorites like Promises, Promises, Mame, A Gentleman's Guide, etc.
The best ones, for me, are probably Nine, Grand Hotel, and A Little Night Music. But I wouldn't say that they're better than their source material. Perhaps as good.
Personally, I think that disliking an adaptation because it doesn't keep the dusty old pop songs from the movie score shows a lack of imagination and appreciation for new material.
.#15
Posted: 9/25/17 at 10:30am
Big Fish and Sunset Boulevard are the first two I always think of. Great, great films. But really, most stage adaptations are not nearly as good as the film.
The only musical based directly on a movie that I think is absolutely, easily better than the source is Little Shop.
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/14/13
.#16
Posted: 9/25/17 at 10:45am
Scarywarhol said: "Big Fish and Sunset Boulevard are the first two I always think of. Great, great films. But really, most stage adaptations are not nearly as good as the film."
Big Fish really upset me, because the source material is so good and thought provoking, and definitely lends its self to a trippy quality that works well for musicals that make you think (see Matilda or GHD). But they took the basis of the story and decided to give it a bland overbudgeted Wicked-type treatment.
Understudy Joined: 12/10/10
.#18
Posted: 9/25/17 at 11:57am
Most really, especially when the original film wasn't remotely musical.
That said, 9 to 5, Sister Act, Big Fish and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels all have their strengths. And I'm in the camp who think SB is brilliant and ALW's very best score.
.#19
Posted: 9/25/17 at 12:30pm
I did not care for SISTER ACT or BIG FISH.
I do like the musical adaptions of HAIRSPRAY, HONEYMOON IN VEGAS, WAITRESS, LA CAGE, ONCE, and NEWSIES more than the original films.
I'm also very much in the minority that enjoyed the book and film of RAGTIME more than the musical. I adore the musical but the book and film are a level of brilliant the musical doesn't quite reach for me.
.#20
Posted: 9/25/17 at 4:01pm
MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS
SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS
STATE FAIR
SISTER ACT
BULLETS OVER BROADWAY
MY FAVORITE YEAR
DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRALS
SUGAR (SOME LIKE IT HOT)
THE COLOR PURPLE
VICTOR VICTORIA
Better than the movie:
42ND STREET (especially the revival)
As good as the movie:
FULL MONTY
BILLY ELLIOT
KING OF HEARTS
SEE SAW
A CHRISTMAS STORY
WHITE CHRISTMAS
HOLIDAY INN
.#21
Posted: 9/25/17 at 5:47pm
Ado Annie D'Ysquith said: "Most people would say AMELIE, even though I enjoyed it onstage...it's not a perfect adaptation of its very cinematic source material. I fear the same thing for MEAN GIRLS, but I hope that's not the case.
I think 8 1/2 and NINE make for a particularly unique situation. It began as a film, and I love the musical because it expands upon its source material and also doesn't try to be a carbon copy. Sadly, when that story RETURNED to film, there were casting/artistic/plot mistakes all around.
Young Frankenstein could have been outstanding, but they just didn't hit the mark. It happens.
Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame deserved to be phenomenal onstage. I don't know why they decided to try incorporating more elements of Victor Hugo's novel. The animated movie is perfect for what it is and would have translated better, I think."
I feel the same as you for Mean Girls. I did not expect for there to be a stage adaptation and didn't think it would be a good musical. I have a feeling that it might flop, but I'm giving it a chance since Tina Fey and Nell Benjamin are working on the book and lyrics. 
And I agree with you for Hunchback too.
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/29/05
.#22
Posted: 9/25/17 at 7:47pm
ALL ABOUT EVE to APPLAUSE
BULLETS OVER BROADWAY
As good as A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC IS, it still can't hold a candle to SMILES OF A SUMMER NIGHT
Ditto SWEET CHARITY vis a vis NIGHTS OF CABIRIA and NINE vis a vis 8 1/2 - fortunately for these three, the shows are still quite wonderful even though much lesser works than their original source material, each a masterpiece
Another good but not nearly as good as the movie show: GRAND HOTEL
.#23
Posted: 9/25/17 at 8:50pm
I had the questionable fortune of seeing a community theatre production of SISTER ACT recently. The cast was excellent, as was the direction — but the problems in that show were massive, especially in the second act when we stopped so everyone could get a second act solo. By and large, it's a pretty awful adaptation.
.#24
Posted: 9/25/17 at 9:38pm
henrikegerman said: "ALL ABOUT EVE to APPLAUSE
BULLETS OVER BROADWAY
As goodas A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC IS, it still can'thold a candle to SMILES OF A SUMMER NIGHT
Ditto SWEET CHARITY vis a visNIGHTS OF CABIRIA and NINE vis a vis8 1/2 - fortunately for these three, the shows are still quite wonderful even though much lesser works than their original source material, each a masterpiece
Another good butnot nearly as good as the movie show: GRAND HOTEL
"
I actually prefer Sweet Charity to Nights of Cabiria. I hated the ending of the latter. Sweet Charity softened it and made it less ridiculous.
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