"Screen to Stage" adaptations that were better as movies

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"Screen to Stage" adaptations that were better as movies

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.

HELLO PEOPLE! :D

"Screen to Stage" adaptations that were better as movies

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

"Contentment, it seems, simply happens. It appears accompanied by no bravos and no tears."

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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.

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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.

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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

Updated On: 9/25/17 at 03:57 AM

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Posted: 9/25/17 at 4:14am

Off topic, but I always wished that The Birdcage was La Cage instead, that cast

Well I didn't want to get into it, but he's a Satanist. Every full moon he sacrifices 4 puppies to the Dark Lord and smears their blood on his paino. This should help you understand the score for Wicked a little bit more. Tazber's: Reply to Is Stephen Schwartz a Practicing Christian

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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!

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Posted: 9/25/17 at 6:43am

Everything Disney.

Magical on film. A sack of potatoes on stage.

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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.

https://newplayexchange.org/users/99643/amanda-delalla

#10

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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.

#11

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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.

#12

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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.

#13

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Posted: 9/25/17 at 9:34am

STEEL MAGNOLIAS

#14

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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.

#15

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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.

#16

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Posted: 9/25/17 at 11:08am

All of them except Little Shop of Horrors and Billy Elliot.

#17

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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.

#18

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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.

"I shall stay until the wind changes."

#19

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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

#20

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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.

HELLO PEOPLE! :D

#21

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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

Updated On: 9/25/17 at 07:47 PM

#22

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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.

http://docandraider.com

#23

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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.

#24

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Posted: 9/25/17 at 9:38pm

What I really don't get is turning non-musical movies into non-musical plays, i.e.

THE GRADUATE

WHEN HARRY MET SALLY

THE KING'S SPEECH

RESERVOIR DOGS

ON THE WATERFRONT

JUDGMENT AT NUREMBURG

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