Spritual Sequels to Musicals

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 5/7/16 at 7:42pm

Seeing Evita again and only recently really having listened to Jesus Christ Superstar when it comes to ALW (or Tim Rice, for that matter) musicals, it struck me how similar it is to the previous show in structure (and that both protagonists dies at 33). The secondary character who is a narrator/antagonist, the way songs and scenes are structured etc.

 

What other shows can people think of that, while not being sequels, seem to be spiritual followups? Funny Girl seems like it was meant to be a follow up to Gypsy on some level--especially when Sondheim was approached to do the lyrics and Robbins was initially approached (before he came back to help fix it).

 

Hello Dolly begot Mame?

 

In some ways Zorba feels like an attempt to capture the Cabaret magic (nearly the same creative team, a popular but outre source, etc)

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 5/7/16 at 7:45pm

The horrid film CAN HEIRONYMOUS MERKIN EVER FORGET MERCY HUMPPE AND FIND TRUE HAPPINESS is definitely a spiritual successor to STOP THE WORLD - I WANT TO GET OFF.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 5/7/16 at 8:06pm

Ha!  I only recently tracked down a copy of Can Heironymous...iwillnottypeouttherestofthattitle and you are absolutely right.  This might be more common with movies--Bedknobs and Broomsticks (and perhaps the inferior Pete's Dragon) are Disney's attempts at replicating the success of Mary Poppins. 

It's Always Fair Weather seemed a clear attempt to do a followup by MGM to On the Town--unfortunately they didn't use Bernstein's music much in that original film, but Previn's tunes let down an otherwise delightful second film.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 5/7/16 at 8:10pm

Who can ever forget Milton Berle as Good Time Eddie Filth from Can ....? Film is never shown anywhere at anytime.  . Cannot think of any other bad film musical to compare it with

 

 

 

[Fantod]

Posted: 5/7/16 at 8:19pm

Les Mis and Miss Saigon

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 5/7/16 at 8:22pm

Mr Roxy said: "Who can ever forget Milton Berle as Good Time Eddie Filth from Can ....? Film is never shown anywhere at anytime.  . Cannot think of any other bad film musical to compare it with

 

 

 

 

"

What was that a spiritual sequel to?

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 5/7/16 at 8:24pm

Praying for a musical better than Can

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 5/7/16 at 9:05pm

I am completely baffled...  Can?

[gypsy101]

Posted: 5/7/16 at 9:09pm

Can-Can?

[hork]

Posted: 5/7/16 at 9:14pm

That actually points to my problem with Evita, which is that it feels like a retread of JCS in a lot of ways; and, since they needed a narrator/antagonist like Judas, they stuck in Che, even though he has nothing to do with the story. It could have been anyone, really, but they picked Che because he's the most famous Argentinean, I guess. It could have worked if they had brought the story back around to him somehow, but they didn't, even though, in the beginning, it seems like it's going to be about him as much as JCS is about Judas.

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 5/7/16 at 9:14pm

Can... Heironymous Merkin etc.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 5/7/16 at 10:15pm

Mr. Nowack said: "Can... Heironymous Merkin etc.

 

"

Doh. Thanks for clarifying 

[devonian.t]

Posted: 5/8/16 at 3:23am

I think there is a clearer link between Stop the World... and The Roar of the Greasepaint.

I've often thought of Batboy and Urinetown as cousins.

[John Adams]

Posted: 5/8/16 at 8:51am

I don't know if I'm really following the brief, here, but Rags was the sequel to Fiddler on the Roof.

[darquegk]

Posted: 5/8/16 at 11:00am

I've heard the same thing said about Ragtime, but with Golde dead (as she is in the original Tevye novel) by the time Tevye and his daughter make it to America.

 

Spelling Bee feels like a spiritual sequel to Smile.

[AHLiebross]

Posted: 5/8/16 at 11:31am

It's not exactly in the category of spiritual sequels, but I've often thought of Yentl as an attempt to remake Fiddler On the Roof as a feminist musical. I just wish other characters besides Yentl got to sing.

Also, I think Jekyll & Hyde was an attempt to piggyback on The Phantom of the Opera. The problem was in not figuring out what makes Phantom so compelling, namely that the musical gave him more depth than the Leroux horror novel. If Hyde had some good points (such as falling in love with the prostitute) and Jekyll had more bad points (e.g., being a total wimp) I think J&H might have been a better show.

Updated On: 5/8/16 at 11:31 AM

[Unknown User]

Posted: 5/8/16 at 1:17pm

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