The best and worst musicals based off of a movie. — Page 3

Personally (of what I've seen), I think The Lion King is the best.

Big or Spamalot are the worst.

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I'm surprised no one has mentioned Evil Dead the musical, I loved it

Based "off" a movie? No. Based ON a movie.

Loving reading the list here of stage musicals that were adapted from the big screen to Broadway. Who knows the one that started it all in 1973? I saw a new revival of it here in Los Angeles on Friday night with a great cast of Broadway and West End theatre veterans. Clues: It won an unprecedented 9 Academy Awards including Best Picture before opening in 1973 as a reserved-seat attraction at the Royale Theatre (now the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre) on West 45th Street.

And some others to add to the list from the Big Screen to the stage: "White Christmas", "Elf", "Sister Act", "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" and "Dirty Dancing".

My Favorites:
"A Little Night Music"; "42 Street"; "A Catered Affair"; "Xanudu" (hated the movie, but loved the stage version); "Sunset Boulevard"; "Grey Gardens"; "Beauty & the Beast" (the original version and not the horrible current touring version); "Grand Hotel"; "Hairspray"; "Mary Poppins" and another not mentioned already (don't bash me!) "9 to 5" (Original Los Angeles Production).

My Least Favorites:
Not really many here that I've disliked but there are two that I don't like at all--#1 is and always will be "The Lion King" followed by "Monty Python's Spamalot".

Best
A Little Night Music
Sweet Charity
Promises, Promises
Hairspray
Grey Gardens
A Man of No Importance

Worst
A Catered Affair
Saturday Night Fever
Wedding Singer
Cry Baby
First Wives Club
The Little Mermaid

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Updated On: 2/27/11 at 03:44 PM

It's been years since I saw Mary Poppins but I remember liking it very much.

I don't think I can say enough about how underappreciated Grey Gardens is. Truly one of the greatest shows of the decade.

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Best, (actually favorites):
Thoroughly Modern Millie
Hairspray
The Producers
Billy Elliot
Legally Blond

Worst (least favorite)
Urban Cowboy
Young Frankenstein
Shreck

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is probably THE best.

Didn't like it at all.

Clues: It won an unprecedented 9 Academy Awards including Best Picture before opening in 1973 as a reserved-seat attraction at the Royale Theatre (now the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre) on West 45th Street.

Are you talking about Gigi? It won 9 Oscars in 1958, though screen-to-stage adaptations occurred previously, most notably Promises, Promises and Applause.

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Updated On: 2/28/11 at 01:31 PM

And before anyone asks, the first Broadway musical adapted from a movie (which was not a novel or play)was HAZEL FLAGG.

We had that discussion a couple of years ago.

Not according to what was written in the program for a new revival of "Gigi" which just closed last night in Los Angeles at the Reprise Theatre. The information on the history of the show was written by Brent Wagner, the chair of the Musical Theatre Department at the University of Michigan. He states the following: "But when Gigi opened on Broadway in 1973, this was not the trend (a stage production from a film musical). In fact, Gigi was the first ORIGINAL film musical to be transferred to the stage. Before this, stage musicals would be adapted as film musicals, not the reverse."

There's also another article about how this revival came to be by the director, David Lee who decided to base his on London's West End production done in 1985 which is different from what was done in 1973 on Broadway. Lots more to the story but I'll just say that for the answer I was looking for Mister Matt is right.

And the Reprise production was really good for only one week of rehearsals and two weeks of shows. The cast was the BEST that I've ever seen at the Reprise only 13 including the ensemble: William Atherton as Honore (really good voice); Matt Cavenaugh although young, very good as Gaston; Chryssie Whitehead as Liane; Millicent Martin wonderful as Mamita; Susan Denaker as Alicia; Jason Graae playing 7 different roles who when he was on stage you couldn't take your eyes off of him; and Lisa O'Hare who was pure perfection as Gigi. The ensemble who played multiple roles very well consisted of Angela Ara Brown, Richard Bulda, Luke Lazzaro, Jonathan Sharp, Leslie Stevens and Yvette Tucker!

ETA: Thanks Jon for the info on Hazel Flagg which it looks like was the first non-musical transferred from a film to the Big Screen; Gigi was an "original" musical.

Updated On: 2/28/11 at 06:16 PM