Valley of the Dolls Musical
Valley of the Dolls Musical
Myron
Stand-by Joined: 8/20/04
#1Valley of the Dolls Musical
Posted: 8/14/08 at 9:58amStories have been flying-around for years about a musical version in the works for the Broadway version of the book and movie of Jacqueline Susanne's 60's hit "Valley of the Dolls" but I never heard more about this. Is it just rumors?
#2re: Valley of the Dolls Musical
Posted: 8/14/08 at 10:12am
There have been rumors of that for years but so far nuthin' 
There was also talk of a movie remake with Lindsay Lohan as Neely O'Hara but that went nowhere too.
I'm a big VOD & Patty Duke fan since the 60's. I know she would definitely entertain the idea of playing Helen Lawson, which would be awesome.
< Patty Duke (the original Neely O'Hara) & me (March 8, 2010)
miss pennywise
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/7/04
#2re: Valley of the Dolls Musical
Posted: 8/14/08 at 1:51pmWould this be the reworked musical version of VOD that played Off-Broadway a few years ago?
http://www.roches.com/television/ss83kod.html
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"If any relationship involves a flow chart, get out of it...FAST!"
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#3re: Valley of the Dolls Musical
Posted: 8/14/08 at 1:59pm
The last I heard Fox was doing a remake directed by Betty Thomas (also directed The Brady Bunch Movie and the Howard Stern movie), but I think it is in turnaround at this point.
TheatreFan71
Swing Joined: 1/7/08
#4re: Valley of the Dolls Musical
Posted: 8/14/08 at 2:32pmMaybe it should be more of a spoof (like Xanadu). It could be called "Hello Dolls!", have a number with singing and dancing pills. Perhaps a song for Neely called "Boobies, Boobies Boobies!" :)
#5re: Valley of the Dolls Musical
Posted: 8/14/08 at 3:17pm
I can see it now....
Songs Like
"You'll Never Work in This Town Again!"
"I, Helen Lawson"
"I Married a Gay Man"
"Big, Blonde & Boobies"
oh the names could go on....
"Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion's starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don't see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often it's not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it's always there - fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge - they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I've got a sneaky feeling you'll find that love actually is all around."
Borstalboy
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/9/04
#6re: Valley of the Dolls Musical
Posted: 8/14/08 at 3:23pm
"You Know How Bitchy Fags Are" -- A "Grass Is Always Greener"-like duet between Neely and Jennifer
"So What?" for Neely: My shrink says I'm self-destructive/SO WHAT?
"After Midnight All Cats Are Grey" for Miriam
"Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.”
~ Muhammad Ali
#7re: Valley of the Dolls Musical
Posted: 8/14/08 at 3:53pmA Beyond the Valley of the Dolls musical would much more fun. Plus you already have the songs.
#8re: Valley of the Dolls Musical
Posted: 8/14/08 at 3:54pm"Sparkle, Neele, Sparkle" - an Act One closer Rose's Turn-style breakdown for Neely - Every morning it's up at 5am and "Sparkle, Neely, Sparkle!!!"!
"When you're a gay man, you have to feel good about yourself when a urologist says, "Yeah. I pick you". - Happy Endings
#9re: Valley of the Dolls Musical
Posted: 8/14/08 at 3:58pmKate Flannery does a hysterical Neely O'Hara. She played the part in the off-Broadway show at Circle In The Square that Miss Pennywise mentioned, and later resurected her in a "Missmatch Game" spoof... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQd-OP13ON0
< Patty Duke (the original Neely O'Hara) & me (March 8, 2010)
WOSQ
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/18/03
#10re: Valley of the Dolls Musical
Posted: 8/14/08 at 4:05pm
Irving Mansfield, Jackie Susann's devoted gay husband (but let's not go there), kept her name in the news until he died well after she did. He was a publicist by trade and was the brains behind how they almost single-handedly turned a washed- up, never-was actress into a best selling novelist.
For instance after she died he Exec Produced a tv mini-series of valley of the Dolls that took the edge off the movie and book, but it did get made.
He announced a stage musical of the material and that came to naught, but it did keep Jackie's name in the papers. I think it was a ruse. Musicals that are never written, much less produced, are announced all the time.
There was a movie about them made called "Isn't She Great?" (I think) about them. It starred Bette Midler and Nathan Lane and was a dog and bombed, but the basic story was true.
"If my life weren't funny, it would just be true. And that would be unacceptable."
--Carrie Fisher
BwayBaby18
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/19/05
#11re: Valley of the Dolls Musical
Posted: 8/14/08 at 5:21pm
I LOVE "Isn't She Great" I'd rather see a musicalization of that.
Jackie: Morty, I am almost 30.
Guy on Street: Yea right.
Jackie: F**k You.
madlibrarian
Broadway Star Joined: 8/15/06
#12re: Valley of the Dolls Musical
Posted: 8/14/08 at 6:03pmA Valley musical could incorporate the songs written for the movie--I'll Plant My Own Tree (if this flying one doesn't knock me over), It's Impossible (to sing this song with these necklaces), Come Live With Me And Be My Love (oohhh baby), Give A Little More (with dignity!), and the Theme From Valley Of The Dolls (gotta get out of this place). Hey, Mr. Previn: grant some producer the rights to these songs!
WOSQ
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/18/03
#13re: Valley of the Dolls Musical
Posted: 8/15/08 at 9:44am
The former Mrs. Previn, the first one, the un-Mia, lyricist Dory Langdon Previn, would have to sign off on the song rights too.
"If my life weren't funny, it would just be true. And that would be unacceptable."
--Carrie Fisher
Borstalboy
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/9/04
#14re: Valley of the Dolls Musical
Posted: 8/15/08 at 10:05amThere is a wonderful biography about Susann...the name of which escapes me. Her life was about as wild as her books! RIP
"Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.”
~ Muhammad Ali
WOSQ
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/18/03
#15re: Valley of the Dolls Musical
Posted: 8/15/08 at 2:17pm
The bio of Susann is called "Lovely Me" and I forget the author.
For that matter Dory Previn's memoir of her childhood called "Midnight Baby" is pretty good too.
"If my life weren't funny, it would just be true. And that would be unacceptable."
--Carrie Fisher
Friendofethelm
Chorus Member Joined: 7/19/08
#16re: Valley of the Dolls Musical
Posted: 8/15/08 at 5:20pm
The Circle-in-the-Square Downtown production of VALLEY OF THE DOLLS (which I saw) was NOT a musical, but, rather, a very funny scene by scene recreation of the movie, a la 39 STEPS.
However, back in the 1980's, there was a thinly-veiled musical spoof of VOD called LEGS, produced at the now-defunct Musical Theatre Works. It had the same story and characters, but they were given different names and slight alterations to avoid getting the rights (and being sued!). It was slight, but entertaining, with a terrific cast, including Ellen Foley in the Neely role, Karen Ziemba (Jennifer) and Carolyn Mignini (Anne).
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