What Story/Book/Play should be made into a musical?

I always wanted to see a musical about the Beat poets. But if that's too big of a subject, then maybe just Jack Kerouac or Allen Ginsberg.

I've also wanted to see a musical about Dorothy Parker and the Algonquin Table.

But in both cases, there would need to be a lyricist on the level of Sondheim. With these subjects, crap lyrics won't cut it.

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^^^^ I actually saw a musical version of THE SCARLET LETTER, workshopped and performed at UCLA. It was a very smart production, written by knowledgeable people.

But Puritans are people--to use Sondheim's phrase--who don't sing.

They kept chanting/talking about the terrible orgies and what-not going on in the forest. And I kept thinking, "Why don't we go there ourselves? It sounds like more fun."

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This is not to say, of course, that Hawthorne can't be musicalized. But the Puritans can't really break into "The Shipoopi", which tends to limit their music to hymns and the like.

Updated On: 7/25/13 at 10:54 PM

I've been kind of playing around with the idea of "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington"

My collaborator and I want to pursue the project in the future, but aren't exactly sure how!