What is an Original Musical?

I'd say what you're describing is a new musical (as opposed to a revival) and that an original musical is, indeed, something not adapted from another work.

Here’s what I would say, an original musical is a show with a never before heard story and score. Take Kimberly Akimbo for example (saw it yesterday). Until it premiered last year Off-Broadway, no one knew about it. Yes, it was based off of a play, but the story behind it is all original. Overall, an original musical is something we haven’t heard before but the creativity that’s behind it is key. Will it work or not?

next to normal, Caroline or Change, Follies, A Strange Loop, [title of show]

Oklahoma! is probably the most original musical in theater history, but it wouldn't qualify under some of these definitions.

This is a terminological issue, and it's best solved by describing the story as original (or not), not the musical.

jkcohen626 said: "I definitely think there needs to be a distinction between shows like Akimbo and Almost Famous"

I'd probably refer to that distinction as "IP-reliant" vs. "not IP-reliant."

Or more casually, an "IP show" or a "non-IP show" (technically Kimberly Akimbo is also IP under the legal definition, but nowadays, we tend to colloquially use the term "IP" as a placeholder for "recognizable IP"

I also think the whole discussion around "original musicals," is kind of a red herring. Adaptation isn't the problem - laziness and bad writing are the problems. Original shows can be written badly/lazily, and adaptations can be fresh and original. I feel like we've reached a point where most theatre fans seem to acknowledge that fact, but we still keep fixating on this idea of an original score + original story being some kind of Golden Combo, even though those shows are just as liable to turn out bad.

To me, an "original musical" is the same as an original SCORE-->new songs composed for this work. It's still an "original" to me, even when it's adapted from another non-musical source. So "Oklahoma" is an original musical because "Green Grow the Lilacs" wasn't a musical. The current "Kimberly Akimbo" is a (wonderful) original musical, because the same named play it's based on did not have songs.

Almost every musical is based on some kind of source material (novel, play, film), but making it into a piece of musical theatre should be a creative process that marks it as different from the source, and potentially even more impactful (combination of drama, music, dance, and design). But just putting a movie musical onstage with the same songs, or a revival of a previously produced show is not an original musical, and is considerably less artful.

Worst of all (to me) is a Jukebox musical. The songs were not created for the characters who sing them. They often are wildly out of character for the characters assigned to sing them. The audience at Jukebox musicals seems to consider the theatre like cruise ship entertainment, as they sing along to the songs they know....it's the opposite of creating real musical theatre. Even in a well-done Jukebox, like "Jersey Boys", I noticed that the audience (after the first 6 months of more regular theatregoers) started to lose interest in the actual PLAY, often getting up during the book scenes, or flipping thru the playbill loudly, until the next Four Seasons song came along. That type of audience would much prefer one of those Impersonator shows....or cover bands that play just the hits. I know that's not every member of the audience, but I have noticed this grow thru the years. The audience at, for example, the new Neil Diamond jukebox "Beautiful Noise" will include Broadway World-types looking for a real theatre experience. But it will also include people who don't know or care who Will Swenson is, and would be much happier if Will was just doing a faux Evening with Neil Diamond concert. Which is exactly what they treat the evening as.

Updated On: 11/21/22 at 12:54 PM

To me, the definition of an original musical is a musical that has nothing to do with anything pre-existing. Not based on a movie, a book, a play, etc, and not using a score made of songs written before the conception of the musical.

With this definition in mind, I don't consider things like Kimberly Akimbo, Shrek, any jukebox musical, and yes, even Oklahoma! to qualify.

Oklahoma! may have been groundbreaking, but it was not original. Green Grow The Lilacs was original.

dramamama611 said: "To me? Original story w/ original music, no adaptations qualify.

"I am inclined to agree with your definition. Original vs. non-original does not have anything to do with quality.

I would point to additional shows like 1776, Hair, Evita (I don’t think it is based on a play or movie, etc., Company, Gypsy, The Will Rogers Follies, Hallelujah Baby, I Love My Wife, Sunday in the Park With George, City of Angels (I think there is no prior source on which it is based), I would argue Into the Woods…it is inspired by, not based on.

it really starts to get pretty difficult to argue on some shows. Is West Side Story based on Romeo and Juliet, or is it inspired by it? If it is inspired by it, is it original. I think so.

To me, it must have an original score. I can imagine, however, someone arguing that the movie Moulin Rouge was an original musical because the story was new.

Updated On: 11/21/22 at 04:27 PM

From Title of Show's "An Original Musical":

Song video

[BLANK PAPER, spoken]
Shut your face
(sung)
I'm an original musical
Original musical
Those other shows can step to the rear
If you lend me your ear
I’m gonna ease all your fear
And tell you all you need is what’s right up here

Gettin' The Band Back Together?

Something Rotten (kind of, since Shakespeare is involved) ?

Kad said: "“Original musical” is something that basically is meaningless at this point, and the fixation on shows being “original” is just as meaningless. It’s just shorthand for people wanting to dismiss jukebox musicals or stage adaptations of certain films out of hand. In other words, it’s an attempt at gatekeeping what musicals “should” be."

Exactly! The only reason there's any debate about the definition is because people want to protect shows they love from being considered "unoriginal." Guess what? Who cares as long as it's good!

• Sweeney Todd: Not Original
• A Little Night Music: Not Original
• Passion: Not Original
• Funny Thing ... Forum: Not Original
• Oklahoma: Not Original
• The Sound of Music: Not Original
• Carousel: Not Original
• South Pacific: Not Original
• Phantom of the Opera: Not Original
• Cabaret: Not Original
• Chicago: Not Original
• Fun Home: Not Original
• The Band's Visit: Not Original
• Promises Promises: Not Original
• Wicked: Not Original
• Godspell: Not Original

SeanD2 said: "The only reason there's any debate about the definition is because people want to protect shows they love from being considered "unoriginal."

I’m going to have to agree with this if people are going to try and claim Shrek and Moulin Rouge are original musicals.

There’s an argument to be made that nothing is original. Even Urinetown, which I consider to be an original musical, is still inspired by an experience the authors had while traveling overseas. It’s not based on a prior form of popular entertainment but it is based on real life experience. Does that mean it’s not original? Who gets to decide?