As the title says really, which movie (animated or live action) would you like to see adapted for Broadway? Personally I'd love to see the Barbie Princess and the Pauper movie. I know it's a weird choice but I think it's got a solid soundtrack! Not sure how they'd manage the talking cats but y'know.
I totally agree. Barbie is never going to make a musical but damn if they didn't create a great cast recording. Maybe not Broadway but what if a smaller theater did it and then have the rights be released. I could easily see a Barbie musical be playing at every middle and high school.
Some other movies I think would make great adaptions would be Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (already has some great, hilarious songs and would have some great meta theater jokes) or A Nightmare Before Christmas (which apparently has been worked on or something? Idk but we would need Lion King level puppets and the show would be fantastic)
2003's delicious Doris Day/Rock Hudson homage DOWN WITH LOVE. Marc Shaiman did the score for the film and it would be apropo for him and Scott WIttman to team up for this. They also wrote a song for the end credits titled "Here's to Love" sung/performed by the film's 2 leads: Renee Zellweger and Ewan McGregor.
The "Here's to Love" video with Renee and Ewan (with a cameo by Marc Shaiman and Scott WIttman):
What a great suggestion - Down with Love (first post mistitled the movie) would be megafun if done right.
Tales of the City - I know it is not a movie, but the first few books were made into a couple runs as limited series and it is now back on Netflix with new content.
I saw the musical with songs by Jake Shears in SF years ago - too much stuffed into one show - but, I would love to see this on stage as one or a series of plays. It hits a lot of demographics, and with some colorblind casting could be even more inclusive (but there the very iffy storyline of the model would need to be omitted, or seriously rethought for today's sensibilities).
SpaceBee said: "As the title says really, which movie (animated or live action) would you like to see adapted for Broadway? Personally I'd love to see the Barbie Princess and the Pauper movie. I know it's a weird choice but I think it's got a solid soundtrack! Not sure how they'd manage the talking cats but y'know."
BWAY Baby2 said: "None- and no more jukebox musicals."
I think that one or two Movie adaptations and Jukebox musicals a season are fine, but FIVE movie adaptations (six if you count To Kill A Mockingbird) and three jukebox musicals in 2018-19 felt like overkill. However, I’m not against the movie to musical genre as a whole - it is always interesting to adapt a familiar film to a new medium...
Personally, I think it would be fun if we had a musical based on Four Weddings and A Funeral or Notting Hill. Richard Curtis’ romcoms use music quite heavily, and their lighthearted, gently amusing formula makes them a good fit for the stage. There are several dated elements (such as the lack of POCs) but there are a few surprisingly progressive elements (such as the sympathetic portrayals of disabled characters) and you can do a lot with these simple but charming middle-class fantasies...
UncleCharlie said: "Someone new joins the board. Thinks to themself "I bet no one's ever asked this question before". Rinse and repeat."
Was this really necessary? I've been on since 2005... and I encourage new members to join in the discussion. I am sorry, but I just don't appreciate that attitude for those of us who want to and enjoy participate in this discussion.
SFFrontRow said: "UncleCharlie said: "Someone new joins the board. Thinks to themself "I bet no one's ever asked this question before". Rinse and repeat."
Was this really necessary? I've been on since 2005... and I encourage new members to join in the discussion. I am sorry, but I just don't appreciate that attitude for those of us who want to and enjoy participate in this discussion."
How exactly is my comment stopping you from participating in the discussion? Threads on this topic are started constantly. I don't think discussing the same topic over and over again makes for an interesting board, but if repetition is your jam, knock yourself out.
Every time we have one of these threads and people get snippy about movie adaptations I wonder - is a movie adaptation necessarily worse than an adaptation from a book, or even a play?
PROMISES, PROMISES THE PRODUCERS SWEET CHARITY A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC NINE ON THE TWENTIETH CENTURY ONCE 42ND STREEET GREY GARDENS CARNIVAL! XANADU THE BAND'S VISIT LA CAGE AUX FOLLES LEGALLY BLONDE LITTLE SHOP HAIRSPRAY
Please, no more films to movies unless they are small, not mega-popular films like The Band's Visit. It's supposed to be literature or original book to stage to screen. Pygmalion, Edna Ferber's Show Boat, Anna and the King of Siam. Even not great literature like Green Grow the Lilacs (Oklahoma) or Michener's Tales of the South Pacific furnished the characters, the settings and the essence of the story to be told.
Even greater glory goes to musicals with original books like Chicago, A Chorus Line and The Music Man.
I'm not against jukebox musicals, I just don't think they should be in the same category as La Cage aux Folles and Hamilton. Musicals are being dumbed down. When the Boomers were growing up, nightly entertainment was pretty much limited to three or four TV networks. They were criticized for being too tame and conservative, which was true to some extent, but NBC would have been embarrassed to put on a show that was really dopey like The Apprentice.
I guess it is all due to the high cost and risk of mounting a musical. Public already loves the film, they're going to check out the musical, so at least you've got a chance. But musicals are supposed to be a form of art, not just public entertainment. How did George Gershwin and DuBose Heyward ever decide to get a Broadway theater in the middle of the Great Depression and stage a very dark four hour opera with a cast of all classically trained African Americans. It wasn't because they expected to make any money.
This mini-rant was brought on because I just learned of the next mega-film to be taken to the stage. Maybe this is already known, but it was new to me. Back to the Future, 1985. One of my favorite films, but it's an action adventure film that owed, I think, most of its popularity to the characters played by Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd and the relationship between them. Can you imagine spots in the film where the action stops and Fox or Lloyd or any other characters sing? They're not singers. What are they going to sing about?
We may actually never get a chance to see this show, which has already been cast and workshopped, because it's supposed to go from the West End to New York and try out in Manchester for a few months before arriving in London. Perhaps they'll play up the comedy and the songs will support the humor.
Anyone care to invest? Not too late.
I'd rather see another Back to the Future sequel. Lloyd is still active at 80. Fox's Parkinson's Disease would probably be too much to overcome, although I guess the drugs he takes are pretty effective.
Whenever I hear of a movie being adapted as a musical for Broadway, like every week, and the movie rings a bell I will retrieve it on the internet, watch it and that will be the end of it for me. (Unless I hear Cole Porter will be doing the Broadway score)
I just saw Rocketman a few days ago and I have been unable to stop thinking about it since. I thought the way they went about telling Elton's story was genius and the new arrangements lend itself well for adapting it to the stage. Not to mention the amazing costumes and music. I really hope it happens!