What source material would never work as a musical?- Page 2

[SharksVsJets]

Posted: 12/19/17 at 4:06pm

Comic Sans! (The first musical based on a font)

[Impeach2017]

Posted: 12/20/17 at 8:40am

I could see Jaws working, perhaps with Julie Taymor designed headgear.

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 12/20/17 at 9:31am

At one time, I would have said "Rocky" and "King Kong" but one has already been on Broadway and the other one is coming to Broadway - lol.

[newintown]

Posted: 12/20/17 at 11:01am

Rocky didn't "work" (that is it failed, and big), and I'm going to go out on a limb and say that King Kong won't either. I find it difficult to have great expectations for a project that has jettisoned so many contributors. (For the same reason, I imagine that Betty Boop will also never work.)

[rattleNwoolypenguin]

Posted: 12/20/17 at 12:43pm

I honestly think iconic beloved movies with memorable actors in the roles are often disappointing musicals on stage. As an audience member feeling like, "why would I pay 90 bucks to see this as apposed to watching it on Netflix?" 

Musical theatre as a medium needs to ADD something to a film. That's what I feel like people don't think about enough in these adaptations. 

The best musical adaptations I find are always based on decent or meh films that have either been forgotten or had stronger potential and the musical brings their strengths and emotional resonance to the surface better than the movie could.

Updated On: 12/20/17 at 12:43 PM

[newintown]

Posted: 12/20/17 at 1:03pm

"The best musical adaptations I find are always based on decent or meh films that have either been forgotten or had stronger potential and the musical brings their strengths and emotional resonance to the surface better than the movie could."

I sort of agree - my favorite screen to stage adaptations (some are based on films I think are also great, but the adaptations radically diverge from the source):
Grand Hotel
Nine
A Little Night Music (this one diverges least from the source)
A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder (although the writers disingenuously claim that it's based on the novel)
Grey Gardens
Little Shop of Horrors
A Catered Affair

Least favorite? Many, including Ghost, Rocky, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Little Mermaid, Tarzan, High Fidelity, Leap of Faith, Shrek, The Addams Family, Priscilla, 9 to 5, Sunset Boulevard.

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 12/20/17 at 1:18pm

The Lord of the Rings

[trpguyy]

Posted: 12/20/17 at 4:27pm

What's the over/under on Frank Wildhorn following this thread to discover his next project?