What would you love to see adapted as a musical? — Page 2

BentleyB said: "I think a musical of “A Confederacy of Dunces” would be really fun. It has already been adapted into a play and I think the New Orleans setting and extravagant characters would make a fun show."

CoD is a fantastic property, and ripe for musical treatment by the *right* creatives. i know it's already been adapted into an opera; not sure that opera has ever been performed anywhere, though.

Glittergrrl said: "I had no idea! Not trolling-just dumb."

Please don't worry about it. I have little lapses in my knowledge of Broadway history too, and, regardless, there are far, far dumber things going on around here!

There is a great book out there called "Jackie and Diana". Kind of a parallel lives thing, that I think could be great. I know we don't need another Diana musical so soon, but still. Side note: I have always wanted to do a production of Camelot but have a Jackie K-type for Arthur, JFK for Guinevere, and Marilyn Monroe for Lancelot.

I'd love another try at a musical of Picnic. I know they did Hot September, but I would like to try again.

I've also always wanted Disney to lean into the cultural theatre of its properties. Like, a Pocahontas with Indigenous storytelling, music and dance; Mulan as done in a Peking opera, Hercules as Greek theatre...(more than what they have going on now). I think if you bring in creatives (directors, dramaturges, composers, etc.) from each culture, it could be such a harmonius blend. Obviously keep the movie music, but expand the score with something else. It's like Betty Buckley always wanting to do Annie Get Your Gun at a real circus/rodeo.

GiantsInTheSky2 said: "TheatreMonkey said: "The Birdcagewith Robin Williams and Nathan Lane? It already exists --La Cage Aux Folles...."

La Cage Aux Folles is an American dance & disco jukebox musical…? Wow, you truly learn something new every day. 🙄

La Cage is not a musical adaptation of Birdcage, it’s a musical that shares the same plot and source material.They are obviously different entities to the general public.I don’t consider them interchangeable, nor do I think would the general public (the demographic for jukebox musicals).

Different settings, book/screenplay, score/soundtrack, they hit different comedic beats, etc. One is more relevant & rooted in American culture, has a killer start of a various artist soundtrack, and is a more recognizable IP in today’s world than the source material.

Also, one is not a jukebox musical, maybe you missed that part of my comment. Thanks for playing, though!"

The Birdcage is an American adaptation of Poiret's play just as the 1978 film version is. It's the same story and that story has already been adapted into a musical, and an incredibly well regarded one at that. A juke box musical version of the same story would seem derivative at best.

Your "Thanks for playing" comment sounds like something one of the mean girls would say in one of my junior English classes. Why can't you offer a refutation without trying to be insulting? Does saying stuff like that make you feel superior? Seriously, what's that about?

fashionguru_23 said: "There is a great book out there called "Jackie and Diana". Kind of a parallel lives thing, that I think could be great. I know we don't need another Diana musical so soon, but still. Side note: I have always wanted to do a production of Camelot but have a Jackie K-type for Arthur, JFK for Guinevere, and Marilyn Monroe for Lancelot."

On the Jackie subject, if Cole Escola ever considers writing another slapstick comedy about a former FLOTUS it’ll obviously have to be Jackie, Oh!

kdogg36 said: “Can anyone recall the last time a new Broadway musical opened with a substantially different title from its source material?”

Just off the top of my head, A Gentlemen’s Guide to Love and Murder doesn’t share the same title as either of the source material it is based on.

Spamalot also comes to mind, though it usually comes with the tagline, “(Lovingly) Ripped Off from the Motion Picture Monty Python and the Holy Grail​​​​​​​.”

What's Up Doc?

For Pete's Sake

Paper Moon

The Big Year

Can't Buy Me Love

Sounder

Inside Moves

Dance With A Stranger

Julia

America, America

The Conversation

whatever2 said: "BentleyB said: "I think a musical of “A Confederacy of Dunces” would be really fun. It has already been adapted into a play and I think the New Orleans setting and extravagant characters would make a fun show."

CoD is a fantastic property, and ripe for musical treatment by the *right* creatives. i know it's already been adapted into an opera; not sure that opera has ever been performed anywhere, though."

CoD is indeed a literary masterpiece, but it's proven difficult to adapt- attempts at a film have fallen through enough times that the property as been referred to as "cursed," while the couple stabs at a stage adaptation have gained little traction (including a play adaptation that starred Nick Offerman about a decade ago). It has such a particular tone and centers on such a tricky character, that I do wonder if it can ever work as anything but a novel.

Updated On: 8/22/25 at 03:21 PM

I’d love a Smile revival; that reference cast album with Jodi Benson is so good. However, if they revive it I hope, ironically, that they don’t use the full orchestrations. That Mannheim Steamroller synth sound on the album is totally unlike any other Broadway show, and I hope they realize it’s part of the music’s legacy at this point.

"As Good As It Gets"

"While You Were Sleeping"

A better adaptation of "Pride and Prejudice"

"The Marvelous Mrs Maisel"

"Jeffrey"

I'm just gonna stick with movies...

The Hours (yes, I know there's an opera)

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Pan's Labyrinth

The Quiet Man

Harold and Maude

Shampoo

My Beautiful Laundrette

Four Weddings and a Funeral

The Truman Show

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Saltburn

Call Me By Your Name

Moonlight

O Brother Where Art Thou?

Election

Field of Dreams

Under the Tuscan Sun

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind would make a beautiful and heartbreaking musical under the right creatives and director. Someone like John Tiffany could do wonders with that story.

kurtal said: "Harold and Maude"

There actually was a Harold and Maude musical, with songs by Tom Jones, that played at Paper Mill about twenty years ago. I don't know if it went anywhere after that, so maybe there's room for another version.