Which comic hero would best translate to the musical stage?

[SweMozArt]

Posted: 8/5/06 at 7:56pm

Batman is a good choice with his tragic childood and colourful enemies. On the other hand the phantom (is that his name in english) already has a well established brandname within the musical business. And its the owners of his rights who could sue ALW and not the other way around. I dont think that the swedish socialdemocratic bear called Bamse who gets superstrong when he consume honey has much of a chance.
Updated On: 8/5/06 at 07:56 PM

[blaxx]

Posted: 8/5/06 at 7:59pm

Who are you referring to? Who could sue ALW for Phantom?
And it's ALW, Lloyd Webber, not Webber Lloyd.

Updated On: 8/5/06 at 07:59 PM

[SweMozArt]

Posted: 8/5/06 at 8:05pm

That was not the serious part of my message. The main part was that phantom already is a well established brand name within the musical business. However the cartoon is older then the musical (atlhough younger then the novel by gaston laroux, something) so i guess it would be okay for the rightsholders of the phantom cartoons to make a musical called the phantom.

[StageManager2]

Posted: 8/5/06 at 8:09pm

There was a Superman musical (IT'S A BIRD! IT'S A PLANE! IT'S... SUPERMAN!) back in the '60s. Don't ask me how they pulled it off.

[SweMozArt]

Posted: 8/5/06 at 8:13pm

Well today they can make wicked witches fly so why not try a superman musical again. The intro is already written.

[Fiction Writer]

Posted: 8/5/06 at 8:19pm

Isn't there a BATMAN musical in the works?

[SweMozArt]

Posted: 8/5/06 at 8:24pm

Yeah I have read something about a future batman musical. Its probably the best choice for Broadway since New York is Gotham City.

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 8/5/06 at 8:26pm

There was, with a score by Jim Steinman, but Warner Bros. pulled the plug on it. A few samples of the score were posted here a couple of weeks ago, but they were pretty awful. Thank God it's not going anywhere.

That said, I still think a Batman musical could work if done by a creative team of great vision. I don't think it would work as a tradition proscenium stage Broadway musical, but if it were done as an environmental piece, with Batman swinging around the theater and stuff, it could be awesome. Maybe at Madison Square Garden?

[Fiction Writer]

Posted: 8/5/06 at 8:30pm

Maybe a theatre in the round?

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 8/5/06 at 8:34pm

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Of course, half the reason I want this done is so I can play the Joker one day

[NathanLaneStalker]

Posted: 8/5/06 at 9:59pm

They had It's A Bird It's A Plane It's Superman......that sucked.

[MrSweetNAwful]

Posted: 8/6/06 at 12:21am

Maybe The Sandman
the Crow or Punisher as a rock opera
Dick Tracy
Batman is trying

but really, these would all prolly suck

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 8/6/06 at 12:28am

Tin Tin!

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 8/6/06 at 12:42am

"It's a Bird It's a Plane It's Superman" was supposedly a decent show, actually. It received mostly positive reviews, and I have the CD, which is pretty decent. However, it did have a pretty short run and is infrequently revived as it is VERY hokey, more in the George Reeves 1950's style than like the modern Superman we know. There was a pretty long thread on it a while ago.

[zzannahk]

Posted: 8/6/06 at 12:44am

i'm confused:

phantom is a superhero?!

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 8/6/06 at 12:44am

P.S.: a "Spider-Man" musical was in the works, announced shortly after the first movie, but I haven't heard anything about it since (thank God).

[MrSweetNAwful]

Posted: 8/6/06 at 12:47am

actually now that I think about it...The Crow could make a pretty good rock opera

[latheatrelover]

Posted: 8/6/06 at 12:55am

It's a Bird...Superman is going to have a staged concert reading on Nov. 2oth at the Alex Theater in Pasadena. It's being put on by the Musical Theater Guild and I doubt there will be anybody famous in the show.

[StageManager2]

Posted: 8/6/06 at 12:55am

zzannahk, the Phantom mentioned here is not the phantom from POTO. THE PHANTOM was/is a comic book serial and then it became a film ten years ago starring Billy Zane. I don't know much about this character nor have I seen the movie, but I know it has nothing to do with Gaston Leroux's (sic) PHANTOM or the subsequent ALW musical.

[zzannahk]

Posted: 8/6/06 at 12:58am

thank you for clearing that up.

i think they should make a Buffy stage musical.

[rockfenris2005]

Posted: 8/6/06 at 1:00am

Two things, Distinctive Baritone:
Steinman's Batman score is awesome
and 2) You're not playing The Joker I am :P

Get it right!

LOL

[StageManager2]

Posted: 8/6/06 at 1:00am

Well, they did have that BUFFY musical episode so it may work on stage.

[harris007]

Posted: 8/6/06 at 1:07am

jason robert brown said in a interview that he was writing a buffy musical, but couldnt get thr right from wb to do it

[ggersten]

Posted: 8/6/06 at 1:26am

The Phantom has appeared in newspapers for decades. The basic story is that The Phantom is immortal. He wears a purple head to toe costume. He fights "pirates" - e.g. bad guys. In truth, The Phantom has been several people over the decades - the position being passed down from father to son to son to son. He lives in a cave in Africa. It's basic problem is the good white man protecting Africa. The Phantom has girlfriends - he would need one to have an heir to pass the title to. The Phantom has always been a male. Given the long history of the character, the story can start in the 1800s, swing to the 1900s or even to 2007. It would be pretty cool to start the show and at the end of the first scene have The Phantom die. Audiences would wonder what the heck was going on - especially if they weren't familiar with the character. Then there is a new Phantom a couple of scenes later, carrying on the legacy. Since he is not a "super" hero, and he doesn't have gadgets, it's just a story of one man against evil.

[donna_darko_23]

Posted: 8/6/06 at 1:34am

I want to see a Captain Planet on stage. A little adsurd, I know, but I think it would be funny. I enjoyed watching that cartoon.