Which plays should NEVER be turned into a musical.
Which plays should NEVER be turned into a musical.
#0Which plays should NEVER be turned into a musical.
Posted: 7/13/06 at 1:48pm
A lot of great stage plays have been turned into great musicals (and a lot of great stage plays have been turned into really awful musicals), but I thought it would be fun to ponder which plays would make the worst possible musicals (so bad, they might even be worth seeing). I'll start:
'Night Mother
#1re: Which plays should NEVER be turned into a musical.
Posted: 7/13/06 at 1:49pm
'Night Mother would not be a horrible musical.
With the right creative team, anything is possible - and anything can be GOOD.
#2re: Which plays should NEVER be turned into a musical.
Posted: 7/13/06 at 1:51pm
The Pillowman- perfect just the way it is and...
Hamlet 
Especially carrying a title like "Funny Boy"
#3re: Which plays should NEVER be turned into a musical.
Posted: 7/13/06 at 2:01pmKaturian beat me to it. (though not surprisingly) Pillowman is brilliant and should never be touched unless its kep as is.
"I am sorry but it is an unjust world and virtue is only triumphant in theatricle performances" The Mikado
#5re: Which plays should NEVER be turned into a musical.
Posted: 7/13/06 at 2:09pm'Noises Off' is just about perfect and would never benefit from music.
#6re: Which plays should NEVER be turned into a musical.
Posted: 7/13/06 at 2:11pmNoises Off wouldnt ever benift from music but as a musical could still be really funny too. and never never touch Arsenic and Old Lace, Rumors, Man Who Came to Dinner or Crucible. They would die as musicals.
"I am sorry but it is an unjust world and virtue is only triumphant in theatricle performances" The Mikado
#7re: Which plays should NEVER be turned into a musical.
Posted: 7/13/06 at 2:13pm
'Night Mother, actually, would make a great opera. Has all of the elements: grand themes, short play, wild tension and climax.
Just no puppets, Julie...
"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana." GMarx
#8re: Which plays should NEVER be turned into a musical.
Posted: 7/13/06 at 2:16pm
"and never never touch...Man Who Came to Dinner...They would die as musicals."
That's what a lot of people think of Sherry, but I kind of liked it. Kind of.
#9re: Which plays should NEVER be turned into a musical.
Posted: 7/13/06 at 2:18pmI think too much goes on in man who came to dinner to have music help. infact it would confuse people more methinks. Imagine, the end act 1 could be the big number by whiteside entittled "im not really crippled"
"I am sorry but it is an unjust world and virtue is only triumphant in theatricle performances" The Mikado
#10re: Which plays should NEVER be turned into a musical.
Posted: 7/13/06 at 2:20pmI don't think The Crucible would make a very good musical.
#11re: Which plays should NEVER be turned into a musical.
Posted: 7/13/06 at 2:26pmI would not want to see One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest or The Normal Heart as musicals.
My avatar: Yummy, no?
bwaylvsong
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/28/05
#12re: Which plays should NEVER be turned into a musical.
Posted: 7/13/06 at 2:27pm
I once had a nightmare entitled "The Crucible- The Musical!" featuring the world-famous, tap-dancin' Puritans.
It is however, a wonderful opera.
Funny Face
Broadway Star Joined: 7/6/06
#13re: Which plays should NEVER be turned into a musical.
Posted: 7/13/06 at 2:40pmI agree with Munk. With a lot of talent and luck, ANYTHING could work. Why limit the creative possibilities of a play, or anything, just because it doesn't seem likely to be succesful in its original form?
BJC899
Broadway Star Joined: 7/20/04
#14re: Which plays should NEVER be turned into a musical.
Posted: 7/13/06 at 2:48pm
mmm "the odd couple musical" sounds like a future blockbuster.
#15re: Which plays should NEVER be turned into a musical.
Posted: 7/13/06 at 2:50pmYou are probably right, Munk and Funny Face. I think my original idea was what plays, on the surface, would seem to be illogical candidates to be traditional musicals. But, you are right, that instinct can often be proven wrong. I would never have thought that A Raisin in the Sun, for example, would make a good musical, but I really like Raisin, so go figure.
#16re: Which plays should NEVER be turned into a musical.
Posted: 7/13/06 at 3:06pm
Remember, though, the piece has to "sing". You never want to stop the action for a song. The song should continue the action and emotion of the character. That's why plays like "Noises Off", which already feels like a musical, because of its inherent rhythms, wouldn't work.
The overall arch of a show should inspire the musical structure. That said, there are plenty of properties out there that would work. However, the rights...? Another issue. Another thread?
"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana." GMarx
#17re: Which plays should NEVER be turned into a musical.
Posted: 7/13/06 at 6:46pmSpeaking of singing, I think "The Trip to Bountiful" would make a great musical, if done right. I'm pretty familiar with the script, and I don't see any reason that it couldn't be cast with a (mostly) black cast and filled with a lot of Gospel-inspired music.
ZONEACE
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/10/05
#18re: Which plays should NEVER be turned into a musical.
Posted: 7/13/06 at 6:51pm
The Diary of Anne Frank
as for Noises' Off, well, if there was a version that was everytihng going wrong IN a musical, that would be good.
#19re: Which plays should NEVER be turned into a musical.
Posted: 7/13/06 at 7:00pm
There's already at least one musical version of "Anne Frank"; was quite successful in the 80's. There's a CD available.
And "Drowsy" could be considered a "Noises Off" show... maybe not...
But what about "Skin of Our Teeth"?
I think it's already an opera/musical, but I could be wrong.
EDIT: Ummm, I'm stupid. I lost track of the thread. "Skin" would be a great musical. I forgot this was about plays that shouldn't be musicals. In that case... DOUBT.
"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana." GMarx
NathanLaneStalker
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/11/06
#20re: Which plays should NEVER be turned into a musical.
Posted: 7/13/06 at 7:02pmSHERRY was FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!
#21re: Which plays should NEVER be turned into a musical.
Posted: 7/13/06 at 7:28pm
Tom monster beat me to it with Doubt.
But, honestly i think "Crucible-The Musical" Could be potentially like a sweeney (By sounding like sweeney i mean "ballad of sweeney todd" and "My Friends") I even have a title for their "ballad of Sweeney Todd". "Witch Hunt". It could potentially be hardcore. By the way i am not joking my friends and i at college have discussed this
ByMySide25
Stand-by Joined: 5/17/04
#22re: Which plays should NEVER be turned into a musical.
Posted: 7/13/06 at 9:40pmThe House of Bernarda Alba...oh...wait...
arykahmarye
Stand-by Joined: 1/27/05
#23re: Which plays should NEVER be turned into a musical.
Posted: 7/13/06 at 10:43pm
The Children's Hour
I can't imagine that, even as a well-thought opera.
#24re: Which plays should NEVER be turned into a musical.
Posted: 7/14/06 at 1:28amRomeo and Juliet
Videos