Will there ever be a really good new musical that...

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 7/21/05 at 11:26pm

isn't based on previous material, from now on in? Whether being based on a book, movie, previously written music, etc? Just a really great show that is 110% original.

[apdarcey]

Posted: 7/21/05 at 11:29pm

it's hard... i have one idea that i've posted on here before, but i rather like it so... ha!

[Aigoo]

Posted: 7/21/05 at 11:35pm

There probably are many BRILLIANT ideas out there. They're just waiting to be discovered.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 7/21/05 at 11:39pm

Only a small handful of the greatest shows ever written were completely original -- in fact the vast majority of shows that weren't based on any previously existing material are terrible. The important thing is how the material is executed.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 7/22/05 at 12:11am

Spelling Bee.

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 7/22/05 at 12:13am

Spelling Bee is based upon Rebecca Feldman's play C-R-E-P-U-S-C-U-L-E.

[Aigoo]

Posted: 7/22/05 at 12:27am

The reason for this is because nearly EVERYTHING comes from a point of inspiration. Even if a writer were to look at a tree and make a musical of The Apple Tree, it would be based off of said tree. It's rare to find someone who is just willing to sit down, pen in hand, and throw out any ideas that come to mind. But even that, if you trace it far enough, is based off of something.

[DefyingEDCT]

Posted: 7/22/05 at 12:29am

"Everything Comes from some other beginnings end"

[TheColorOfFlame]

Posted: 7/22/05 at 12:30am

Thank you, Semisonic.

[roquat]

Posted: 7/22/05 at 2:47pm

Not only musicals, but almost every great movie you can think of is adapted from a novel or biography or some kind of book. "Gone With The Wind", "The Godfather 1 and 2", "Lord of the Rings"--it goes on and on. Usually the movie (musical, whatever) is just a new and thrilling way of seeing what had been dry words on the page before.

[SamIAm]

Posted: 7/22/05 at 2:52pm

I have high hopes for Harmony but again, all theater is based on SOME inspiration, though this one was not based on a movie, book etc.

But, now, sadly it looks like we will have to wait until 2007 to see it because they are still untangling the legal and financial mess created by the first producer.

The out of town work they've done and the tweaks to the show since then seem really promising too so with any luck, the delay will only make the show better.

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 7/22/05 at 2:53pm

ODESSA, TEXAS: THE MUSICAL! Starring Betty Buckley and featuring Shuler Hensley as Tony Georges! With special appearence by Daisy Egan as "Little Tony!"

[zoran912]

Posted: 7/22/05 at 2:53pm

When I think of an "original" musical, I think of shows that are based on obscure or dated source material adapted using original songs. I consider "The Light in the Piazza" to be an original musical because the novella and film adaptation are no longer part of pop culture. "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels," on the other hand, is based on a fairly recent film.

[broadwaybelter]

Posted: 7/22/05 at 2:53pm

what's Harmony?

[Unknown User]

Posted: 7/22/05 at 3:17pm

Zoran, I'd like to congratulate you for the absolute most tortured defense of the "Originality" of a favored show. Just because you aren't familiar with the source does not mean the source doesn't exist.

As Margo wisely points out, very few shows spring full-grown from nothing. And being "110% original" (Which is of course impossible) adds nothing to an audience's enjoyment. A show is good or bad and it's source material is completely irrelevant.

Wicked Rocks, what are some of the "COMPLETELY ORIGINAL" shows you have enjoyed in the past? Scanning back over my favorites I could think of only a couple that fit that category.

And Sam are you referring to the musical with songs by Barry Manilow, which is based on the true story of the Comedian Harmonists?

[SamIAm]

Posted: 7/22/05 at 3:21pm

Rather than reinvent the wheel, here's the story description from the website: In Weimar Germany of the 1920's, a time of crippling poverty, political turmoil, and unprecedented inflation, six young men got together to create a musical singing group that eventually took the world by storm. They were THE COMEDIAN HARMONISTS -- comprised of a doctor, a Polish rabbi, a Bulgarian singing waiter, a bass from the comic opera, a bordello pianist, and a musical prodigy. They invented a new brand of entertainment, which -- to put it in modern terms -- combined the physical humor of the Marx Brothers with the musical sophistication of a singing group like our modern-day Manhattan Transfer. They were completely unique and remain so to this day. They made over a dozen films, appeared in the largest and most prestigious concert halls around the world, performed with the greats of their day -- including Marlena Dietrich and Josephine Baker -- and sold millions of records at a time when the recording industry was in its infancy. As a result of their extraordinary vision, talent and creativity, they were rewarded with unparalleled success, critical acclaim, wealth, and personal fulfillment. As a result of their cultural diversity, however -- some were Jews, some were not -- they fell victim to the darkest forces of our century. It is a story about the quest for harmony during the most discordant chapter in human history. It is a story about finding redemption through remembering. It is a story waiting to be told.

The show has a cast of 24 - six men, two principal women, six more major speaking characters and the ensemble.

Score written by Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman and before you cluck your tongue at Manilow doing a musical, he has done them before and has scored a number of films. Sussman has done 4 shows, and is a frequent collaborator with Manilow on other projects. The show was in out of town work in La Jolla and then in Florida and was scheduled to go to Philly for several weeks before coming to NY and they had a problem with their producer and the money funnel so they had to stop production. Hopefully, it will be here in 2007.

[professor]

Posted: 7/22/05 at 3:24pm

As others have noted, musicals most often have been about adaptability, not originality. However, if you want originality-- look at this past season's straight plays (as opposed to musicals) on Broadway: Doubt, The Pillowman, Democracy, Primo, Who's Afraid..., Glengarry Glen Ross (I know these last two aren't NEW, but it doesn't make them any less original)-- or Off-Broadway: Orson's Shadow, Thom Pain, Brooklyn Boy, A Number, Guantanamo, dozens of others. Seems to me that's where we find originality in theatre.

However, there are exceptions to that rule: I'm surprised nobody mentioned Avenue Q. There's an obvious example of a good, original musical.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 7/22/05 at 3:42pm

Hey Professor? Have you ever seen this TV show "Sesame Street"? It's not really well known or popular so maybe you've never heard of it, but it's a TV show about a lot of people and puppets living together on a street, and it's kind of, a little bit, sort of EXACTLY LIKE Avenue Q.

Not that it diminishes my appreciation of Avenue Q, but it's about as original as Carol Burnett's "Went With the Wind."

And yes, Harmony could be terriffic. It's also based on a true story. Again, a lot of great shows have been--not a strike against it! But Based On A True Story--NOT "110% original!"

[proscello]

Posted: 7/22/05 at 3:51pm

The most original musical I know of is "Sunday in the Park with George," however, it is based on a painting.
Updated On: 7/22/05 at 03:51 PM

[Unknown User]

Posted: 7/22/05 at 3:54pm

Absolutely Prosello! THAT is a perfect example! What a brilliant show and concept!

[Sant]

Posted: 7/22/05 at 3:57pm

"The important thing is how the material is executed. "

Margo, exactly!

Whether a show is based on already existing material is not important - the result is what matters.

[Thenardier]

Posted: 7/22/05 at 3:59pm

What is Caroline based on, if anything?

[musicals4ever]

Posted: 7/22/05 at 4:09pm

Caroline, or Change was originally written as an opera libretto for San Francisco Opera, but when Kushner's original composer backed out he went to George C. Wolfe with it. Though parts of it are very loosely based on Kushner's life, it is completely original and quite brilliant in my opinion...one of the finest pieces in the past ten years.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 7/22/05 at 4:13pm

Caroline is, for all intents and purposes, completely original. The story is VERY loosely inspired by Kushner's childhood (he and his brother did have a black maid who helped raise them), but his real mother lived until his adulthood, so he didn't have a Rose stepmother figure in his life and the family maid never quit over any money dispute.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 7/22/05 at 4:47pm

Looking down the Tony Nods, the only others that immediately jumped out at me were Falsettos and The Life.