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

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

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.

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

"Everything Comes from some other beginnings end"

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.

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

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what's Harmony?

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.

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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!"

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

What is Caroline based on, if anything?

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