Student Blog: Experiencing Stage Musicals vs. Movie Musicals

For my film class this week, I was tasked with watching the Les Misérables and La La Land movies, and this would be the first time I ever saw these shows (I know, I’m a fake theater kid). As I watched the films, I could really feel the differences between experiencing a musical for the first time on screen vs. on stage. I thought it might be fun to look into the differences between movie musical adaptations and stage musical adaptations!
I’ve experienced quite a few musicals for the first time in-person, my favorites being Ragtime and The Outsiders. Most people will tell you how special it is to watch a musical on stage, but what is it about seeing a live musical that makes it feel like magic? In my opinion, the best thing about a stage musical is being able to watch the actors perform. While in a film, the acting is the same no matter how many times it’s viewed, because it’s pre-recorded. Differently, on stage you’re able to witness the actor’s emotions in-person, and their reactions differ for every performance. You could watch a recording of Hadestown on Broadway from yesterday and from today, and it would still be easy to spot those differences between just one day. Watching actors bow at the end of a performance is equally as touching. While movies just present a roll of credits, a musical has the actors come back on stage as themselves, taking a bow and basking in a round of applause. It’s a special moment that can make the audience feel like the performance was specifically for them. Besides the actors, there’s so many people that go into telling a story live every night, including people who work with props, lighting, sound, orchestra, directing, producing, etc. These pieces aren’t just brought together for one recording, but brought together every night to make each performance special. I can still remember witnessing scenes from shows that stood out to me because of how magical it felt, such as the rumble in the rain scene in The Outsiders.

Enough about live musicals, because I could talk forever! When I watched La La Land for the first time, I cried (obviously). But more importantly, I got to experience a musical story through the television rather than the stage. While I’m a sucker for seeing a show on stage, I felt a newfound appreciation for a movie musical. Being able to see the close-up shots and panning out from a movie creates an effect that a stage musical can’t recreate. I loved being able to see the actor’s facial expressions so closely, seeing the different scenery and backgrounds that change and shift quickly, much faster than a theatre set could change. While I really enjoyed La La Land, it was interesting for me to watch Les Misérables because I knew the movie was a screen adaptation of the stage musical. As someone who has never seen the stage musical, I loved the set of this movie and felt the designers were able to create a real feeling of being in France at that time. There were also many little details that a musical can’t get as in touch with, such as being able to see the sweat and dirt on Valjean’s face as he works in prison, which gave the movie that extra touch of realism. I also considered movies such as The Greatest Showman, a film that has impacted so many people and originated on-screen, now being adapted to stage. The Greatest Showman is a great example of how a musical doesn’t need to be on stage to make an impact, considering that movie had such a cultural affect on the world.

Overall, as I thought about this topic more, I realized it’s really difficult to choose between movie musicals and stage musicals. They each have their strengths and weaknesses, and while as a theater kid I’m more prone to see a stage show, musicals on television make it easier for anyone to access theatre, which is an important form of art everyone should get to witness. I personally remember watching the original Annie for the first time as a kid and falling in love with theater, going on later in my life to perform in and get to watch stage musicals. No matter which way someone finds it, musicals are such a powerful way of storytelling and I feel like I can more deeply appreciate both stage musicals and movie musicals alike.

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