This Doesn't Sound Good

[Timmer]

My wife and I were talking and we came to the idea that many great Broadway shows sound like horrible ideas if you try to do a one-sentence description for them.

For example, "we're going to take Romeo and Juliet", move it to New York in the 1950s, make the families gangs, and add a score by a classical coonductor." Yeah, that one should work.

Or, "There is a 35-year-old single guy with five sets of married friends. The show shows how they interact in each other's lives." Great.

Yet we know these two were successful.

can you come up with a similarly discouraging summary for a classic, successful musical?

[raphael06]

My favorite is Sweeny Todd- There is a man and woman who kill people and put them into pies.

[vinnylin]

"A young would-be nun is sent to look after seven children. With a guitar and a couple of tunes she single-handedly transforms the family into a popular singing group, steals the heart of their austere sea captain father, and leads them all across the mountains to safety from the pursuing Nazis."

The Sound of Music

[Night707]

A musical about CATS!!!

[KJisgroovy]

If you don't think the Sound of Music and West Side Story sound like good ideas for musicals... I am curious as to what DOES sound like a good idea for a musical? Especially the Sound of Music... The story is already filled with music... before you start to musicalize it.

As crazy as some ideas for musicals are... there are Operas that are far worse...


kmc

[jpbran]

"A musical about vampires!

Wait, no, make that THREE different musicals about vampires, all within about 3 years!! One should be a success, right?

Um... right?"

[Mr Roxy]

Let's do an opera about Jerry Springer

[raphael06]

Let's write an ENTIRE musical about a spelling bee.

[Mr Roxy]

How about a musical of that Roger Corman B movie "Little Shop of Horrors ?

[RockabyeHamlet]

"A musical about presidential assains"



P.S Jp- I love your icon. Where did you find it?

[thevolleyballer]

"A fat girl gets to be on television and subsequently single-handedly ends segregation in Baltimore."

Interesting, actually...

[BroadwayEnthusiast2]

^or better-"a musical based off a john waters movie"

"Young Frankenstein!!!"<-sounds very intriguing....

[gumbo2]

A charismatic Jewish man (who constantly breaks the 4th wall to cover exposition) sees 3 of his daughters married, and then Russians come and make all the Jews leave. Oh, and it is like, three hours long.

[CATSNYrevival]

well, of course they're all going to sound terrible when you describe them like that.

[Mr Roxy]

How about a musical about The Rothschilds ?

[i.heart.link]

How bout a musical about auditioning for a musical??

[ashbash1990]

-A Musical about the Declaration of Independence (1776)
-A Classic Italian Opera re-written by 2 french guys about Vietnam (Miss Saigon)
-The Drowsy Chaperone
-A Musical of the life of Eva Peron

[HumATune]

After a guy spends 19 yeas in prison and a bishop gives him two candlesticks which help him start a new life as mayor of a small town, he adopts a prostitute’s bastard daughter and gets followed around for his entire life by a policemen from his old correctional facility.

[tazber]

I still can't believe they turned GG into a brilliant show.
I mean the documentary was interesting, but what possessed them to even think it had musical potential is beyond me.
It's a credit to their artistry that they did it so wonderfully.

[i.heart.link]

Let's make a musical combining Dr. Seuss books! (I'd see it from that description lol)

[keybowvio]

maybe not a plot summary, but has anyone read the book WICKED? how could ANYONE read that book and think, upbeat (compared to the book) flashy, highly succesfull bway musical

[TapTapTapioca]

Let's make a musical combining Dr. Seuss books!

That actually sounds good, but it turned out to be a flop.

[AnnaK<3LMIP]

Oh true dat keybowvio

[i.heart.link]

Maybe shows with good short descriptions flop!

[theaterkid1015]

So, there's this orphan, a dog, a billionaire, and FDR.