Best Broadway Show Adapted from An Original Movie?
Best Broadway Show Adapted from An Original Movie?
#1Best Broadway Show Adapted from An Original Movie?
Posted: 3/25/17 at 8:22pm
Poll: Best Broadway Show Adapted from a Movie
Four shows opening on Broadway in April are based on original movies. I thought it a good time to run a poll -- what was the best such show ever? The poll includes some two dozen choices, but you can add your own to the list...and also list it in this thread.
henrikegerman
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/29/05
#2Best Broadway Show Adapted from An Original Movie?
Posted: 3/25/17 at 9:10pm
Passione d'Amore, which is the basis for Passion, was not an original screenplay. It's based on the 1869 novel Fosca by Iginio Ugo Tarchetti.
jo
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/15/03
#3Best Broadway Show Adapted from An Original Movie?
Posted: 3/25/17 at 9:34pm
Mamma Mia! was an original songbook/jukebox musical from London that transferred to Broadway and was eventually adapted to film.
Beauty and the Beast originated from French literature and has been retold in many different ways --
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beauty_and_the_Beast#cite_note-6
#4Best Broadway Show Adapted from An Original Movie?
Posted: 3/25/17 at 9:51pm
pretty sure Mamma Mia is a blatant ripoff of Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell which was also the inspiration of the flop musical Carmelina.
"Contentment, it seems, simply happens. It appears accompanied by no bravos and no tears."
Alex Kulak2
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/11/16
#5Best Broadway Show Adapted from An Original Movie?
Posted: 3/25/17 at 10:46pm
Would A Christmas Story count? I think the movie was partially inspired by the book In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash.
#6Best Broadway Show Adapted from An Original Movie?
Posted: 3/25/17 at 11:08pm
Well, I suppose you could say LION KING is original, even though it's HAMLET with Lions.
http://docandraider.com
KathyNYC2
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/2/10
#7Best Broadway Show Adapted from An Original Movie?
Posted: 3/25/17 at 11:12pm
And where is Waitress?
#8Best Broadway Show Adapted from An Original Movie?
Posted: 3/26/17 at 12:28am
For me it's definitely Hairspray. I love that show.
#9Best Broadway Show Adapted from An Original Movie?
Posted: 3/26/17 at 4:10am
I voted for Hairspray too.
StephieElise
Featured Actor Joined: 11/12/12
#11Best Broadway Show Adapted from An Original Movie?
Posted: 3/26/17 at 5:34am
What about Kinky Boots?!
Consistency
Understudy Joined: 7/2/13
#13Best Broadway Show Adapted from An Original Movie?
Posted: 3/26/17 at 9:09am
"A Little Night Music" is one of the few musicals I consider (nearly) perfect, so I'll go with that one.
Some of Sondheim's wittiest lyrics and a lovely, lush score. It stands on its own as a great work in its own right, unlike a lot of film adaptations.
"Hairspray" would be another contender, in my book.
henrikegerman
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/29/05
#14Best Broadway Show Adapted from An Original Movie?
Posted: 3/26/17 at 10:36am
gypsy101 said: "pretty sure Mamma Mia is a blatant ripoff of Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell which was also the inspiration of the flop musical Carmelina."
Exactly right. Which raises the question has any other original screenplay inspired more than one Broadway musical? I doubt it.
"
#15Best Broadway Show Adapted from An Original Movie?
Posted: 3/26/17 at 1:47pm
Great question, Henrik. Does anybody know the answer?
AKarp2013
Broadway Star Joined: 7/25/11
#16Best Broadway Show Adapted from An Original Movie?
Posted: 3/26/17 at 2:06pm
I would say that the greatest Broadway shows adapted from an original movie would be "Little Shop of Horrors" and "Hairspray".
So many movie-to-stage adaptations to me keep trying to recreate the magic that happened with "Hairspray". Some came close, others did not. Only "Kinky Boots" I feel managed to capture the magic that "Hairspray" did.
#17Best Broadway Show Adapted from An Original Movie?
Posted: 3/26/17 at 2:19pm
IMO, "Kiss Of The Spider Woman" and "Ragtime" are quite possibly the best transformations from screen to stage. These two really are awesome works.
I Can Has Cheezburger With This?
#18Best Broadway Show Adapted from An Original Movie?
Posted: 3/26/17 at 2:35pm
Kiss of the Spider Women and Ragtime were both based more on their original novels as opposed to their film counterparts.
#19Best Broadway Show Adapted from An Original Movie?
Posted: 3/26/17 at 2:35pm
"Ragtime" is based on a famous novel by E.L. Doctorow. (Jeffrey, you beat me to it).
Updated On: 3/26/17 at 02:35 PM
#20Best Broadway Show Adapted from An Original Movie?
Posted: 3/26/17 at 2:43pm
A Christmas Story for me
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#21Best Broadway Show Adapted from An Original Movie?
Posted: 3/26/17 at 2:58pm
I mentioned those two based on all the previous posts, questioning the origins of the material. I know they were based on other materials; I'm saying these two were greatly adapted from source material or non-musical/musical. They both are very different from the original "whatever".
I'm not criticizing someone saying Mamma Mia or Christmas Story b/c I got the gist of what they meant. You could say American Psycho to American Psycho to American Psycho (the Musical) ...
I Can Has Cheezburger With This?
#22Best Broadway Show Adapted from An Original Movie?
Posted: 3/26/17 at 7:02pm
Including A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC made the choice so easy for me, it being my favorite musical of all time.
BwayDreamer00
Understudy Joined: 12/14/16
#23Best Broadway Show Adapted from An Original Movie?
Posted: 3/26/17 at 7:20pm
I'd have to by far say Hairspray, who knew this little unknown 1988 movie about prejudice in the 1960s would become a showstopping musical and later into an amazing show TO movie adaptation!
Oh and what about Footloose? Not a very good show but its still a movie to show exmaple!
green waver
Stand-by Joined: 11/3/16
#24Best Broadway Show Adapted from An Original Movie?
Posted: 3/27/17 at 9:06am
NewYorkTheater said: "Great question, Henrik. Does anybody know the answer?
Although loosely based on a poem, The Wild Party might count.
"
#25Best Broadway Show Adapted from An Original Movie?
Posted: 3/27/17 at 12:57pm
Here are the top 5 choices in the poll (as of this moment):
1. Hairspray
2. The Lion King
3. Little Shop of Horrors
4. The Producers
5. Waitress
#26Best Broadway Show Adapted from An Original Movie?
Posted: 3/27/17 at 1:03pm
The recent Presidential election taught me not to trust polls. Those results do not inspire any more confidence in them.
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
