Love, Simon as a Musical

[Miles2Go2]

After crying throughout my initial viewing of Love, Simon on my fights to Chicago, I really can see this becoming a very good and successful Broadway musical (with the right execution). Anyone else agree? Also, after the subplot with Cabaret, I see this show is even more relevant now than it was during the last revival.

[ClumsyDude15]

I would absolutely love for this to become a musical at some point. I love the movie as well as the novel the movie is based on and I feel like with the right team it could be great. 

[Miles2Go2]

I was much more moved than I expected. I know we are currently suffering from a surplus of film-to-stage adaptations right now, but I would absolutely love for this to get adapted. I can see it appealing to the same audiences for Dear Evan Hansen and Mean Girls.

[BwayLB]

I actually won't mind Love Simon as a musical. But I didn't care for the Cabaret subplot to be honest. Because seeing a college production back in my senior year of high school, I was scared when the sound of Nazies marching echoed throughout the theater.

[Miles2Go2]

BwayLB said: "Because seeing a college production back in my senior year of high school, I was scared when the sound of Nazies marching echoed throughout the theater."

I think that’s the point. 

[Miles2Go2]

Duplicate message 

[ClumsyDude15]

^In the novel the movie is based on, they do Oliver not Cabaret. 

[BrodyFosse123]

After all the pre and post release hype on this film, I was excited to watch it.   Sadly, I turned it off about 45 minutes in.  It was like a really bad stomach ache sitting even thru that much.  It looked and felt like a really cliche’d FOX TV series or an episode of GLEE.  

Not even worth riding it out and based on how quickly it’s fallen off the radar, the comparisons to the now-classic film MEAN GIRLS (which merited a successful Broadway musical adaptation after years of its continued popularity as a film), is utterly ridiculous.  LOVE, SIMON is now but forgotten after only a few months after it’s release.  

[iluvtheatertrash]

What’s “utterly ridiculous” is your condescending and chastising tone when you completely misread what the OP said. They didn’t compare it to Mean Girls. They said it would appeal to similar audiences.

You don’t have to like the movie. But you also don’t have to be rude to people who do.

[Jordan Catalano]

I hate GLEE and anything that’s remotely like it, but I adored LOVE, SIMON. Even the blatant ripping off of NEVER BEEN KISSED didn’t bother me because I loved it so much. And as much as I’d love nothing more for musicals to take a break from being adapted from films, I can think of worse ideas than this.

[Wayman_Wong]

For the record, Greg Berlanti's ''Love, Simon'' made movie and pop-culture history as the first Hollywood studio movie about a gay teen's coming out. It rated 91% at Rotten Tomatoes and garnered a rare A+ from CinemaScore, which polls filmgoers. Made for $17 million, it grossed $40 million in the U.S. and another $25 millon abroad. (Compare that to ''Call Me by Your Name'': $18 million in the U.S. and another $23 million abroad.)  ''Love, Simon'' was one of the best-performing teen romantic comedies in recent years. ''It also inspired many articles and YouTube reviews about its timeliness, in reaching straight allies and LGBT fans of all ages. It was recently released on DVD-Blu-Ray, and Nick Robinson and co-star Keiynan Lonsdale won the MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss.

With the right writers, ''Love, Simon'' could be a terrific musical.

(And the movie didn't use ''Oliver!'' because of rights' issues.)

[Sauja]

No thank you. I hated the way the movie portrayed Ethan, the effeminate character. It seemed to shame him in the service of bolstering the attractive, white, traditionally masculine main character. I’m full up on sanitized gay romances written by straight white ladies.

[Jordan Catalano]

Yeah, white people are the worst.

[EllieRose2]

Not every movie needs to become a musical.  I enjoyed the movie very much, but I don't think there is a need for it to become more.  

[Wayman_Wong]

''Love, Simon'' was directed by Greg Berlanti, a proud, openly gay director who brought his own experiences to making this movie. He not only cast it more ethnically diverse than the universe in Becky Albertalli's book, but he added the character of Ethan, who doesn't really exist in the novel. Berlanti says: ''I wanted to add an openly gay kid because I think it’s much more common today to have more than just one gay kid at school. Also, I wanted to show that there are all different ways to be an openly LGBTQ kid in high school.'' Plus, he gave Simon and Ethan their own heart-to-heart scene toward the end to show ''they're really the same.''

Clark Moore, the out actor who played Ethan, says he was so proud to play a gay character who was more than a punchline. He says Ethan also got to show his vulnerability, and Moore adds: ''I love that I got to sort of act out my high school fantasy. Ethan is sort of who I wish I was in high school. He's way cooler than I ever was.'' 

[Jordan Catalano]

None of that matters because according to Sauja, white people are just awful.

[yinyang1195]

I literally thought while watching the movie (for the third time) that it could be an excellent musical, with the right writers/composers.

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

Act 1 Finale- Simon getting outed

Jennifer Garner's (amazing) monologue would obviously be a solo number for the mom.

Josh Duhamel's character apologizing to Simon for his gay jokes would somehow be written as a reprise of the mom's song.

Second to last song would start as a solo with Simon on the ferris wheel and at the bridge, "Blue" would start singing with him off stage before revealing himself.

Just a couple of examples of plenty of great moments that could translate really well into musical numbers.

[BwayLB]

Miles2Go2 said: "BwayLB said: "Because seeing a college production back in my senior year of high school, I was scared when the sound of Nazies marching echoed throughout the theater."

I think that’s the point."

True but Cabaret was too depressing for my taste despite a dazzling opening number.

[MrsSallyAdams]

I think "Love, Simon" would make a terrific musical. I've been binge watching LGBT films this summer and while there are many teen romances there are a shortage of fun ones with articulate protagonists.

The book and film deleted scenes include some moments that would adapt well to stage including:
Leah and Nora's angry band performance.
Simon's awkward visit to a gay dance club.
Simon's ugly, drunken fight with his parents (a nice build up to the more saintly speeches they give later in the story).
Abby's one-on-one with Simon where she calls him out for the way he's treated her.
 

I think the film's device of multiple actors playing "Blue" could supply some clever numbers. I'd also like to see Simon's friendship with the "real Blue" get developed in song before Simon learns his identity.

[Lot666]

iluvtheatertrash said: "What’s “utterly ridiculous” is your condescending and chastising tone when you completely misread what the OP said. They didn’t compare it to Mean Girls. They said it would appeal to similar audiences.

You don’t have to like the movie. But you also don’t have to be rude to people who do."

Although you didn't quote the individual to whom you are replying, I can tell you that the condescending tone is his/her modus operandi.

[kdogg36]

MrsSallyAdams said: "Simon's awkward visit to a gay dance club.
Simon's ugly, drunken fight with his parents (a nice build up to the more saintly speeches they give later in the story)."

I thought this deleted scene was well-executed and entertaining on its own. However, I can see why it didn't make the final cut. It seems clear that additional scenes would be required to pivot to (a) the ensuing saintliness, as you say, and instant acceptance by his parents, and (b) Nick's anger towards Simon after learning of his scheming. I can see that the inclusion of the deleted scene - plus everything that would be necessary to situate it into the plot of the move as we know it - might have been rather clunky.

[Call_me_jorge]

Did I love the move? Very much so. Do I think it warrants a musical? Nope, not a chance. I also thought the same waitress and I love Waitress. So I think my opinion will depend on whoever is ultimately attached to this title.

Thinking about the movies soundtrack, would love to see the bleachers continue with this story and write a musical.

[froote]

Wayman_Wong said: "For the record, Greg Berlanti's ''Love, Simon'' made movie and pop-culture history as the first Hollywood studio movie about a gay teen's coming out. It rated 91% at Rotten Tomatoes and garnered a rare A+ from CinemaScore, which polls filmgoers. Made for $17 million, it grossed $40 million in the U.S. and another $25 millon abroad. (Compare that to ''Call Me by Your Name'': $18 million in the U.S. and another $23 million abroad.) ''Love, Simon'' was one of the best-performing teen romantic comedies in recent years. ''It also inspired many articles and YouTube reviews about its timeliness, in reaching straight allies and LGBT fans of all ages. It was recently released on DVD-Blu-Ray, and Nick Robinson and co-star Keiynan Lonsdale won the MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss.

With the right writers, ''Love, Simon'' could be a terrific musical.

(And the movie didn't use ''Oliver!'' because of rights' issues.)"

The comparison to Call Me By Your Name's box office is useless. CMBYN was released in far less theaters and had a budget of $3.5mil. LS made just under 4x its budget, CMBYN made over 11x its budget.