Adaptations that will be worth the wait

[Theatrefanboy1]

Posted: 7/18/18 at 12:16am

So with the plethora of, in my opinion, wasted attempts at adapting a film or franchise for the stage I’m wondering what are some that have been announced that people are actually looking forward to and think could be actually well done

My thoughts are:

Cher (with some tightening. I think her story could work well on stage)
Moulin Rouge (if they keep show must go on and don’t mess with the source material)
Devil Wears Prada (Elton Johns score tends to for me always be divine)
Rebecca (I know it’s dead. But the score and story and visuals were something that seemed to work)
Hercules (Disney. I know Menken had said before about it I think it’s one of his greatest post ashmen)
Pocahontas (I know the plot is romanticized but the visual potential with someone like Taymor or Palaus and score would be a set hit


I would also like to see
Either love simon or call me by your name worked as a musical. I think the styles would be very different but I love the idea of a gay story taking the lead in a broadway musical.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 7/18/18 at 12:23am

CALL ME BY YOUR NAME would be a great musical, using the songs of Miley Cyrus.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 7/18/18 at 1:25am

Can’t wait for the peach song!

[Dave28282]

Posted: 7/18/18 at 5:26am

Not film to stage, but stage to film, Miss Saigon.

They can take as much time as they want, as long as Boublil and Schonberg are still alive.

I am really hoping for the movie to be made in 5 years, with Angelica Hale in the role of Kim. 

For this artform on film you need the most natural singers you can get, so that it doesn't result in a dramatic bunch of actors apologizing for the artform and giving a showcase in over-emoting on top of each dramatic lyric or note, or in between.

It should be much more filmic, like a videoclip, embracing the music, sung thoughts, not realistic/literal.

 

 

Updated On: 7/18/18 at 05:26 AM

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 7/18/18 at 10:43am

The Cher Show really needs a total rewrite to be as good as, say, Beautiful.  But it will probably be a hit, regardless.  I'm really looking forward to the Tootsie tryout in Chicago.  We're also getting the world premiere of Bedknobs and Broomsticks and I'm very curious to see how that will turn out.  I really wish Rebecca would happen.  I absolutely LOVE the score and I've always enjoyed that style of musical.  Hercules has been on my wish list forever and I think it could be sensational if it were staged creatively with the use of puppetry (similar to Lion King or War Horse).  Pocahontas would be a really bad idea.  I enjoy the film, but in this day and age, it would bring nothing but controversy and scorn.  The one show I truly wish would get some tinkering and transfer is Paul Gordon's Sense and Sensibility.  The Chicago production was GLORIOUS.  It needed a bit of tinkering and restructuring, but it was already superior to loads of Broadway musicals produced over the last 10 years (but then, so was Jane Eyre).

[GeorgeandDot]

Posted: 7/18/18 at 10:46am

Seriously though, I'm excited for Tootsie. Yazbeck writes brilliant musical comedies.

On the subject of Call Me By Your Name, it would make a great Sondheim/Lapine musical.

[smidge]

Posted: 7/18/18 at 10:51am

I would love to see Bedknobs and Broomsticks. Does anyone know how that is coming along since the passing of Rachel Rockwell?

[YvanEhtNioj]

Posted: 7/18/18 at 11:46am

Is Pocahontas really happening or is that a hypothetical? I would love to see that on stage.

From stage to film - I feel like I’ve been waiting forever for the In The Heights movie.

[Valentina3]

Posted: 7/18/18 at 11:58am

Beautiful barely scratched the surface of how complicated Carole King's life actually was, I think it does a great job invoking nostalgia. The songs in Beautiful make for a memorable night at the theater, not the actual show itself.

The Cher Show on the other hand, has a larger than life central character who is an easier subject for a musical. The show still has a chance to improve the book (and I think it will) to make us really see her internal conflict. struggle, and defiance. I Believe in it.

[SomeOtherMe]

Posted: 7/18/18 at 12:12pm

Dave28282 said: "I am really hoping for the movie to be made in 5 years, with Angelica Hale in the role of Kim."

Do we know if she can act at all?

[Wick3]

Posted: 7/18/18 at 12:12pm

Really looking forward to To Kill a Mockingbird on Bway.

[Broadway61004]

Posted: 7/18/18 at 12:39pm

I second "Tootsie" and am also interested to see what kind of buzz "Dave" gets (although I'm slightly less optimistic about that one).

I'm also curious to see how "Too Wong Foo" plays on stage, given that Douglas Carter Beane originally wanted it to be a stage show to begin with rather than a film.

[Ado Annie D'Ysquith]

Posted: 7/18/18 at 1:09pm

I mean, I'm still waiting for John Patrick Shanley to call me with an offer to serve as the lyricist for MOONSTRUCK (one of my favorite movies of all time).

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 7/18/18 at 1:44pm

The Cher Show on the other hand, has a larger than life central character who is an easier subject for a musical. 

Cher has a larger than life personality, but in terms of story, The Cher Show was mostly just three bullet points that defined Cher by three of her relationships with men, two of which barely made up 25% of the show.  At least Beautiful had a surface to scratch.  If Cher is an easier subject, it seems like the show would make more sense than Beautiful, not less.  And maybe only require one Cher instead of 3 (plus the Chorus Chers).

I mean, I'm still waiting for John Patrick Shanley to call me with an offer to serve as the lyricist for MOONSTRUCK (one of my favorite movies of all time).

One of my favorite movies as well, which is why I have no interest in a musical adaptation.  Personally, I think songs will only get in the way and slow it down.

[Lot666]

Posted: 7/18/18 at 2:21pm

Mister Matt said: "I really wish Rebecca would happen. I absolutely LOVE the score and I've always enjoyed that style of musical."

Me too. Have you actually heard the entire score? I've only found bits and pieces of it.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 7/18/18 at 2:24pm

Have you actually heard the entire score? I've only found bits and pieces of it.

There is a 2-disc complete recording in German.  I think I've only heard 3-4 tracks recorded in English, however.

[Lot666]

Posted: 7/18/18 at 2:41pm

Mister Matt said: "There is a 2-disc complete recording in German. I think I've only heard 3-4 tracks recorded in English, however."

Thanks; I wasn't aware that a CD was available (in any language).

I absolutely love the English versions of "Last Night I Dreamt of Manderley" and the title song. I wish there were higher quality recordings available.

[Dave28282]

Posted: 7/18/18 at 2:56pm

SomeOtherMe said: "Dave28282 said: "I am really hoping for the movie to be made in 5 years, with Angelica Hale in the role of Kim."

Do we know if she can act at all?"

That's actually an interesting and great question.

In every performance I have seen her do (on screen though), she is the epitome of acting through song. The sincerity and conviction in the words she sings really sweeps me off my feet.

This truth in her singing and performance rises above most other artists today. I have only seen this kind of  sincerity of acting through song in people like Whitney Houston, Julie Andrews and Lea Salonga before. 

This kind of sincere acting through the notes is completely absent in for example, Hugh Jackman's performance in Les Mis. He is over-emoting. He is also separating the acting from the singing by constant switching in between words. He is acting in spite if song, not through song, which makes the acting insincere and the singing feel out of place.

Understanding this could take musical film to a whole new level.

Edit: I think this girl has the potential to fit the role so well, that I would really keep an eye out for her with this role in mind if I were one of the creatives/producers, and maybe offer her some kind of acting/training/drama lessons within the next few years as they have done with a lot of Kim's in the past. I recall Tanya Manalang receiving extensive training, provided by Cameron Mackintosh a  few years back, flying her out to London for this training.

I also hope she continues to focus on her softer, gentler singing style an head voice. Which is exquisite at the moment, but many of her performances are cheap current pop songs, with the same chords and loud belt notes, which I think she is asked to to at many performances. It's the finesse and clarity in her softer palette that makes her so special.

Updated On: 7/18/18 at 02:56 PM

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 7/18/18 at 3:02pm

Rebecca recordings

[BwayLB]

Posted: 7/19/18 at 9:51am

One adaptation I like to see is the 1995 Don Blurh animated film The Pebble and the Penguin with this fantasy creative team.

Barry Maniliw (music and musical supervision) and Bejic Pasek and Justin Paul (new song lyrics)

Kathleen Marshall (director and choreographer)

David Zinn (set and costume design)

Natasha Katz, Kenneth Posener or David Holder (lighting design)

Michael Curry (puppet design)