Has anyone tried a YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU musical?

[Alex Kulak2]

I'm an aspiring musical theatre writer, and I'm looking at the challenge Oscar Hammerstein II gave to Sondheim: write four musicals based on 1) a great play, 2) a flawed play, 3) another form, like a novel or short story, and 4) an original concept. The "great play" that immediately came to mind is Kaufman and Hart's YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU. On one hand, I love the script. It's a classic situational comedy with unique characters and tons of opportunities for musical numbers. But on the other hand, I thought that as classic and as popular as the play is, there must already be an adaptation of it. So you can imagine my surprise when I can't find any information about a musical based on YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU anywhere on the internet.

Has anyone heard of someone trying to adapt the play? Do the Kaufman and Hart estates not want their work translated to the musical form? Is it perhaps the show is already too close to perfect that an attempt to "improve" it with songs would be futile?

[Kad]

The broad strokes of the plot were basically cribbed for The Addams Family. 

[Pashacar]

Have never heard of anything either, but agree it's a good idea!

[Hot Pants]

As long as you can make it better than Addams Family, I say go for it

[joevitus]

Kad said: "The broad strokes of the plot were basically cribbed for The Addams Family."

EXACTLY what I was thinking. 

[Charley Kringas Inc]

The “full disclosure” scene in Addams Family basically straight out of the play.

Also, I’d be curious to see someone do this to Long Christmas Dinner. I know there’s a short opera version but it seems ripe for musical theater.

[BwayLB]

I won’t mind a musical. I played a cop during my senior year of high school in 2011.

[Hot Pants]

Charley Kringas Inc said: "The “full disclosure” scene in Addams Family basically straight out of the play.

Also, I’d be curious to see someone do this to Long Christmas Dinner. I know there’s a short opera version but it seems ripe for musical theater."

I never really thought about that, and now that I have, I hate that awful song even more than I did before.

[Broadway Buddy]

Doing the play version for my high school in the fall. Didn’t know it was a musical, but you should do it. Great show, and it’s incredibly funny.

[Hot Pants]

If You Can’t Take it With You was made into a musical, it should be given the My Fair Lady treatment and have a decent chunk of the original dialogue in the show.

Also if the show managed to be made before too long, they could have some of the cast members of the recent revival who happen to have musical theatre experience, such as Annaleigh Ashford, Reg Rogers, and Julie Halston reprise their roles.

Also some potential casting could be Boyd Gaines/André De Shields as Grandpa, Rachel Bay Jones as Penny, Laura Osnes as Alice, Ethan Slater as Ed, Ari’el Stachel as Tony, Michael McGrath as Mr. DePinna, Brooks Asmankas as Mr. Kirby, and Brian D’Arcy James as Paul.

[Esther Blodgett]

One of the basic questions any writer must ask before beginning an adaptation of an existing work is "How can I tell the same story better?" With You Can't Take With You the answer is simple. You can't. The original script is so tight and seamless that any intrusion of song and/or dance would be just that, an intrusion.

Note that I have said "better" and not "different". Adding song and dance does not make the story necessarily better because it is different. Prime example, Young Frankenstein which is a tight film script and the stage musical became leaden. A Tale of Two Cities was another. We just wanted the songs to finish so we could get back to the story which is a wonderful story.

The basic reason You Can't Take It With You hasn't been made into a musical is that it won't work.

[Esther Blodgett]

Damn Double Post..

 

[GavestonPS]

Esther, I agree with you that if "different" merely means, "Well, there are songs now", that isn't a good reason enough to adapt.

But nobody is going to claim, objectively, that MY FAIR LADY is "better" than PYGMALION. The musical is "different" (or at least it was, originally) in many ways, however, and successfully so. Both works have been performed for many, many years.

I highly doubt Sondheim would claim NIGHT MUSIC is "better" than Bergman's film, but, again, it is quite different and not just because the actors sing.