A GERMAN LIFE w/ Maggie Smith to be adapted to film

[JBroadway]

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Maggie-Smith-Will-Lead-Film-Adaptation-of-One-Woman-Play-A-GERMAN-LIFE-20201130

This is a bit odd in a few different ways.

Personally, I don't feel like this lends itself well to a feature-film format (I know it was based on a documentary, but I feel like that's different). They talk in the article about some of the alterations they'll make for the new medium, but to me it doesn't quite sound like enough.

Still, it's good that there will be some official documentation of Smith's performance. I just don't really understand why they didn't film it at the Bridge. There were rumors of West End and Broadway transfers, so maybe they were waiting to film it on the West End (it seems unlikely that they'd film it in the US but not in London, given the different culture around filmed stage productions in the UK). And it seems like it would have been easier to film it at the Bridge than on the West End, and also a safer bet in the likely event that a West End run didn't pan out (which it didn't)/ 

But also, I find their reasoning kind of confusing: they say it was because of COVID, but this was almost a full year before COVID. There was plenty of time for them to at least do a West End run. Maybe Smith's schedule didn't allow for that, but FWIW, I remember there being rumors going around that Smith wasn't really interested in doing another run, especially one overseas. 

If it's true that she wasn't feeling up for another run, then making a film version of it instead kind of makes sense, but again it raises the question of why they didn't just film it at the Bridge. 

[Wick3]

It will be interesting to see the film format of the play. I saw this last year at the Bridge Theatre in London and though at first I thought I may get bored, I was captivated throughout! I had no idea it had Broadway plans but getting it on film is better than nothing. 

[Jordan Catalano]

Pre-Covid this year, she had agreed to do the show again at The Bridge in London for 8 weeks and also come do it at BAM. Who knows if either of those will happen now but I’m at least glad a film is being done.

[Theatrefanboy1]

I hope she returns for a limit run. Post Covid.

I think this lend better to the stage as well