What do you think of movies to musicals as a whole?
What do you think of movies to musicals as a whole?
EganFan2
Broadway Star Joined: 9/8/04
#0What do you think of movies to musicals as a whole?
Posted: 7/6/05 at 9:13pm
Do you think they are a good idea, bad idea, unoriginal, fantastic, etc.?
#1re: What do you think of movies to musicals as a whole?
Posted: 7/6/05 at 10:29pm
*sigh*
Unoriginal. But it sure sells, doesn't it?
But hey, I'll take an unoriginal book over a jukebox score any day.
-Anyone want to turn anarchist with me?"Bless you and all who know you, oh wise and penguined one." ~YouWantItWhen????
#2re: What do you think of movies to musicals as a whole?
Posted: 7/6/05 at 10:38pmI've been thinking about this topic for a while. As much as I enjoy most of the movie-based shows (i.e. Hairspray, Thoroughly Modern Millie), I do become a bit concerned about this becoming the norm rather than the exception on Broadway today. Surely there are still great playwrights out there with wonderful, new and original show ideas! If Broadway development teams keep taking all their show ideas from the movies, these playwrights are never going to get a chance to shine!
"Be a dear, hold Mommie's waffles." ~ Edna Turnblad, Hairspray
#3re: What do you think of movies to musicals as a whole?
Posted: 7/7/05 at 12:00amI believe that as long as its has a good score ...its fine with me. I don't think that there is anything wrong with them as long as its was a good movie. I don't there going to keep original things from coming to Broadway...cause just as there are crappy "original" musicals...there will also be crappy "unoriginal" musicals. There is really nothing to worry about movie musicals arent going to take over Broadway and neither is Disney. If anything "if" new theatres could be built in New York that would be GREAT.
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#4re: What do you think of movies to musicals as a whole?
Posted: 7/7/05 at 12:02amI think its a good idea, Piazza, Millie and Hairspray all are in my opinion better as bway musicals.
GypsyRoseLee
Broadway Star Joined: 7/5/04
#5re: What do you think of movies to musicals as a whole?
Posted: 7/7/05 at 12:10amI think that adaptations of movies that were already musicals are lame, I like to see new stuff. If it is an existing movie that has been put to new music, then I think it's great.
"This is what I trained to do, and this is what I love about theater. What I love about being an actress is being able to really look into myself and understand another human being. And out my own self, to shape and form and fashion a real human being--and to present that in such a way that people see something of themselves or their own understanding in that human being."
--Phylicia Rashad
#6re: What do you think of movies to musicals as a whole?
Posted: 7/7/05 at 12:21amThey probably will make another Michael Jackson movie detailing his adult life (jacko) and then thatd be an interesting bway show. It could be a love story between jacko and the little boy played by a jacko impersonator and those boys from Billy. "The light in the playground" hahhahahahaha
MargoChanning
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/5/04
#7re: What do you think of movies to musicals as a whole?
Posted: 7/7/05 at 12:22am
90+% of the greatest shows ever written are based on previously existing plays, novels or films. It's extremely rare for a musical to be successful, critically and financially, and not be adapted from some other source. Showboat, Porgy & Bess, Oklahoma, Carousel, South Pacific, King and I, Gypsy, Guys and Dolls, My Fair Lady, West Side Story, Fiddler, Man of La Mancha, Cabaret, A Litte Night Music, Sweeney Todd, Nine, Cats, Phantom, Passion, Ragtime, Lion King, Rent, The Producers, Hairspray and dozens of others are based on SOMETHING.
Who cares if it's based on a movie? What's important is the execution of that material by the creative team. Whether the book is wholly original or based on other material is no guarantee either way whether a show will be any good or not (and the fact is, the VAST majority of totally original shows ended up having serious book problems, flopped miserably and are mostly forgotten in the annals of theatre history at this point).
"What a story........ everything but the bloodhounds snappin' at her rear end." -- Birdie
[http://margochanning.broadwayworld.com/]
"The Devil Be Hittin' Me" -- Whitney
#8re: What do you think of movies to musicals as a whole?
Posted: 7/7/05 at 12:23am
I've said this before and I'll say it again. Most of these "original musicals" people are talking about aren't as original as you may think. I'd say most musicals have been based on another creative work whether they be plays, cartoons, novels, autobiographys, or movies. The reason people recognize these "movie turned musicals" more than others is because these movies are well known and the plots are already widely recognized. What these creative teams are doing is simply taking an already established plot and composing and original score and original choreography with original direction and some script re-writes. Notice the amount of times I said "original." That's because 90% of these movie-turned-musicals are original...everything except for the plot...and even parts of that have been changed/tweaked to fit on stage. I say, if it has an original score, direction, and staging...it's a pretty gosh darn original musical.
Here's a short list of famous "original" musicals...
CHICAGO...based on a play of the same name
CABARET...based on THE BERLIN STORIES, a novel
LES MISERABLES...based on a novel of the same name
MISS SAIGON...based on MADAME BUTTERFLY
CATS...based on a book by T.S. Elliot
THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA...based on a novel of the same name
SEUSSICAL...based on the Dr. Seuss stories
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA...based on a novel/movie of the same name
GYPSY...based on an autobiography
WICKED...based on a novel of the same name
INTO THE WOODS...based on Grimm's fairy tales
AIDA...based on an opera of the same name
RENT...based on LA BOHEME
SWEET CHARITY...based on the movie NIGHTS OF CABIRIA
HELLO, DOLLY...based on the play, THE MATCHMAKER
LA CAGE AUX FOLLES...based on a play of the same name
Ok. Maybe it's not so short...but I think it proves my point. Just because you don't recognize what something is based on doesn't mean it's a completely original idea. I only listed a small amount of shows based on already established works...this isn't nearly all of them. Does this fact make them less original?
"I love talking about nothing. It is the only thing I know anything about." - Oscar Wilde
Updated On: 7/7/05 at 12:23 AM
#9re: What do you think of movies to musicals as a whole?
Posted: 7/7/05 at 12:24amOr...you know...what Margo said.
"I love talking about nothing. It is the only thing I know anything about." - Oscar Wilde
#10re: What do you think of movies to musicals as a whole?
Posted: 7/7/05 at 12:26amActually, FOA I think La Cage (the OBC) def came out before the movie the Birdcage with Robin Williams, Nathan Lane, Gene Hackman and Colista. n/o. The BC was based on La Cage
MargoChanning
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/5/04
#11re: What do you think of movies to musicals as a whole?
Posted: 7/7/05 at 12:30am
La Cage was first a 1970s French play, THEN a VERY successful 1970s French film (which was the most successful foreign film in US history at that point), THEN Fierstein adapted a translation of the French play for the book for the musical. The plot of the musical is almost EXACTLY the same scene by scene as the play and the film, with even some of the same lines and visual jokes (ie Albin practicing being straight has almost exactly the same sight gags as the French play and the movie).
The Birdcage was based on the French film, NOT the musical.
"What a story........ everything but the bloodhounds snappin' at her rear end." -- Birdie
[http://margochanning.broadwayworld.com/]
"The Devil Be Hittin' Me" -- Whitney
Updated On: 7/7/05 at 12:30 AM
#12re: What do you think of movies to musicals as a whole?
Posted: 7/7/05 at 12:40amWell the money for writers is out in Hollywood writing for movies. Most of the talented writers are out there doing movies. I remember talk of this in Broadway the American musical. All the Broadway writers moved out to LA because it was the only place they could survive. I am sure someone else probably has better insight into this than I do though...
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wonderland
Understudy Joined: 6/6/05
#13re: What do you think of movies to musicals as a whole?
Posted: 7/7/05 at 3:49amAs always it depends on whether the show is well-adapted (ALNM, Nine) or poorly-adapted, hoping to make money solely based on its title (I won't name names here.)
