SandyBlogsHollywood is Taking Over!
December 22nd 2008 04:56
I remember when movies were based on plays, and not the other way around.
Films like Cabaret, Grease, Chicago, and, most recently, Mamma Mia are a great opportunity for people who can’t make it to the Great White Way to experience the magic of a musical. Then there is Hairspray, the movie-based-on-a-play-based-o n-a-movie (of course, The Producers did it first) which takes adaptation to a whole new level.
More and more though, things seem to be reversed from the usual Broadway-to-Hollywood road ideas seem to follow. Lately, Broadway is overrun with plays inspired by the screen. Disney’s been producing Broadway musicals based on their films for years, to much success. Hopefully Disney on Broadway will introduce a whole new generation to the wonders of the stage.
Some of the other films being made into musical though are just ridiculous. Didn’t producers learn from Carrie: The Musical that even if a movie is a hit, that doesn’t always translate to the stage. For every Hairspray there is a Crybaby and for every Spamalot there is a High Fidelity (HF closed after only 13 performances). Then there’s Xanadu, the movie was a flop, and it had Olivia Newton-John going for it, why would anyone think the play would be a success?
Off-Broadway has also had it’s share of film-based plays. Does anyone else remember Debbie Does Dallas:The Musical? I sure do, I even have a poster from it in my office just to prove I saw it during its (very)brief run.
TIme will only tell about the new crop of musicals-based-on-films. Shrek may attract enough kids to keep it going for a while, but as Tarzan taught us, family-friendly isn’t always enough to keep a show going. Billy Elliot has received some rave reviews, but will that be enough? Musicals in the works include 9 to 5 (with music by Dolly Parton), Leap of Faith, Father of the Bride and Finding Neverland all based on the films of the same name. If the rumors are true, even Fight Club may be coming to the Broadway stage.
Of course, the one I’m waiting to come to Broadway is Evil Dead: The Musical, which will be opening at the Campbell Theatre in Martinez, California next month. I may even fly across the country for that one.
Films like Cabaret, Grease, Chicago, and, most recently, Mamma Mia are a great opportunity for people who can’t make it to the Great White Way to experience the magic of a musical. Then there is Hairspray, the movie-based-on-a-play-based-o n-a-movie (of course, The Producers did it first) which takes adaptation to a whole new level.
More and more though, things seem to be reversed from the usual Broadway-to-Hollywood road ideas seem to follow. Lately, Broadway is overrun with plays inspired by the screen. Disney’s been producing Broadway musicals based on their films for years, to much success. Hopefully Disney on Broadway will introduce a whole new generation to the wonders of the stage.
Some of the other films being made into musical though are just ridiculous. Didn’t producers learn from Carrie: The Musical that even if a movie is a hit, that doesn’t always translate to the stage. For every Hairspray there is a Crybaby and for every Spamalot there is a High Fidelity (HF closed after only 13 performances). Then there’s Xanadu, the movie was a flop, and it had Olivia Newton-John going for it, why would anyone think the play would be a success?
Off-Broadway has also had it’s share of film-based plays. Does anyone else remember Debbie Does Dallas:The Musical? I sure do, I even have a poster from it in my office just to prove I saw it during its (very)brief run.
TIme will only tell about the new crop of musicals-based-on-films. Shrek may attract enough kids to keep it going for a while, but as Tarzan taught us, family-friendly isn’t always enough to keep a show going. Billy Elliot has received some rave reviews, but will that be enough? Musicals in the works include 9 to 5 (with music by Dolly Parton), Leap of Faith, Father of the Bride and Finding Neverland all based on the films of the same name. If the rumors are true, even Fight Club may be coming to the Broadway stage.
Of course, the one I’m waiting to come to Broadway is Evil Dead: The Musical, which will be opening at the Campbell Theatre in Martinez, California next month. I may even fly across the country for that one.
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