Posted by Mazzy061 2013-01-09 22:31:58
Seriously, I love the movie phase but... I kinda can't wait for something original as well. Not all of broadway is movie, but from what I've been seeing... it's movie into musical.Will Broadway ever bring back originally written shows?
Posted by Jon 2013-01-09 22:52:49
Have you heard of Book of Mormon?
Will Broadway ever bring back originally written shows?
Posted by Taryn 2013-01-09 22:53:47
Will people ever stop whining about it?
Will Broadway ever bring back originally written shows?
Posted by GavestonPS 2013-01-09 22:57:32
Since at least the 1920s, Broadway musicals have usually been adapted from works from other media. (There are plenty of exceptions, of course.) Doing so helps to "pre-sell" the adaptation because the public already knows the source material.
Now that fewer people read and hit straight plays are rare, movies are the only medium that gets enough attention to make an adaptation salable. (Also TV, of course, but adapting TV shows into Broadway musicals seems to pose its own problems.)
So, yes and yes. Yes, there will be original musicals. And, yes, many if not most commercial musicals will be adapted from films (unless they start adapting them from video games).
IMO, obviously, since I don't own a crystal ball.
Will Broadway ever bring back originally written shows?
Posted by SNAFU 2013-01-09 23:06:34
Thread jack for a moment, was there ever a Topper muscial considered?
Will Broadway ever bring back originally written shows?
Posted by SNAFU 2013-01-09 23:06:42
Thread jack for a moment, was there ever a Topper muscial considered?
Will Broadway ever bring back originally written shows?
Posted by emilyfaye48 2013-01-10 00:18:26
I agree! Let's go back to the good ol' days when musicals had no source material whatsoever!
Will Broadway ever bring back originally written shows?
Posted by NoName3 2013-01-10 00:37:38
A very brief Google search shows at least two musical versions of Topper done regionally that don't seem to have had much of an afterlife.
I love the sublime Blithe Spirit but I just can't consider that it wasn't heavily inspired by Topper. The original 1937 film with Cary Grant and Constance Bennett had been a huge hit and Coward wrote his play just 3 or 4 years later. (I certainly am not implying it was a rip-off but the closeness in time and the similar plot elements and tone and are too much to be just coincidence.) So High Spirits, the musical version of Coward's work, is semi-close to the bill.
And, vaguely related, Sondheim wrote 11 episodes of the wonderful 1950's TV version.
Will Broadway ever bring back originally written shows?
Posted by ratherbewhaling 2013-01-10 00:55:39
People point to book of mormon as an example of this, but if it was the exact same show except without the star power and "cool factor" of the South Park guys, I'm don't think it would be the success that it is
Will Broadway ever bring back originally written shows?
Posted by Johnnycantdecide 2013-01-10 00:56:39
Next to Normal, anyone?
Will Broadway ever bring back originally written shows?
Posted by Johnnycantdecide 2013-01-10 00:59:21
Also in the last 20 years or so,
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,
The Last Five Years (off Broadway),
Chess (a bit farther back),
Passing Strange,
and Taboo.
Will Broadway ever bring back originally written shows?
Posted by Almira 2013-01-10 01:18:45
Thread jack for a moment, was there ever a Topper muscial considered?
Over the years I've heard of two "considerations" when it comes to TOPPER.
1) A musical version interpolating Cole Porter songs.
2) A musical version with an original score by Jerry Herman.
Can't remember if Herman actually wanted to do it, or whether it was something he was approached to do, or whether it was wishful thinking. Either way, it clearly never happened.
But TOPPER seems IDEAL source material for Herman. All of Herman's successful shows have a "free-spirit vs. conservative" theme, which TOPPER definitely has. TOPPER even has a spot for Herman's requisite "live life" song... only it this case the singer can literally mean live life!
Will Broadway ever bring back originally written shows?
Posted by Jordan Catalano 2013-01-10 01:41:53
You do know this is Quiche2 with his screen name de jour, right?
Will Broadway ever bring back originally written shows?
Posted by Wynbish 2013-01-10 01:49:54
Catfish!
Will Broadway ever bring back originally written shows?
Posted by broadwayfreak4 2013-01-10 03:29:21
Bombshell, if it eventually becomes one.
Will Broadway ever bring back originally written shows?
Posted by GatorNY 2013-01-10 07:31:02
There's a whole song about this in [title of show]. It's pretty funny.
Will Broadway ever bring back originally written shows?
Posted by PalJoey 2013-01-10 07:48:19
You want one, write one.
Will Broadway ever bring back originally written shows?
Posted by chewy5000 2013-01-10 07:53:24
I don't see how the road has any say in what happens on it.
Will Broadway ever bring back originally written shows?
Posted by sondhead 2013-01-10 09:56:33
I don't see why original musicals are any better than those adapted, at least in their conception. There are poorly written movie adaptations, sure, but there are extremely poor original musicals as well. And let's remember that Promises, Promises; Sweet Charity; A Little Night Music; Little Shop of Horrors; Nine; Passion are all based on movies. Perhaps most importantly, MOST of the canon of good musicals throughout the artforms history are in fact adaptations and not fully original, and this shouldn't and doesn't diminish their achievement in any way.
Will Broadway ever bring back originally written shows?
Posted by RippedMan 2013-01-10 10:05:33
I'm actually surprised more people haven't started producing Original Musicals. Look at the hits from the past few seasons. Memphis. Book of Mormon. The Drowsy Chaperone. Etc. They were all hits, and did not come from any sort of recognizable source material.
And I think you're wrong about Book of Mormon. It already has a title that attracts attention. It got glorious reviews, and amazing word-of-mouth. And there was no 'star power' when the show opened. No one knew who those two guys were.
Will Broadway ever bring back originally written shows?
Posted by JoeKv99 2013-01-10 10:12:23
"Original" musicals aren't any better or worse than adapted ones- whether the source be a painting, a poem or a video game. But bitching about lack of originality in musicals is easy and people who do it think it makes them look erudite.
Will Broadway ever bring back originally written shows?
Posted by finebydesign 2013-01-10 10:27:23
"I'm actually surprised more people haven't started producing Original Musicals."
To me it always seems to point to the way musicals are made. Many many many times composer/lyricist teams go off and write music in the absence of a book writer. I think "In the Heights" was put together this way. Sure "song cycles" can evolve into shows, but let's face it, if you don't have a story, you don't have nothing.
Will Broadway ever bring back originally written shows?
Posted by everythingtaboo 2013-01-10 13:46:35
I think the question should be when did we go from saying "oh god, another musical based on a movie?" to "i think this and this and this and this should be a musical!"
Will Broadway ever bring back originally written shows?
Posted by newintown 2013-01-10 15:37:23
I think that movies can be a perfectly valid source for musical adaptation, as long as those adapting it aren't merely trying to cash in on a film's popularity by plopping it on stage relatively unchanged, with some pedestrian songs plugged in here and there (as in Legally Blonde, 9 to 5, Shrek, etc.).
The best adaptations have their own integrity as significantly different entities that surpass their source material.
Will Broadway ever bring back originally written shows?
Posted by finebydesign 2013-01-10 16:25:57
Not a huge fan of Legally Blonde, but that source material was perfect for a musical. The whole idea sings, the lead has a great hero story, the premise is hilarious. It's just a great animal to work with. Not saying it was a great piece of anything, but the story is as strong.
Will Broadway ever bring back originally written shows?
Posted by DEClarke 2013-01-10 17:19:18
I don't mind movies turned musicals when they're good adaptations. For me, I find that novels turned musicals tend to be better... but that's not a guarantee. Completely original musicals have a lot to prove, and some can be down right terrible. But any musical, no matter how original it is, runs the risk of being God awful.
Personally, I'm tired of the jukebox musical. You know, the top 10-18 singles of certain performer, group, and/or era do not always fit together to make a show. Please stop constructing trite plots around them. Yet, as I rant, I can think of a few jukebox musicals that have worked for me. But they are fewer and farther between.
Will Broadway ever bring back originally written shows?
Posted by Jay Lerner-Z 2013-01-10 17:22:15
This poster has a long history with BWW and evidently knows what buttons to press to garner responses. The guy is sick, but if y'all want to indulge him, go ahead.
On the other hand, I guess the poor fella is doing no harm if he stirs up conversation amongst the non-insane.
Will Broadway ever bring back originally written shows?
Posted by GavestonPS 2013-01-10 17:23:09
The problem isn't adaptation per se, it's being slavishly true to the source material because the customers paid $100+ per ticket and basically want to see what they already liked. (Read Michener's "Tales of the South Pacific". R&H and Logan used fewer than 10 pages from the full-length short story collection.)
I can't imagine a more deadly way to write, unless it's writing screenplays for comic book movie sequels that are actually remakes.
Will Broadway ever bring back originally written shows?
Posted by rhdery 2013-01-10 20:05:03
I would at least like to see them choose better movies. Leap of Faith was an average film with little following. So, there was little to no built in audience to be brought in by the title.
The Jerk or Man With Two Brains would have been better Steve Martin films to adapt.
By the way-- anyone else remember his remake of Pennies From Heaven?
Will Broadway ever bring back originally written shows?
Posted by RippedMan 2013-01-11 01:11:03
True. But then for ever Leap of Faith there is a Newsies, which was a flop, but now has a great life on Broadway.
At least in the "old days" when they adapted a movie they'd change the title. I wish they'd do that more. To me it just makes musicals in general look cheesier when it has the line "the musical." Ghost could have been a great show, but who wants to see something called "Ghost the Musical?" That just sounds awful.
Will Broadway ever bring back originally written shows?
Posted by Plum 2013-01-11 03:04:21
If you're adapting because you're actually adapting, you might pull a Green Grow the Lilacs/Oklahoma! or whatnot. But if you're adapting because you want to cash in on the source material's popularity, of course you're not going to change the title.
Will Broadway ever bring back originally written shows?
Posted by rhdery 2013-01-11 04:59:27
Good example with Newsies. It reminds me that the producing game is really hard. I don't think anyone knows for sure what will hit, and every year there are good shows that just don't click with audiences.
I remember being very skeptical of Rock of Ages, but it has done well and I ended up liking it, so I guess it comes down to people putting up the best shows they can and hoping for the best.
Will Broadway ever bring back originally written shows?
Posted by Yero my Hero 2013-01-11 08:29:33
I don't think you can say "for every Leap of Faith, there is a Newsies." Sure, Newsies flopped at the box office when it was first released, but every article has pointed to the huge DVD sales and cult following it gained after that. Go to any college campus and you'll find students (probably theater students) watching the film, quoting the film, singing "Santa Fe," etc. It had plenty of fans in the population of 18-30 year old musical theater fans, which, coincidentally, is the most lucrative Broadway audience (see: Wicked, Rent).
Leap of Faith, on the other hand, flopped at the box office and has virtually no following.
All that said, it is frustrating and a tad hypocritical to hear people say in the same breath "I wish they'd stop adapting popular movies just to cash in!" followed by, "Leap of Faith was a stupid choice from the beginning because no one knows the movie." Do you want them to use popular movies or don't you?
Will Broadway ever bring back originally written shows?
Posted by newintown 2013-01-11 09:12:01
In good hands, Leap of Faith could have probably been turned into a good musical. Unfortunately, it was adapted by hacks.
Newsies is a good example of something mentioned several times earlier here - it's not an adaptation, it's merely a transfer with a few new songs thrown in. There's nothing significantly new or different about it as compared to the source.
Will Broadway ever bring back originally written shows?
Posted by henrikegerman 2013-01-11 10:06:05
As has been said, original librettos as opposed to adaptations have long been the exception.
As to why BDWY turn to movies instead of plays and novels, there are a variety of reasons.
As Gaveston said, the popularity of film in relation to the theater and reading has exponentially grown.
There are likely fewer contemporary plays and novels which seem ripe for musicalization than there were when Ziegfeld read Show Boat and R&H read Tales from the South Pacific.
Also, movies are often adapted from plays and novels before their musicals are. There were films of Liliom and Pygmalian well before Carousel and My Fair Lady. Even today we tend to think of shows like Giant and Rebecca as cashing in on film popularity, but they were novels before they were films.
Still, it would be nice if adapters would look more often for non-movie source material, and, as has been said, if when they did look to the movies they'd sometimes make smarter choices as to which to adapt. It also goes without saying that they should - of course there are exceptions - do a better job of adapting them.
Will Broadway ever bring back originally written shows?
Posted by newintown 2013-01-11 10:16:34
"There are likely fewer contemporary plays and novels which seem ripe for musicalization than there were when Ziegfeld read Show Boat and R&H read Tales from the South Pacific."
At least regarding novels, I would strongly disagree. Off the top of my head, I can easily imagine several works of Julian Fellowes, Paul Auster, Michael Chabon, and Joe Keenan being adapted successfully to the musical stage.
I will acknowledge, however, that relatively few people actually read novels, and that would include musical theatre writers.
Regarding plays that are ripe for adaptation - well, there are fewer to see, at least on Broadway, aren't there? Look at calendar year 1940 with 60 original plays, as compared with 2012 with a paltry 14 (3 of which were really revivals of old plays, just never before seen on Broadway).
Will Broadway ever bring back originally written shows?
Posted by henrikegerman 2013-01-11 10:21:18
Newintown, I didn't mean to say there aren't any but with the examples you give and other well known ones, isn't it very likely that the rights to them are in the hands of those looking to adapt for the screen not the stage?
Will Broadway ever bring back originally written shows?
Posted by newintown 2013-01-11 10:27:54
Very possibly, yes. Although I just heard a conversation among some rabid movie lovers, stating that significantly fewer movies are adapted from novels today than ever before as well.
Will Broadway ever bring back originally written shows?
Posted by PitPro2004 2013-01-11 23:16:08
I have been fortunate to be part of two original musicals that are still awaiting producer interest. Not based on any book, tv show or movie. Easy to cast, catchy hum-able commercial music, drama and comedy in all the right places, fresh dialogue, and very low overhead. No one will touch them. Peter Filicia himself came to review both productions and said there was no reason why they should not be playing in NYC. Instead, what's on it's way? Flashdance.
I long for the day that Broadway comfort food ends and we can get back to the business of a heavier tipped scale of fresh and exciting new theater instead of the constant barrage of reheated microwave movie offerings that don't last very long.
