Guess they've exhausted the movie-to-stage catalogue... now they are turning to TV. What's next? "Leave it to Beaver?" Oy...
Never was a fan of the Honeymooners so I'll hold off for "Facts of Life the musical" or "Golden Girls Live!"
In all reality, I am shocked no one has created an all-new musical based on Ed Sullivan. Seems to me there's a story there ripe for the telling - and imagine the production numbers based on his variety show.
I hope they take into consideration that the times have changed. Part of Ralph's character was that he was always threatening Alice "Pow, right in the kisser" or "Straight to the moon." I'm sure somebody will find offense in today's society.
If anyone ever tells you that you put too much Parmesan cheese on your pasta, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
I use to have the demo of Menken/Ashman's take on The Honeymooners. It had some really nice songs, especially a nice one for Alice, "To The Moon" I think it was called, that was very Part of Your World/Somewhere That's Green.
I'm really interested to see what direction they take this in. And I'm SO glad they cast someone like Michael McGrath and not Jim Belushi. Although, and it's going to be said more than once, we all know Nathan Lane would be the ideal choice...
Sorry, but Alice should be younger, and a babe. After all, The Honeymooners created the "fat/shlumpy guy with a hot wife" sitcom cliche', as seen in King of Queens, According to Jim, Still Standing, Everybody Loves Raymond, The Flintstones (of course) and Family Guy.
Small Wonder:The Electrifying Musical Charles in Charles: The Musical Just the Ten of US: A Musical Comedy
"Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion's starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don't see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often it's not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it's always there - fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge - they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I've got a sneaky feeling you'll find that love actually is all around."
The Honeymooners has already been a musical, sort of. The show was revived in the late 60s, in color, with musical numbers. I have only a faint memory of it. I couldn't find a clip online.
That was Gleasons' Variety Show. Each week had a short Honeymooners sketch, as well as Reginald Van Gleason, Joe The Bartender, and other Gleason characters. Art Carney was on hand to play Ed Norton, but the origin al wives were not. Sheila McRae played Alice.
They did full one-hour mini-musicals based on THE HONEYMOONERS characters in the later years of THE JACKIE GLEASON SHOW. Some of these - a series of episodes following the gang on a trip to Europe - were in syndication until the late 1970s but are apparently no longer available. The songs were written by Lyn Duddy and Jerry Bresler.
Cast albums are NOT "soundtracks." Live theatre does not use a "soundtrack." If it did, it wouldn't be live theatre!
I host a weekly one-hour radio program featuring cast album selections as well as songs by cabaret, jazz and theatre artists. The program, FRONT ROW CENTRE is heard Sundays 9 to 10 am and also Saturdays from 8 to 9 am (eastern times) on www.proudfm.com
Im not so sure that Alice is supposed to be a beautiful babe. The part was originally played by Pert Kelton, who got caught up in the Joe McCarthy nightmare and couldn't be hired for the part when it went full time (she did, however, occasionally play Alice's mother). When Audrey Meadows submitted her photo shot to Gleason, his original reaction was that she was too pretty. Audrey frumped herself up for the audition and got the part. While she's not the schlump that Ralph was supposed to be, I don't think the idea was for Alice to be a beauty contest winner. Somewhat attracitive, yes; great beauty, no.