re: Breakfast at Tiffany's

[SallyBrown]

I think this could work as a musical...

[BJC899]

I can see them dancing with tiffany boxes now!...

[SallyBrown]

Yes! And a lovely duet in the rain...

[Kitzarina]

Pretty sure it was already a musical:

"In 1966 David Merrick produced a Broadway musical based upon the film version of Breakfast at Tiffany's. The title changed to "Holly Golightly" and back to "Breakfast At Tiffany's" again, as the troubled production was trying out. Abe Burrows was originally hired to write the book and direct the production, and Bob Merrill to write the music and lyrics. For the two leading roles, Merrick chose popular television stars with little or no stage experience, and no previous work in musical theatre: Mary Tyler Moore played Holly, and Richard Chamberlain played the fledgling novelist (christened Jeff Claypool in the musical version of the story).

The show was clearly in trouble from the beginning. Mary Tyler Moore confided during interviews that she felt the producer and director were unhappy with her performance, and that they were planning to replace her after the first week, even though her name helped to sell the show. Moore and Chamberlain stayed with the show until the bitter end, but Merrick did hire Edward Albee, who had never written for the musical theatre, to see what he could do to improve Burrows' book. Albee created a stir when he announced to the press that Burrow's script was hopeless, and that he would need to start from scratch. Burrows, a highly-acclaimed writer in musical theatre, was so offended that he left the show entirely. Albee wrote a new book, dropping many of Merrill's songs (requiring him to write new ones while the show was in previews).

While Burrows' book closely followed the storyline of the film, Albee took the story in an entirely new direction. He made Holly into a fictional character created in Jeff's imagination. When Jeff wasn't happy with the way his story was going, he would tear the page out of his typewriter and start over, with the other actors on stage quickly shifting to fit the new version. While many felt the approach was interesting, most found it confusing; in the end it made any kind of real connection between Holly and Jeff impossible. Even though the show had the largest advance ticket sales of any new show of the season, Merrick decided to close the show, rather than open it on Broadway. He even took out a legendary ad in the New York Times announcing to the world that he was closing the show because it was too boring to watch.

Just before the production closed, a live recording was made of the musical numbers. Excerpts of this recording were later released on LP, which many assumed was an official cast album. In 2001 Original Cast Records released a studio cast recording of the score. The recording preserves all of the songs written for various versions of the show, with notes as to which songs were used with each book, and their proper sequence. For the recording, Faith Prince played Holly, John Schneider played Jeff, and Sally Kellerman played Mag -the role she created in the original production thirty-five years before. Sadly, composer Bob Merrill did not live to see the commercial release (and critical success) of his score; he committed suicide in February of 1998."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breakfast_At_Tiffany%27s#Musical_play

[JohnBoy2]

It already was a musical, with Mary Tyler Moore and Richard Chamberlain.

[Yero]

It never opened on Broadway, though, so I could see it happening again.

[Funny Face]

Don't know if you know this, but it actually WAS a Broadway-bound musical that starred Mary Tyler Moore as Holly but it was a pretty big flop and closed out of town.

[Funny Face]

Dang, everyone beat me!

[SallyBrown]

What?! That's nuts!

They need to re-do it. But make it better!

But now I kinda wanna get that recording...

[Jordan Catalano]

This show has a really fascinating history to it. I would suggest reading the chapters in both "Second Act Trouble" and "Not Since Carrie" about it to get a better idea of just why it didn't work and probably never will.

The commercial recording is very interesting offering two different (and somewhat confusing) ways of hearing the score. If you're at all interested in flops it's a must have.

[Funny Face]

Is it any good? The music, I mean.

[SallyBrown]

Is it easily available? Or is it one of those recording you need to search high and low for?

[Jordan Catalano]

It's "okay". It's certanly not great musical theatre. I'm sure that if someone started from square one and completely rewrote the book and the score it could be quite good. I mean, it's not as if the source material is bad to begin with!

The major problem with the show was the book though, not the score. It went through SO many changes and after a while became this strange very dark story and just way too confusing, especially once Edward Albee was brought in to rewrite the book.

[Jordan Catalano]

No, I bought my copy at the Virgin Megastore.

[Funny Face]

Hmm, interesting. I think it would be very interesting to see Holly and the story played as Capote originally wrote it. The last thing I wanna see is an Audrey Hepburn impersonation either on stage or screen.

[SallyBrown]

Ookay. Thanks.

They really should consider remaking it the right way though. Sets would be cute, so would costumes. And it has such a perfect musical theatre vibe to it..

[Jordan Catalano]

I think though, that the only way for it to work as a musical would be to have the "Audrey Hepburn" Holly and the story as it was in the film since that's the way the majority of people know it.

It does lend itself to be a great musical but I believe it had it's chance 40 years ago and it won't happen again.

[sondheimboy2]

Ethan Mordden also critiques it in his book on musicals of the 1960's "Open A New Window"

[Funny Face]

Well I've heard the Mary Poppins stage musical plays much truer to the book than the movie and it's been doing very well in London nonetheless, if I'm not mistaken. It may not apply to "Tiffany's" that much since Poppins is probably a more familiar story, but who knows? Many inexplicable things have become hits (and misses).

I just think it would be fruitless to try and recreate something that Hepburn made such an indelible and unforgettable impression on. I'd much rather see another approach.

But maybe I'm biased *points to avatar* ;D

[SallyBrown]

And what a beautiful avatar it is.

But I think Jordan is right. People will go expecting to see, in all likilihood, some sort of Audrey Hepburn look a like pulling off the work she did.

I actually can't even think about who would be a good Holly. Would she be a belter or a soprano?

[Jordan Catalano]

Hey, I'd personally love to see a different take on it also, but you'd have to look at what the general theater-going public would want to see and a darker Holly didn't work then and I'm pretty sure it wouldn't work now. That character has just become too synonymous with Hepburn.

[Funny Face]

Thank you, Sally!

I understand what you're saying, Jordan, but I just see how that could backfire, you know? When attempting to step into the shoes of a character and/or actress that has become such an icon of pop culture, many people are bound to be skeptical and unimpressed.

[SallyBrown]

Makes me wonder how Legally Blonde is going to be taken in.

[ActingAndy]

Actually, Breakfast at iffany's was re-turned into a musical in 2003 when it premiered on the Muny stage. It was produced by Paul Blake (the Muny executive producer)it wasnt a hit though... Paul Blake also turned White Christmas into a stage musical and Roman Holiday. White Christmas has been playing in California for a few years now i belive....

[nobodyhome]

Some works lend themselves to musicalization and some don't. I think that Breakfast at Tiffany's does not. That's not to say a brilliant team might not be able to pull it off. But it would be very difficult. And I think that a good deal of transformation of the novella would be necessary.

[Smaxie]

Actually, Breakfast at Tiffany's closed IN town, not out of town. David Merrick closed it in previews at the Majestic Theatre. For a notorious flop, I think there's some very striking music in it. I'm quite fond of a lot of the score.