We’re back in Manhattan, continuing our New York adventures. And as our place on 45th St. is right in the heart of the theatre district, it is pretty hard to ignore what’s happening on Broadway. Revivals are still as popular as ever with West Side Story, Hair, South Pacific and Finian’s Rainbow leading the way. Phantom of the Opera and Mamma Mia are going strong with no end in sight. And Chicago has become such an institution, the ad campaign calls it “Broadway’s Sure Thing.”
Though few and far between, there are original musicals making their presence known -- Rock of Ages, In the Heights, Next to Normal -- all hoping to become the next breakout hit and join the ranks of the long running Wicked, Avenue Q and Jersey Boys. But the real trend of the Great White Way continues to be the growing parade of musicals being created from movies and television shows. You really can’t blame the producers. After such successes as Legally Blonde: The Musical, Beauty and the Beast, and that little phenomenon.... The Producers.... it’s hard to ignore the fact that theatregoers, especially the young ones, want something new but familiar.
As a result, some of Broadway’s biggest shows currently include Mary Poppins, Billy Elliot, Shrek the Musical, and the long running The Lion King. The Little Mermaid and 9 to 5 just finished up their runs and are going on tour. There’s even a musical based on the 1984 Troma cult classic The Toxic Avenger playing off-Broadway.
And it looks like there’s no end in sight. Currently touring the country and hoping to eventually wind their way to Broadway are musical versions of both 101 Dalmatians and Little House on the Prairie. The latter features former TV cast member Melissa Gilbert as Ma. A creative team led by Julie Taymor is hard at work on a musical about Spider-Man. It’s scheduled to debut in January, 2010 at the Hilton Theatre. But the hottest ticket of the upcoming year is The Addams Family, a musical adaptation of the 1991 feature film, which itself was an adaptation of the 1960s series. Broadway headliners Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth will be playing Gomez and Morticia.
It’s kind of ironic. For decades, it was the other way around. One of Hollywood’s best sources for material was the Broadway stage. The list could go on for pages -- Oklahoma, Chicago, Oliver, Fiddler on the Roof, The Sound of Music, Dreamgirls, My Fair Lady, Hello Dolly, Gypsy, Bye Bye Birdie, West Side Story, Grease -- you get the idea.
But this new trend got me thinking. Are the possibilities limitless? Can any film or television show be transformed into a Broadway musical? Or are there properties that defy adaptation? When you really think about it... not so many. But, I believe I was able to come up with a few. I dare anyone to adapt any of the following movies or TV series. And just to make the dare more intriguing, I’ve included a suggestion for a show-stopping musical number for each.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Transformers Showstopper: “Don’t Wanna be a Hasbro Has-been”
X-Files Showstopper: “Smoke! Smoke! Smoke That Cigarette!”
Battlefield Earth Showstopper: “Scientology Made Me Do It”
Adam 12 Showstopper: “We do it the Jack Webb Way”
The Terminator Showstopper: “Hasta la Vista, Baby”
The Passion of the Christ Showstopper: “Whip It”
Lost Showstopper: “Islands in the Time Stream”
Taxi Driver Showstopper: “You Talkin’ to Me?”
Seinfeld Showstopper: “Yada, Yada, Yada”
Gigli Showstopper: “The Bennifer Blues”
The Jay Leno Show Showstopper: “Do the Jay Walk”
Scarface Showstopper: “Say Hello to My Little Friend”
