It’s a tale as old as time: A successful movie—with all its good-will nostalgia and name-brand recognition—gets turned into a stage musical (and sometimes, it even goes the other way around). It’s so tried and true, in fact, that there are currently a near dozen crop of Broadway shows that have a silver screen precedent, including several from the current 2018–19 Broadway season. But do you know your stage Cady Heron from your film Cady Heron? What about your Broadway Beetlejuice compared to your big screen Beetlejuice? One Tootsie from another? Test your knowledge right here!
“Beetlejuice”
Death has never been more fun, thanks to this guy and his, well, zest for life, ironically. Just, whatever you do, don’t say his name three times.
The Movie:
- Release date: March 30, 1988
- Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis
The Broadway show:
- Opened: April 25 at the Winter Garden Theatre
- Currently starring: Alex Brightman, Sophia Anne Caruso, Leslie Kritzer
“Chicago”
When you’re good to mama, she is certainly good to you. But when you’re not—whether she’s onstage or screen—watch your back around Matron “Mama” Morton.
The Movie:
- Release date: Dec. 27, 2002
- Starring: Renée Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Queen Latifah, Richard Gere
The Broadway show:
- Opened Nov. 14, 1996 at the Ambassador Theatre
- Currently starring: Christie Brinkley, Terra C. MacLeod, Tom Hewitt
“King Kong”
Damsels in distress sure have come a long way. In fact, in the newest iteration of “King Kong,” now on Broadway, Ann Darrow isn’t in distress at all. (If you wanna talk about emotional duress, let’s talk about that titular ape.)
The Movie:
- Release date: Dec. 17, 1976
- Starring: Jessica Lange
The Broadway show:
- Opened Nov. 8, 2018 at the Broadway Theatre
- Currently starring: Christiani Pitts
“King Lear”
The king is a queen! Nowhere in William Shakespeare’s magnum opus does it denote that King Lear must be portrayed by a man. All that’s required, in fact, is the ability to hold court with an audience.
The Movie:
- Release date: Aug. 6, 1975
- Starring: Jüri Järvet
The Broadway show:
- Opened April 4 at the Cort Theatre
- Currently starring: Glenda Jackson
“Mean Girls”
Speaking of Shakespeare, would he be any match for Regina George? Who’s to say that he could survive his first three-way phone call?
The Movie:
- Release date: April 30, 2004
- Starring: Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Amanda Seyfried
The Broadway show:
- Opened April 8, 2018 at the August Wilson Theatre
- Currently starring: Erika Henningsen, Taylor Louderman, Kate Rockwell
“Network”
Whether in a Broadway theater, or at home alone on your couch, it’s never the wrong time to stand up and scream at the top of your lungs, “I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!”
The Movie:
- Release date: Nov. 27, 1976
- Starring: Peter Finch, Faye Dunaway
The Broadway show:
- Opened Dec. 6, 2018 at the Belasco Theatre
- Currently starring: Bryan Cranston, Tatiana Maslany
“Oklahoma!”
Who knew that the same “Oklahoma!” that’s as sweet and all-American as a slice of apple pie could also make for the darkly sexy Broadway event of the season?
The Movie:
- Release date: Oct. 11, 1955
- Starring: Gordon MacRae, Shirley Jones
The Broadway show:
- Opened April 7 at Circle in the Square Theatre
- Currently starring: Damon Daunno, Rebecca Naomi Jones
“Pretty Woman”
“Big mistake! Huge” does not ever apply to watching “Pretty Woman”—in any medium.
The Movie:
- Release date: March 23, 1990
- Starring: Julia Roberts, Richard Gere
The Broadway show:
- Opened Aug. 16, 2018 at the Nederlander Theatre
- Currently starring: Samantha Barks, Andy Karl
“To Kill a Mockingbird”
All rise for an enduring classic that, unfortunately, speaks as much to systemic injustice today as it did the day it was written.
The Movie:
- Release date: Dec. 25, 1962
- Starring: Gregory Peck, Mary Badham, John Megna
The Broadway show:
- Opened Dec. 13, 2018 at the Shubert Theatre
- Currently starring: Jeff Daniels, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Gideon Glick
“Tootsie”
Being a woman is no job for a man—unless it’s eight times a week on Broadway.
The Movie:
- Release date: Dec. 17, 1982
- Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Jessica Lange
The Broadway show:
- Opened April 23 at the Marquis Theatre
- Currently starring: Santino Fontana, Lilli Cooper
“Waitress”
Sugar, butter, flour: the ingredients to a perfectly baked pie and also, clearly, to a perfectly baked movie-to-Broadway-musical.
The Movie:
- Release date: May 2, 2007
- Starring: Keri Russell, Nathan Fillion
The Broadway show:
- Opened April 24, 2016 at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre
- Currently starring: Shoshana Bean, Jeremy Jordan
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