There was a time (and it wasn't that long ago) that plays inspired movies. Think "My Fair Lady," or "The Sound of Music," or, on a darker and smaller note, "Agnes of God." Plays still serve as fodder for films; although, at the moment the shoe seems to be on the other foot far more frequently. To wit: the outpouring of productions—musicals to be precise—based on flicks.
Check out Broadway's recent offerings—from "The Producers" to "The Full Monty" to "42nd Street." Arguably, "Beauty and the Beast" and "The Lion King" were also born of the Big Screen (those two mega-hits spawned by animated flicks).
And the upcoming season will see even more cinema-prompted shows. To name a few there's "Thoroughly Modern Millie," "A Face in the Crowd," "An American in Paris," "Hairspray," "Moonstruck," "Summer of 42," "Sweet Smell of Success," and "Reefer Madness" (the latter will be mounted Off-Broadway).
So why now? Does the trend reflect a dearth of original material, a mood of nostalgia or just plain old-fashioned calculation? Put another way: Is there the belief that familiar and beloved material will bring in the crowds?
Stewart F. Lane, a producer of "Thoroughly Modern Millie," believes that the phenomenon is born of all of the above.
"Plays have dried up as a source for musicals," he asserts. "Until this year, original plays on Broadway were an anathema. And most Off-Broadway plays wouldn't work as musicals. Can you imagine a musical made of 'Driving Miss Daisy'?" he asks rhetorically and then answers his own question. "Of course anything is possible.
"Movies have become our dime store novels," he continues. "They are proven hits with a built-in audience. And if enough time has passed since the movie came out, there's also the element of nostalgia."
Nevertheless, morphing a movie into a musical is awash in challenges, not least the inevitable comparisons that audiences will make, especially if the original flick features a mega-star.
Lane wonders, as a case in point, why anyone would want to go see "Singin' in the Rain" on stage with unknowns when all one has to do is rent it on video and see Gene Kelly. The same is true with "Meet Me in St. Louis" and "Gigi," two unsuccessful musicals of yesteryear, which were based on movies. But competing with the film's star power is only part of the problem.
"Another major challenge," Lane contends, "in turning a movie into a live production is to create something theatrical and not simply re-create the movie on stage. I think that's one of the reasons some of the earlier efforts [like the aforementioned shows] didn't make it. They were imitations of the movie as opposed to being theatrical. 'Thoroughly Modern Millie' is nothing like the movie. It is a totally original show."
"A Face in the Crowd," on the other hand, is going to stick very closely to the movie. So asserts Jack LaPalma, Creative Director For New Projects for Fran and Barry Weissler, producers of "A Face in the Crowd."
"One of the reasons you choose a movie on which to base a show is that the story, structure, and characters are already present," he continues. "But you still have to answer the question, what will musicalizing do for the material? How will it enhance it? With 'A Face in the Crowd' we feel songs will express the inner feelings of the characters that are not otherwise voiced. And the emotions are so intense on occasion, it makes sense for the characters to sing!"
DePalma points out that the film, "A Face in the Crowd," unlike some of the other upcoming musicals based on movies, has no resonance with audiences. Indeed, he suggests most contemporary theatregoers have never even heard of the movie, (starring a young Andy Griffith). Comparisons will not be made. Essentially, it will be an original musical. Well, almost.
But then DePalma suggests that nine out of ten musicals have always been based on other material—whether it's a movie, novel, comic strip, biography, or historical event. "Original musicals are the hardest things to do. They are not common and never have been. I know there's a lot of talk about the number of shows inspired by movies. I don't see any new trend here."
A subject to be continued in future stories.