Ten Best Musicals That Started as Films … and Three That Surprisingly Didn’t Make the List
Nowadays, it has become the go-to fashion on Broadway to adapt films for the musical stage. Such movies asMoulin Rouge!, Back to the Future, and The Lion King have proven to be hits of this ilk. Most, however, have been terrible, pale replications of their screen counterparts. A handful, however, are truly amazing: artistic re-thinkings that improve upon their source material. This article is a celebration of the 10 best musicals that started as films … and three that surprisingly (for some of you) that didn’t make my list.
Ten: Applause
The 1950 film All About Eve features ones of the most compelling stories about the world of theatre ever told on the Silver Screen. Bette Davis as the aging stage diva Margo Channing and Anne Baxter as the aspiring ingenue plotting to usurp her life, is such stuff of theatrical legend. Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s screenplay is a fevered, mounting explosion of vitriol and venom, not to mention a parade of some of cinema’s greatest plot twists and one-liners. It seemed that the film would make a terrific Broadway musical and the perfect vehicle for the right star. For the 1970 musical Applause, that star was Lauren Bacall. In its day,Applause was a hit, winning several Tony’s and boasting an energetic, and occasionally thrilling score by Charles Strouse and Lee Adams. The book, however, by Betty Comden and Adolph Green is never allowed to be as sharp or clever as the screenplay. Why? Because they weren’t allowed to work from the screenplay and could only use the Mary Orr short story “The Wisdom of Eve” on which it had been based. So… what could have been an amazing musical, was limited to the simplicity of a short story. A good musical that comes so close to greatness.
Nine: Grey Gardens
One of the rare musicals to find its inspiration from a documentary film, Grey Gardens is a haunting portrait of a real-life, dysfunctional, mother-daughter relationship. Edith Beale and her daughter Little Edie once lived an elegant life amongst the elite or the Hamptons. Heartbreak and time transformed the duo into reclusive eccentrics whose home and lives fell into disrepair. Anyone who has seen the 1975 Albert and David Maysles documentary knows that the two Edies end up mired in squalor, yet they manage to hold onto their quirky humor and their feisty unconventionality. Grey Gardens is true to the documentary, reveling in these ladies’ eccentricities while finding the heart of what makes them who they are. The score by the composing team of Scott Frankel and Michael Korie is equal parts wickedly hilarious, “Revolutionary Costume for Today”, simultaneously humorous and tragic “Jerry Likes My Corn”, glorious pastiche “The Five-Fifteen”, and hauntingly poignant “Another Winter in a Summer Town”.
Eight: Promises, Promises
I must be honest: I have never been a huge fan of the 1960 film The Apartment, upon which the musicalPromises, Promises is based. The Billy Wilder film is a drama with some of the most unappealing characters ever to come to the Big Screen. The story of an insurance clerk who is hoping to climb the corporate ladder by letting his superiors use his apartment for their illicit affairs is a hard pill to swallow. The musical Promises, Promises, however, maintains the story’s edge, but shifts the tone to situation comedy. The result is a hilarious theatre piece of a farcical nature, the complications becoming laugh-inducing rather than cringe-worthy. The real highlight of the show, however, is the buoyantly propulsive score by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Every number seems to explode with unbridled energy, with such songs as “Knowing When to Leave”, “She Likes Basketball”, “Turkey Lurkey Time”, and the title song as real standouts.
Seven: Waitress
One of the true surprises of my theatergoing career must be the musical Waitress. I had low expectations. I was, indeed, a fan of the intimate 2007 move upon which it was based, starring Keri Russell, Nathan Fillion, and Jermey Sisto. I did not, however, see how this fragile little character study was going to open-up into a Broadway musical. I needn’t have worried. Sara Bareilles (music and lyrics) and Jessie Nelson (book) found a way to bring this story to the stage without losing its intimacy, nor its charm. The real surprise of the show is how recording star Bareilles made the seamless transition to writing for the musical stage, composing from the heart and defining the colorful characters by fleshing them out with detail and quirkiness. Not every songwriter from the world of pop music has been as adept as she at finding the soul of each character in a Broadway musical they have penned. In this story of a pregnant waitress named Jenna who is looking for a way out of her abusive marriage, this attention to character detail was paramount to the show’s success.
Six: The Full Monty
The 1997 British film The Full Monty was a bit of a surprise hit in the United States, charming American audiences with its inspection of a handful of steel workers who find themselves laid-off and turning to stripping to make money. For the Broadway musical, playwright Terrence McNally shifted the action from the United Kingdom to Buffalo, New York. But it was the score by David Yazbek where the true heart of this musical can be found. The crumbling world of these macho men suddenly becomes relatable, soft and introspective when we hear such numbers as “Scrap”, “Big-Ass Rock”, and “Breeze Off the River” that reveal their personalities as more than just male stereotypes. The Full Monty, in other season, would have been the big hit, but it took second place to that season’s juggernaut: The Producers.
Five: Nine
One of the most elegant musicals to ever grace the Broadway stage was the 1982 Broadway musical Nine. A kaleidoscope of visual movement under the guidance of director Tommy Tune and with choreography by Thommie Walsh, Nine told the story of film-director Guido Contini and explored the various relationships he had with the women in his life: his wife, his mother, his lover, an actress, his producer, a prostitute, etc. Set inside a Venetian spa, the story unfolds as a string of musical numbers exploring how Guido affects the ladies in his world and how they influenced his life. The score by Maury Yeston is evocative, capturing the Italian flavor of the piece. Of particular note are the sultry “A Call from the Vaticam” and the second act showstopper “Be On Your Own” where Guido’s wife finally has enough of his philandering and marches out of his wife for good. Nine was adapted from the 1963 expressionistic Frederico Fellini film 8 ½.
Four: Hairspray
John Waters’ 1988 film comedy Hairspray was about as mainstream as this often bizarre and (sometimes bawdy) director’s films could be. Following a zaftig teenager named Tracy Turnblad in the 1960s as she strives to bring about acceptance for all, from racial inequality to body positivity, Hairspray is a story about inclusion in the face of exclusion. For the stage, Hairspray evolved from an adequate film with a great message into a delightful story with a powerful message. Marc Shaiman and Scott O’Donnell concocted some infectious melodies for the show, but the one that took Broadway by storm was the show’s raison-d’etre: “You Can’t Stop the Beat”, the mounting celebration of self-acceptance. This was one of those occasions where the stage version of a film was a huge improvement over the original.
Three: Billy Elliot
When the film Billy Elliot arrived on the scene in 2000 and took audiences by storm, it screamed for a musical theatre treatment. After all, a story about a little boy who dreams of dancing ballet despite the ardent protestations of his blue-collar family has all the ingredients necessary for a happy-ever-after musical. A misunderstood lead character with a dream, an organic opportunity for song and dance, a story about overcoming society’s gender stereotypes, and lovable characters who evolve, all add up to musical theatre magic. Add a score by Elton John (himself a misunderstood dreamer who rails against stereotype) and Lee Hall, and Billy Elliot is a musical that really speaks to the hearts of the dreamers in us all.
Two: Carnival!
A musical that desperately needs a revival and, for the life of me, I cannot figure out why it hasn’t received one, is the Bob Merrill (music and lyrics) and Michael Stewart (book) Carnival! Originally running on Broadway in 1961, the musical takes its inspiration from the 1953 MGM film Lili, itself fleshed out into a full story from Paul Gallico’s short story "The Man Who Hated People”. It told the story of Lili, a naive orphan with a sunny outlook, who joins a traveling circus. It examines her relationships with the other carny folk, particularly a gloomy puppeteer who can only emotionally communicate through his puppets. Carnival! was a modest hit in its day, winning Tony Awards for Best Actress (Anna Maria Alberghetti) and Best Scenic Design (Will Steven Armstrong). The gentle musical, however, wasn’t as bold and contemporary as the season’s big winner How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying. It deserves a new life.
One: A Little Night Music
Most people will argue that Stephen Sondheim’s greatest musical is either Sweeney Todd, Follies, or Sunday in the Park with George. All are amazing in their own right, no doubt, but for my money it is A Little Night Music that is his most completely satisfying musical, with a rich and textured score brimming with sly observations and wry lyric commentary on life and love. “The Miller’s Son” alone features some of Sondheim’s most revealing lyrics, assessing the social strata of romance in the turn-of-the-century (1900) world. This sophistication is equally matched by Hugh Wheeler’s adroit one-liners that so beautifully deepen our understanding of the characters thoughts, insecurities, and motivations. Sondheim and Wheeler are given superb material for adaptation in the form of Ingmar Bergman’s 1955 film Smiles of the Summer Night, about a group of poorly matched couples who finally find true love when they untie the knots holding together a series of complicated love triangles.
Three That Are Not On My List (And Why…)
There are some Broadway musicals that are beloved by most. In fact, two of the titles (of the following three) are shows that I have enjoyed, but I don’t necessarily think they are the best possible products of what could have been. Feel free to throw rocks…
La Cage aux Folles
What seemed revolutionary at the time (and in some ways it was), the Jerry Herman musical La Cage aux Folles was a mostly tepid attempt to create a musical about gay characters in a loving, committed relationship mirroring marriage. For the fact it treaded such controversial territory (for 1983), it was almost entirely conventional is all other ways, including its farcical plot and it’s big, brassy score indicative of Herman’s other two big hits: Hello, Dolly! and Mame. The 1978 French comedy upon which it was based was both hysterical, but also probed the deeper emotional ramifications of a gay couple meeting their son’s fiancée and her conservative family. The musical played it safe (it needed to in its day), playing more to the ridiculous than to the true heart of the situation. Two songs attempted to dig deeper: the poignant “Look Over There” and the show’s anthem “I Am What I Am”, but one cannot help but wonder what could have been if the score had delved into all of the character’s feelings a little bit more.
Sunset Boulevard
There are moments in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Sunset Boulevard that smack with perfection. The mounting intensity, the almost gothic mystery that permeates this stage adaptation of the iconic 1950 film of the same name (about a mentally unstable silent film star who is planning her Hollywood comeback in talking pictures), is still there. Unfortunately, the show relies more upon the diva star playing Norma Desmond to carry the show than on the writing and composition that ebbs and flows throughout. Only a few of the songs in the score truly magnify who Norma is: the achingly nostalgic “With One Look” and the psychotically delusional “As If We Never Said Goodbye.” Both of these songs are an event within the show. But two songs do not an entire score make, and Sunset Boulevard fails to remain as musically compelling as the premise itself.
The Producers
I laughed and I laughed and I laughed at the Broadway musical The Producers when it first opened in 2001. The combination of Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick as theatrical producers Bialystock and Bloom in the stage adaptation of Mel Brooks’ 1967 film of the same name, was inspired casting. It was also the chief reason why the musical worked so well. The chemistry between the two actors lifted the show into the stratosphere. The Mel Brooks jokes and the irreverent thread that ran throughout were delicious fun. The score, however, was a mixed bag. In fact, half of the score is mostly forgettable. Some numbers are wonderful: “Springtime for Hitler” (from the film), “Keep it Gay”, and “Haben Sie Gehört Das Deutsche Band?" are the most-memorable (and often sidesplitting), but so many of the other songs have melodies don’t stick with you and the lyrics are one-note jokes that pay off once, then fizzle.
