These days, Times Square feels more like a Universal Studios theme park, with scores of shiny new attractions based on the movies we either love or forgot existed. Between Matilda, Big Fish and Elf, the list of this season’s coming Broadway shows is dominated by new works based on old movies. Not that there haven't been several successful movies-turned-musicals: Hairspray,Billy Elliot and The Producers come to mind. But you'd think the scores of film-to-musical flops like Leap of Faith, Cry-Baby and Ghost would give pause to Broadway producers scrolling through their Netflix queues for inspiration. Not even the arrival of Raven-Symoné herself could save the dismal Sister Act, which closed in August. Despite the mixed bag of Hollywood adaptations, countless more are in the works by theatrical bigwigs who seem to be drawing inspiration from late-night TBS movie marathons:
National Lampoon’s Animal House
The rundown: Announced on the 30th anniversary of John Belushi’s death, Universal Pictures Stage Productions is currently hard at work on a stage musical version of the 1978 frat-house farce that launched a thousand dorm room posters. The show will hit Broadway in the near future, complete with a score by Barenaked Ladies.
The preliminary verdict: This one’s a wild card. The runaway success of The Book of Mormon means that New York theatregoers won’t turn up their noses at sophomoric humor. The musical’s potential to align itself with Broadway’s best comedies is enhanced by the presence of director Casey Nicholaw, who worked on both Mormon and Monty Python’s Spamalot. And the movie isn’t some bottom-shelf, stale property: It’s loved and revered even today. But on the other hand, John Belushi’s performance was so iconic that it seems kind of disrespectful to hire another actor to play the role that defined him. And what kind of musical score can we expect from a band whose two best-known works include that one song that’s deceptively impossible to karaoke and the theme song to an overrated sitcom? I just don’t know if BNL has what it takes. No offense to the cast of Community.
The scene begging to be musicalized: The toga party set to "Shout" — which personally gave me a skewed perception of what college would actually be like — is a clear favorite.
Tootsie
The rundown: An adaptation of the 1982 comedy starring Dustin Hoffman as Michael Dorsey, a frustrated actor who poses as a woman in order to land a coveted role on a soap opera. The show has no concrete creative team as of now, but was announced as in the works by Sony Pictures last August.
The preliminary verdict: The movie is classic, yet not overexposed — it really holds up to this day. But while the oddly touching love story and Jessica Lange’s Oscar-winning performance aren’t dated, the gender-bending humor sure is. Shifting societal norms and shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race have made men in dresses and wigs much less shocking than they were to audiences 30 years ago, and cross-dressing plotlines are well-worn on the Great White Way. Tootsie’s dramatic climax followed by a shocking wig-removal conclusion was already the culmination of the classic musical La Cage aux Folles. The creative team may have to find a new angle if they don’t want this show to go stale before it even opens.
The scene begging to be musicalized: A dance sequence based on Michael’s role as a tomato in a TV commercial practically writes itself, as does a patter song revolving around the argument with his hapless agent. (Potential title: “Nobody Does Vegetables Like Me!”)
King Kong
The rundown: Seven years after the film remake, the classic ape-meets-girl love story premieres next June at Melbourne’s Regent Theatre, sadly without the involvement of Peter Jackson and thankfully without the involvement of Adrien Brody.
The preliminary verdict: The show’s snazzy website promises an “exciting score [that] will feature modernized musical standards ... from the worlds [sic] best contemporary artist,” whatever that means. Further digging around on the site reveals that the show will feature cuts by Sarah MacLachlan, Robert Del Naja of Massive Attack and even Justice. But the three songs avaiable for listening are sluggish and uninspired at best, featuring cryptic lyrics and techno-pop arrangements that seem totally out of step with the 1930s New York setting. But while the onstage Kong looks about as natural and expressive as Bruce Jenner, the few glimpses the preview gives us of the ape do make the giant puppet seem like a pretty intimidating and impressive undertaking. Only time will tell if the Kong effect appears realistic or just laughable. But if it fails, at least the show will finally deliver the Sarah MacLachlan-Justice collab that the world has been waiting for.
The scene begging to be musicalized: Of course the number everyone will be waiting for will be based on that iconic image of Kong ascending the Empire State Building, batting away biplanes with a beautiful woman in hand. But the song that accompanies this scene, “Full Moon Lullaby,” (skip to 24:57 in the “global launch” video on the official site) is a lilting, delicate song that, it’s safe to say, would never be sung by a woman in the clutches of a giant gorilla a thousand feet above the streets of Manhattan, no matter how in love with it she was. If they can’t get the critical moment right, this Broadway spectacle starring King Kong may prove as unsuccessful as the one in the film. Hopefully this time the giant gorilla at least stays in the theatre.
Also in the works are musicals based on everything from Ever After to The Nutty Professor. There's even a Dirty Dancing musical on the way, which goes to show that nobody puts the film-to-Broadway adaptation in a corner. Like it or not, these types of shows are here to stay, despite their mixed track record. But if all else fails, just bring in Raven-Symoné.