Screen to Stage: 5 Movies Built for Broadway

As Sara and I sat at the Boston Opera House, watching the touring company of "Young Frankenstein" bring one of my favorite movies to life on stage, complete with some memorable music, it got me thinking about the trend of making Broadway musicals out of feature films that originally had little or no music in them.

Besides Mel Brooks making it work with "Young Frankenstein" and "The Producers" (which went on to then become a musical movie, strangely enough), in recent years Broadway has seen "Dirty Dancing," "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and "Legally Blonde." Sara and I were even fortunate enough to see live version of "High Fidelity" on it's way to a failed engagement on Broadway. 

That said, not every movie is built for Broadway. I mean, as much kitsch factor as there may be in having Han perform a Solo of "Don't Leave me Leia", there's really no reason to believe that Star Wars: The Musical really would work in a way that did anything but parody the original movie.

No, a good "screen to stage" candidate needs certain qualities. 

Humor is always a plus, as there's a reason for the term "Musical Comedy", but if it's not going to be funny, it should be old... the setting that is. Period dramas have a place in the pageantry of the Great White Way.

Romance is a must. Show me a musical without a love story and I'll show you a Yankees fan who wants a salary cap in baseball.

Movies that have aren't afraid to break the fourth wall, with characters speaking directly to camera, have a leg up, since musical characters often monologue in song to no one in particular. Also, there need to be some big characters as no one is sitting for three hours listening to a bunch of understated, thoughtful individuals who have little reason to belt out a tune.

As far as the presence of music within the original motion picture goes, it's helpful, but not a must. 

Finally, if there is a special effect or location you don't think you can recreate on stage... well, actually, that's kind of a minor thing. I saw Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" on stage and they levitated and transformed the Beast into a prince in full view of the audience, so let's assume it pretty much can all be done.

With that in mind, here's a list of five prospects to make the trip from the silver screen to the Great White Way.

The Three Amigos (1986)  

This super-campy buddy farce is really only one  step short of being a Broadway show already, with three songs in the movie, one of the most likable villains possible in "El Guapo" and enough tongue-in-cheek moments to make Frank Loesser blush. No need for real horses on stage, as a few stage tricks actually will play into the slapstick of piece. Pretty sure producers could score the original troika of Chevy Chase, Martin Short and Steve Martin for the initial run.

Song I'd Like to Hear: "You Have a Plethora" by Jefe.

Clue (1985)

 It's another one where I'd like to see it with the original cast if possible since Tim Curry makes any musical better. It's really a perfect ensemble vehicle, with plenty of characters with secrets to sing about, and since it all takes place in one mansion, we're looking at something that's very production-friendly. And why not take a cue from the movie producers and create six different endings and let the audience, by applause, choose who "did it" and then finish the play with that ending? I suspect... a runaway hit.

Song I'd Like to Hear: "Let's Do It in the Study with the Candlestick" by Ms. Scarlet.

Clueless (1995)  

So many musicals are based on classic works that have been updated. "West Side Story" is "Romeo and Juliet", while "Kiss Me Kate" was "Taming of the Shrew." So how about the quintessential teen flick of the 1990's, which was actually Jane Austen's "Emma," getting it's soundtrack brought to life? With the fandom of "Glee" and all those "High School Musical" fans wandering around, looking for something new to love, "Clueless" could fill the void. I mean, you have characters named "Cher," "Dionne" and "Elton", suggesting song stylings for all. It could even be the first Broadway show with a skateboard dance solo. 

Song I'd Like to Hear: "Whatever" sung by the entire cast as an opening number.

27 Dresses (2008)

 This romantic comedy starring Katherine Heigl, Ed Burns and James Marsden didn't hit it big at the box office, but it is, in part, because the whole thing plays like an anachronistic musical. I mean, let's say I hit you with this synposis: "A businessman's faithful girl Friday is forever a bridesmaid because she's secretly in love with her boss, but when her glamorous sister swoops in steals him, she stops playing fair, only to fall, instead, for a perennially-single journalist who covers the bridal beat." Would you be thinking "2008 major release" or "1950's Broadway musical?" Throw in the "Benny and the Jets" scene and the producers were practically begging for this flick to be a song-and-dance showcase.

Song I'd Like to Hear:  "Catch the Bouquet" by a single female chorus.

A Beautiful Mind (2001)

The first non-comedy on the list, but since most of   it takes place in the late-40's, 50's and 60's, it fits my "period" requirement. John Nash is a spectacularly quirky lead; brilliant but socially inept. Cocky, but deeply insecure. And then there's the whole "half of the people he knows are schizophrenic hallucinations" angle. Imagine a scene where all of the real people in his life are singing him one song and all the hallucinations are singing another... that might actually be the best on-stage representation of madness ever. The movie was split down the middle by the revelation of his schizophrenia, making for a lovely intermission point.

Song I'd Like to Hear: "Governing Dynamics of the Heart" by John Nash

I'm sure there are dozens more I'm missing, but for a weekend afternoon, I think this is a good start. I don't expect any credit if anyone ever takes on of these films and repurposes it for live consumption... but a pair of good tickets would be nice.