Broadway News
2012: The Year of the Movie Musical?
There's been a whole lot of talk about the upcoming film versions of the hit Broadway musicals Les Misérables and Rock of Ages, both set to open in movie theaters around the world this year. But now it seems that quite a few more film adaptations of stage musicals are headed to the big screen.
First up, Into the Woods. It's one of Sondheim's most beloved musicals and up until now the only immortalized version is the live recording of the original Broadway cast, starring Bernadette Peters as the Witch. But Rob Marshall, the Academy Award-nominated director of the film versions of Chicago and Nine, has recently joined forces with Disney with a plan to adapt Into the Woods for the screen. The project will supposedly feature a script and new songs by original writers James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim. Into the Woods is the story of what happens after "happily ever after" for beloved fairy tale characters including Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood.
Next, Jersey Boys. The 2006 Tony Award winning musical is also headed toward film-ville, as Tony winner and Academy Award nominee John Logan, screenwriter of Hugo, Gladiator, and The Aviator, among many others, has been tapped to write the script. Jersey Boys, which is currently playing at Broadway's August Wilson Theatre, tells the true story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, using the group's hit songs.
Finally, the weirdest one: Adam Shankman, director of the film versions of Hairspray and Rock of Ages and judge on So You Think You Can Dance, is planning on directing a movie version of the classic musical Bye Bye Birdie. The catch? It's going to be transformed from a wholesome 1960s cheese-fest into an updated hip hop story. Conrad Birdie, rapping? I don't know about this one, guys.
So is this movie musical resurgence just a phase? Or is this the beginning of a major genre comeback, the magnitude of which hasn't been seen since the days of Fred and Ginger? Only time will tell!
Photo: Jersey Boys promotional poster
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