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Post by theatrelover82 on Jul 7, 2022 20:57:27 GMT
Curious what everyone’s favorite stage musical to movie adaptation is? A lot of times they fall short and leave me disappointed.
Mine is the recent release of Spielberg’s West Side Story. Vocally, not perfect—but visually, it blew me away. The choreography was outstanding. I’ve always loved the stage version, but there was just something wonderful about feeling immersed into the world of the Jets and the Sharks.
*this was moved from the other thread after I realized I posted in the wrong category. Apologies!*
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Post by sph on Jul 7, 2022 21:52:18 GMT
I think if you are going to take something theatrical and make it cinematic, you really have to make the most of what cinema can do that stage can't, like shooting on location. The scenery in The Sound of Music or Mamma Mia on film really lifts it in a way you can't in a theatre which I think is great.
Aside from that, big fan of My Fair Lady, The King and I and also I think Chicago translated very well!
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Post by sukhavati on Jul 7, 2022 23:50:39 GMT
I think if you are going to take something theatrical and make it cinematic, you really have to make the most of what cinema can do that stage can't, like shooting on location. The scenery in The Sound of Music or Mamma Mia on film really lifts it in a way you can't in a theatre which I think is great. Aside from that, big fan of My Fair Lady, The King and I and also I think Chicago translated very well! I agree, although watching the film version of Chicago, I thought I was going to scream if one more woman shot her husband/boyfriend. The addition of Lucy Liu didn't really advance the plot, and she didn't have a song/dance number so it seemed a new version of stunt casting. I did like the film adaptation of Grease - even if most of the cast were slightly long in the tooth, the energy of Patty Birch's choreography, and the enthusiasm and charisma of all the leads made it a fun watch. Plus the authentic Southern California locations - the school carnival and use of Venice High School gave the film a certain authenticity. At the other end of the scale, Wilfred Leach directed a very stylised version of Pirates of Penzance, which he also directed for the New York Public Theatre. I think the artifice makes the adaptation somewhat timeless, and most of the original NY cast were in the film. The stage show was my introduction to Kevin Klein, so I'm very fond of the film and his goofy take on the Pirate King. I know a lot of people hate it, but Martin Scorsese's New York, New York was a really interesting take/homage to old school backlot musicals - even if it wasn't an adaptation, per se, it's one I enjoy. Sadly, when it comes to musicals made since Chicago, I really haven't been satisfied with a single adaptation. It pains me to see something I loved so dearly on the stage (like Phantom or Les Mis) lose its power on the screen due to studios requiring movie stars instead of genuine stage stars who could serve the material better. I hate to say this, but when it comes to musical films, I'd rather watch an animated Disney film musical than a live action studio adaptation of a stage musical. OK - the exception is West Side Story - I was very impressed.
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Post by jm25 on Jul 8, 2022 6:48:12 GMT
I almost always hate screen adaptations of stage plays. I think, overall, musicals translate a bit better given what can be done with choreography and would agree with you, theatrelover82, that Spielberg's recent West Side Story is a textbook case of how you do a musical adaptation well. But I've lost count of the number of play adaptations that feel claustrophobic and excessively 'talk-y' in a way that I imagine probably isn't the case on stage.
The only play adaptation I can remember genuinely loving is The Children’s Hour, starring Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine and directed by William Wyler (of Ben-Hur fame). The dialogue sparkled, the acting was terrific, it was wonderfully directed, and has some of the best uses of depth and space I've seen in a film. A remarkably 'modern' play/film of its time, though I don't think it'd ever get remade. (Admittedly I've never seen it on stage.)
Broadly speaking, though, if I know that a film has been based on a play then I brace myself for a tough watch!
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Post by crowblack on Jul 8, 2022 9:04:18 GMT
There are loads of classic movies I love that started as plays, and I haven't seen the plays on stage so can't judge whether they're 'better': Casablanca (from an unproduced play), Key Largo, Rope, Gaslight, A Taste of Honey, Little Malcolm and his Struggle Against the Eunuchs. The loss of the audience reaction is a shame, though: I like the Alan Clark films of Rita, Sue and Bob Too and Road, but the stage versions, which I have seen with a lively audience, have the edge for me.
(Little Malcolm was a 'lost' film, tied up for decades in the Beatles Apple legal disputes. I think if it had come out at the time it would have been right up there with the 70s cult classics. It's now out on BFI Blu ray and brilliant, though a tough watch).
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Post by theglenbucklaird on Jul 8, 2022 9:08:40 GMT
Educating Rita translates well
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Post by Someone in a tree on Jul 8, 2022 9:11:36 GMT
I'm not sure if I have a fave but both versions of WSS, Into the woods, Tick Tick Boom and Pirates stand out and are on my loving pile.
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Post by anthony40 on Jul 8, 2022 9:13:34 GMT
Although they had to make changes to adapt it from stage to screen, for me the most dynamic was Chicago.
That said, I thought both Hairspray and The Last Five Years were very well adapted. As was In The Heights
Unfortunately I have never seen the stage production to compare but I thought Tick...Tick...Boom! was pretty terrific!
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Post by og on Jul 8, 2022 12:53:05 GMT
Echoing both 'The Last Five Years' & 'In the Heights' - both work perfectly.
Also a nod for August Wilson's 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom' - can't compare as I've not seen any production of the stage play but as a standalone movie it works well and didn't feel like it suffered from any adaption issues, whereas 'Fences' felt obviously like a stage play in a movie outfit.
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Post by jm25 on Jul 8, 2022 13:04:10 GMT
Echoing both 'The Last Five Years' & 'In the Heights' - both work perfectly. Also a nod for August Wilson's 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom' - can't compare as I've not seen any production of the stage play but as a standalone movie it works well and didn't feel like it suffered from any adaption issues, whereas 'Fences' felt obviously like a stage play in a movie outfit. Really interesting you’ve said that because Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is actually one of my go-to examples when talking about screen adaptations of plays which just don’t work (for me at least). I recall having similar thoughts about Fences too, but of the two I preferred Fences. |
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Post by anthony40 on Jul 8, 2022 13:54:22 GMT
The Rocky Horror Picture Show cannot be forgotten.
Tim Curry's performance is flawless (as is the make up) and cannot be compared.
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Post by anthony40 on Jul 8, 2022 14:00:47 GMT
I think if you are going to take something theatrical and make it cinematic, you really have to make the most of what cinema can do that stage can't, like shooting on location. The scenery in The Sound of Music or Mamma Mia on film really lifts it in a way you can't in a theatre which I think is great. Aside from that, big fan of My Fair Lady, The King and I and also I think Chicago translated very well! The addition of Lucy Liu didn't really advance the plot, and she didn't have a song/dance number so it seemed a new version of stunt casting.
Yes, it may have been stunt casting but I disagree that she didn't really advance the plot. The whole point that that Billy Flynn is just as crooked as the criminals he's defending and he's always after the latest this, of which Roxie Hart was and now Lucy Liu's character is. It's the reason why Vela Kelly and her case keeps getting forgotten about and pushed further back in the queue and the reason, to get to the front of the queue Roxie fakes her pregnancy. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 8, 2022 19:54:53 GMT
I think most movie musicals of the last 40 years have generally been disappointing but some stand out
Evita (actually better on film than on stage)
Chicago
Hairspray
Mamma Mia
Pre 1980
Grease
The Sound of Music
The king and I
South Pacific
Also enjoy The Music Man and Hello Dolly movies.
Although not favourites I appreciate they are great adaptions - West Side Story (the original, hated the new version), Oliver and My Fair Lady
Plays wise
The History Boys
Woman in Black
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Post by Matt on Jul 8, 2022 22:03:01 GMT
I think most movie musicals of the last 40 years have generally been disappointing but some stand out Evita (actually better on film than on stage) Chicago Hairspray Mamma Mia l I love Evita, on stage and film, but I will always hate the choice to give Another Suitcase Another Hall to Madonna. It’s not her song. I’m a massive fan of the In The Heights movie, the changes made for the movie actually benefitted it. I also might have been the only person to like the Jersey Boys movie 😅, although I watched it recently and liked it less than I used to. I just think it was badly cast and lacked energy. |
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Post by anthony40 on Jul 9, 2022 12:14:10 GMT
I think most movie musicals of the last 40 years have generally been disappointing but some stand out Evita (actually better on film than on stage) Chicago Hairspray Mamma Mia l I love Evita, on stage and film, but I will always hate the choice to give Another Suitcase Another Hall to Madonna. It’s not her song. I’m a massive fan of the In The Heights movie, the changes made for the movie actually benefitted it. I actually strongly agree |
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Post by mistressjojo on Jul 10, 2022 9:29:17 GMT
Having seen a production recently, Blythe Spirit is a play I always think is better as a film. The ghostly aspects and Elvira's antics just come across a bit hokey on stage, and the film wasn't limited to one room setting wise. ( I'm talking about the 1945 film, not the recent remake)
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Post by crabtree on Jul 10, 2022 9:46:32 GMT
I am always disappointed in films, as they feel the need to suddenly be literal, and the joyous artifice of the stage is lost. you can see enjoy artifice and stylised design and staging on film, but films tend to play it straighter. The thought of a chorus singing usually terrifies producers and arer usually the first casualties.
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Post by Jan on Jul 10, 2022 10:19:53 GMT
Oliver ! was better as a film I think.
The film of Glengarry Glen Ross is better than the stage play.
The best film of a play is Vanya on 42nd Street
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Post by talkingheads on Jul 10, 2022 11:26:08 GMT
Glengarry Glen Ross, the Alec Baldwin speech is one of the greatest ever, not to mention the fact that every actor in it deserved an Oscar. Al Pacino especially is astonishing.
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Post by nottobe on Jul 10, 2022 11:44:37 GMT
The Entertainer is one of my favourite films and it is a good adaption of the play. I would also say it is Olivier's greatest screen performance.
In similar vain the Angels in America TV adaption worked really well. Again it has one of my favourite screen performances this time from Al Pacino, the doctors diagnosis scene is bloody brilliant.
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Post by lookingatthestars on Jul 11, 2022 0:45:32 GMT
I never saw the stage play but August Osage County is movie I really enjoyed, mainly because of the acting. That dinner scene is particluarly good, the entire cast are brilliant and the dialouge top notch (I know it's a Pulitzer prize winner), apparently they did it all in one take with multiple camera angles. I would have loved to have seen it live on stage.
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Post by frappuccino on Jul 14, 2022 9:43:40 GMT
My Fair Lady. The combo of Marni Nixon's voice + Audrey Hepburns beauty (sorry I agree with Emma Thompson's comment about her acting-mimsy mumsy without any bite) + Rex Harrison's acting + Cecil Beaton's wadrobe + Learner and Loewes songs
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Post by sukhavati on Jul 19, 2022 11:24:13 GMT
I love Evita, on stage and film, but I will always hate the choice to give Another Suitcase Another Hall to Madonna. It’s not her song. I’m a massive fan of the In The Heights movie, the changes made for the movie actually benefitted it. I actually strongly agree That change alone makes me think of the film adaptation of "A Chorus Line." Made me crazy that they gave "What I Did for Love" to Cassie, instead of having Morales sing it in the usual place in the narrative. It changed the entire meaning of the song. I remember seeing that opening weekend and being really disappointed by the film after having seen most of the original cast at The Shubert when I was really young. Somehow we ended up with front row seats, and it was one of those experiences that really impressed on me just how very hard musical theatre is, because we had such an excellent view of the physical work that everyone put into their roles. |
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Post by anthony40 on Jul 19, 2022 12:27:39 GMT
It actually angered me that they chose to leave "(I Really Couldn't) Sing" out of the film.
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Post by anthony40 on Jul 19, 2022 13:47:42 GMT
Don't even start me on the catashrophy the was the movie Nine!
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Post by theglenbucklaird on Jul 19, 2022 16:43:48 GMT
I like the History Boys film also
Another favourite is Copenhagen but that is just a wordy play you need minimal set for also
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Post by crabtree on Jul 19, 2022 20:02:18 GMT
Yep the opening up of Chorus Line and it's trendy reorchestrations were a bit grim. Some clever tricks with the mirros but i missed the original choreography - though in there One number, there is that lady who quietly drops out of sight, among the hundred dancers, but is soon back on her feet. Too late to reshoot that.
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Post by crabtree on Jul 19, 2022 20:02:57 GMT
Noises Off is a great example of a play that should be left, brilliantly, on stage.
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Post by ncbears on Jul 19, 2022 20:23:18 GMT
Noises Off is a great example of a play that should be left, brilliantly, on stage. Oddly enough, people I know who saw only the film found it hilarious. Many of us who saw it on stage = ok, me - found the film version tedious and the timing for comedy off and, as a consequence, the film just didn't work for me. I haven't seen Sleuth on stage - but the Olivier/Caine film was brilliant and I think the film used with edits and close-ups and directing the audience's viewpoint to its advantage. |
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Post by Jan on Jul 20, 2022 6:29:08 GMT
Glengarry Glen Ross, the Alec Baldwin speech is one of the greatest ever, not to mention the fact that every actor in it deserved an Oscar. I saw an interesting interview with one of the other actors in it - I forget which - who said that Jack Lemmon was better in rehearsals for it than he was on screen. In rehearsals absolutely bleak and desperate but as soon as the cameras started rolling he became a bit twinkly and warm, that actor thing where subconsciously he wanted to be liked. Simon Russell-Beale on stage is a bit prey to this too. |
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