BLOG: Episode 6 – The inevitable rise of the movie musical is upon us

As of June 28, there are 18 theatre adaptations and four musical sequels in development. With the release of “In The Heights” and the upcoming releases of “Everyone is Talking About Jamie,” “Dear Evan Hansen” and “West Side Story,” movie musicals are having a moment. 

Prior to the last few years, fans of the genre could expect one or two film adaptations of a stage musical per year. Even though it took longer to release these films, the quality of films varied drastically. Despite being one of the most groundbreaking and stunning stage shows, the “Cats” film is objectively bad (although I maintain that no one other than Warner Bros. should take the fall for the film). Unfortunately, most musicals fall into this realm of mediocrity that reflects poorly on musical theatre. 

So why make film adaptations of musicals if they are seemingly doomed to fail? I personally don’t know the answer to this question. Between poor screenwriting (“In The Heights”), bad casting (I’m looking at you Russell Crowe) and translation issues (“Into the Woods”), most films are doomed from the start. 

However, it doesn’t mean they aren’t enjoyable or that they lack any aspect of good filmmaking. “Les Miserables” is a wonderfully painful descent into madness as you ponder the differences between good and bad and light and dark. While Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway and Eddie Redmayne outwardly portrayed the hidden turmoil of human emotion, Crowe is one of, if not the most poorly cast individuals ever in a movie musical. The result? People don’t remember Hathaway’s Oscar-winning performance, they remember Crowe staring vindictively through windows wondering how he will next sabotage the film.

That being said, once in a blue moon, a film adaptation of a stage show comes and blows everyone away. Tim Burton’s take on the demon barber of Fleet Street is absolutely genius and for all of Johnny Depp’s personal issues, he was born to play Sweeney Todd. Likewise, “Rent,” “Chicago,” “Gypsy,” and “The Sound of Music” are all wonderful adaptations that accurately capture the stage production’s essence. 

If the goal of a movie musical is to make theatre more accessible, companies should start investing in pro-shots of theatrical works. Yes, it is incredibly expensive, but not as expensive as creating a film. 

For the adaptations that exist to permanently capture an actor’s performances (“Rent,” ”Dear Evan Hansen”), a pro-shot would be a viable alternative that benefits from not being roasted on Twitter. Disney’s 2020 release of “Hamilton” was a massive success, and while not all pro-shots will be as profitable, it might save “Wicked.” 

Additionally, there are some productions that are so magnificently portrayed live in a theatre that a film adaptation cannot capture part of the magic. Studio executives doomed the “Cats” film from the start. The stage version is a very visual performance with the actors exploring the physical space of the theatre as an extension of the stage which helps theatergoers to suspend their belief and imagine themselves in this alternate version of London.

While the story behind “Come From Away” needs to be told on the big screen, it would not have to be in a musical form. “Come From Away’s” theatrical performance would be completely lost in a movie. Between the two-second scene changes to the intimacy of the small cast, the show exists only on a stage and having the producers actively choose to record a pro-shot is one of the smartest decisions in all of musical theatre. 

So why make film adaptations? The capitalist answer is to profit off of poor Americans who cannot afford to go to the theatre every weekend. The human answer? To remind us that our inner demons aren’t solitary and maybe there’s a light (over at the Frankenstein place) in the dark tunnel of life. Also, dancing. The choreography is a positive win over non-musicals. 

So where does that leave the future of movie musicals? Honestly, I don’t know but I do know they shouldn’t be counted out completely. Some stories are best explored on stage and there’s nothing wrong with keeping them there and releasing a proshot. I do think that the future of the movie musical should have production companies employ the people who know the musical and can deliver an accurate version of the production.