Films That Became Musicals
Regular readers will know that I sometimes indulge in playing fun quizzes with people about musicals, for example songs from musicals that have been covered by other singers. Yesterday at rehearsals I played another variation with a friend by trying to name as many films that have gone on to become musicals. I knew when we suggested this quiz that I was on to a winner because, though I say so myself, film is an area that I am well up on.
To save you all the suspense I will tell you straight away that I won! In fact I became a little big-headed and started showing off by throwing in a Fellini film. Here are some of my obvious ones. See if you can add anymore to the list I have here.
- Chitty Chitty Bang Bang started as a film (Dick van Dyke in the main role) and went on to become a musical. I posted about seeing it in New York many posts ago.
- Another Disney film, Mary Poppins now doing well as a musical.
- I was on a roll with Disney films so added Lion King to my list. Another musical I saw in the West End about six years ago.
- A recent musical that was a film made in the 1960's - The Producers.
- Wizard of Oz, that marvellous film with the often misquoted line from Dorothy: "Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore". (Last year I saw a smashing production of this musical done by the Northern Theatre. Great entertainment)
- 42nd Street, quite an old film, became a musical of the same name in the 1980's.
- A very recent musical Hairspray, started life as a film made by that rather outrageous film maker John Waters. (Interestingly this musical is another one that has suffered the fate of opening in Las Vegas and closing soon after opening, as Avenue Q did. There may be a post there that I could do at a later date!)
- High Society, a film from the 1950's with the fabulous Grace Kelly. I have only seen the film version, but any musical that has got the songs True Love and Who Wants to be a Millionaire must be a winner.
- These next two are absolute killers because while my friend got the first he forgot the second! Billy Elliot, which became a successful musical quite recently. The other Billy musical is the one by John Barry and based on the film Billy Liar (and a book and a play). Of course Billy the musical was the subject of another post I did a couple of months ago.
- Now I did have others but I will finish with my Fellini film and leave you with some to add if you can. The Fellini film was Nights of Cabiria and became the musical Sweet Charity, with choreography by Bob Fosse (which then went on to become a film called Sweet Charity!).
If you can add to the list join the fun and let me know your films that later became musicals.
