I was going to do the worst shows piece this month, but ended up thinking about unlikely sources for musicals. Bear with me, it’ll be worth it.
Currently at London’s Old Vic is a musical adaptation of the 1993 film Groundhog Day, where a misanthropic weatherman (played by the overrated Bill Murray) is doomed to relive the same day until he changes his ways. Although seemingly an unusual choice, it may be that the story’s fantastical nature will suit the heightened reality of musical theatre, where characters burst into song without being questioned. Or asked to stop. I was going to buy a ticket, but remembered just in time that I’m currently boycotting the Old Vic. Which is a story for another time.
So what makes good source material for a musical? I’m talking about adaptations here, rather than pieces written specifically as musicals, or versions of musical films. You won’t be surprised to hear there’s no simple answer. Shakespeare? His “problematic” The Taming of the Shrew became Kiss Me Kate, and while West Side Story was inspired by Romeo and Juliet, you’d be hard-pressed to find much of the original in it.
The greatest of all musicals is of course Grease. Only kidding, it’s Guys and Dolls. It’s based on Damon Runyon’s short stories, whose shady characters and ornate dialogue translate beautifully to song. Sometimes the most unlikely sources reap great rewards. T. S. Eliot is hardly associated with the feel-good factor, yet Cats is fantastic. Unfortunately, because it was phenomenally popular, and co-written by Andrew Lloyd Webber, certain critics and online bores refuse to drop their deceitful snobbery and admit to enjoying it. More recently, Back to the Future’s science-fiction setting made for a most entertaining musical. Speaking of sci-fi, George “Mr Sulu” Takei beamed his Allegiance into the West End this year, which is based on Japanese internment.
But wildcards don’t always pay off, as the Royal Shakespeare Company discovered in 1988, when they staged a musical version of…Stephen King’s Carrie. Take a few weeks to think about that, and I’ll see you in May.