A few weeks ago, in celebration of the upcoming reopening of theatres in some areas and to celebrate the arts, I talked about movies that have become stage shows. But what about the ones that go the other way and make the leap from stage to silver screen?
I was super excited some time ago to hear that ‘Sunset Boulevard’ was in development to be turned back into a movie. The difference this time is that the new movie will be the musical version, whereas the original movie wasn’t a musical and was more of a film noir just focussing on the story of Norma Desmond and the strange relationship she forms with struggling screenwriter, Joe Gillis on her journey to reignite her past movie career.
For me, the most exciting news about the film version is that Glenn Close, my favourite Norma Desmond is on board to reprise her role on the big screen – I could not be happier about this choice. I just wonder who they’re going to cast alongside her! They better hurry up and produce this, because I’m just gagging at the thought!
If you’re looking for a movie adaptation of a musical that became a phenomenon, the obvious one is, of course, ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ – Do I really need to explain this one? Written by Richard O’Brien (90s kids might know him from ‘The Crystal Maze’ and if you haven’t heard of this either, then I really can’t help you!). The original show began in 1973 as a comical parody of 1930s B-movies and sci-fi classics and follows Brad and Janet, a sweet couple who’ve just got engaged , as they find themselves at the castle of Doctor Frank-N-Furter and end up embroiled in a night of craziness. The film version instantly became a cult classic with fans actually coming up with an intricate audience participation script, which hasn’t really been seen in any other fandom. The film enjoyed an unprecedented popularity on the late night movie-theatre circuit and is known for audiences attending dressed as the characters of the movie and using a long list of props, scripted moments and even set choreography at showings. Party staple song ‘Time Warp’ is one of the best known songs from the show, along with classics like ‘Sweet Transvestite’ and ‘Hot Patootie’ and a host of others. There isn’t actually a bad song in the whole show. The movie starred Susan Sarandon as Janet alongside Barry Bostwick as Brad. Tim Curry reprised his role as the fabulous and fiendish Frank-N-Furter, with Patricia Quinn taking on the role of Magenta and creator O’Brien himself taking the role of Riff-Raff along with singing the iconic opening ‘Science Fiction Double Feature’ over the visuals of Patricia Quinn’s now iconic red lips. The show itself was catapulted to cult status once the film came out and has enjoyed worldwide popularity. There was even a more recent film remake by MTV in 2015 starring the gorgeous trans actress and activist Laverne Cox in the role of Frank. The remake was visually beautiful, but never gained the popularity or had the same feel of the original film. It’ll always be the original that fans, new and old, love the most. The original film was largely filmed at Oakley Court in Berkshire, which served as the iconic castle and had been used in a number of Hammer Horror films and now is a luxury hotel.
‘Rent’ is another where the film version elevated the show to legendary status. It’s loosely based on Porcini’s ‘La Boheme’ and is restyled as a rock musical with the music, lyrics and book being written by Jonathan Larson. I’s all about a group of poor, young artists living in Lower Manhattan’s East Village in the Bohemian days of Alphabet City and intertwined with the HIV/AIDS crisis and themes including sexuality, drugs and making a living in the late 80s and early 90s. It’s packed full of emotion and is a favourite among modern theatre fans. The musical enjoyed success off- Broadway from its debut in 1993 before becoming a fully fledged Broadway show in 1996, with the film version coming in 2005 and starring many of the original cast.
There are many familiar faces from the film who’ve gone on to become huge stars, such as ‘Star Trek: Discovery’s Anthony Rapp, ‘Frozen’ and ‘Wicked’ star Idina Menzel (Honestly, I’m in awe of this woman, especially after seeing that video of her performing ‘Defying Gravity’ WITH LARYNGITIS and still belting it out with great gusto!), MCU-TV star Rosario Dawson and ‘Flash’ star Jesse L Martin also have major roles along with a host of other familiar faces too! The songs are super catchy and it will tickle just about every emotion you have. Unfortunately, I can’t compare the stage show and the movie, as I’ve only ever seen the movie in its entirety, but strangely, it seems to capture the feeling of a stage show while at the same time bringing just the right amount of movie magic to make a perfect balance. If you haven’t indulged in this one, you definitely should!
West End Mainstay and legendary Andrew Lloyd-Webber masterpiece, ‘Phantom of the Opera’ was actually originally a horror film in 1943, loosely based on the book by Gaston Leroux from 1910 (there had also been a silent film adaptation in 1925, but the 1943 version starring Claude Rains is more well known). Strangely, the version we know today wasn’t actually the first musical adaptation. In 1976 there was another by Ken Hill that put original English lyrics to music from composers including Verdi and Mozart, but the smash 1986 musical that we all know and love is the one that’s endured more than any other version and is the second longest running West End musical after ‘Les Miserables’ and the third longest running West End show after Agatha Christie’s ‘The Mousetrap’.
The film adaptation of Lloyd-Webber’s show came in 2004 and starred Gerard Butler as The Phantom along with stars including Miranda Richardson, Minnie Driver, Jennifer Ellison and Emily Rossum and was directed by Joel Schumacher. The film version doesn’t disappoint and is full of the songs we love, barrels of drama and lavish costumes. As good as it is, I’d still rather watch the show and the 25th Anniversary performance at the Royal Albert Hall is a fabulous version which the gorgeous and incredibly talented Ramin Karimloo (who you might know these days from Holby City where he plays mixed up Cardiothoracic consultant Kian Madani). Honestly, that one is definitely worth a watch. And if you want to see a brilliant version of the title track, the one with Antonio Banderas and Sarah Brightman is absolutely astounding (the part of Christine rumoured to have been written specially for Brightman’s voice when she was with Lloyd-Webber) or take a look at Nicole Scherzinger and four Phantoms at the Royal Variety Performance in 2011 (Ramin is one of the Phantoms here too) and just try to tell me that lady can’t sing! She is absolutely impeccable!
Finally, the one I’m most excited about and equally nervous about is the big screen version of ‘Everybody’s Talking About Jamie’. If you’re not familiar with it, it’s got the feel of a classic coming of age story about a schoolboy who wants to be a drag queen and is preparing for his high school prom. The added dimension of this show is that it’s based on a true story and, combined with the wonderful music Dan Gillespie Sells of the band The Feeling, there’s a lot of heart in this show. Honestly, it’s full of joy and sparkle and spectacle, but also a few fabulous tear jerking moments. The movie is set to a star Sarah Lancashire of ‘Corrie’, ‘Happy Valley’ and a host of other dramas, Shobna Gulati will be returning to her role that she played a while ago in the show and Richard E Grant will be starring as Hugo/Loco, Jamie’s Drag Queen mentor. As I said, I’m excited to see it on the big screen, but also nervous that it won’t capture the same feeling as the stage show, but I’m reserving judgement on that til I’ve seen it. There are rumours of a new song or two, plus I’m dying to see how it translates to film, as there are things you can do in camera that just can’t be done on stage. Or is that what’s so exciting about the stage? When something spectacular is pulled off on stage, there’s a greater sense of wonder, because you know there’s no editing or special effects in the same way as on film. There’s something inherently more impressive because it’s live and more tangible.
Hopefully, it’ll become an instant classic and drive more people to see the stage show. In fact, I’d still urge you to try and see the show or at least watch a live stream of it somewhere, because it’s one of my favourites of modern times – and I’m planning a fifth visit! You’ll leave that theatre feeling on top of the world, inspired and singing and dancing!
Whatever your feelings on whether stage shows or movies are better, there are definitely ways to do things on film that you just can’t do on stage. You can do pretty much anything on film, especially with a feature film budget, which gives a lot more freedom and scope for what can be done to bring these shows, and others, alive on screen. For me, however, nothing will compare to seeing them live, but it does excite me to see a different version of a familiar show. A reimagining can make you appreciate the original more rather than diminishing it and it can also bring the story to a wider audience, so on balance, I’m all for it!
What are your favourite musicals that have been turned into movies? Do you have a favourite actress who’s played Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard? A favourite Phantom? What do you love about movie musicals versus stage ones? Let us know in the comments and, as usual, stay safe, stay sane and stay Vidalicious and I’ll see you soon when…. Everything’s as if…. we never said….. Goodbye……. (Yes, shameless Sunset Boulevard reference, give me a break!)
