It’s been announced that STRICTLY BALLROOM, a musical based on the popular Australian indie film, will close at the West End's Piccadilly Theatre on 27th October 2018. It’s a fun if lightweight night out and well worth catching if you enjoy jukebox musicals.
But the tide of musicals on popular films shows no signs of abating, for instance the musical of PRETTY WOMAN has just opened on Broadway. Most critics have found it dull and derivative but it’s a big hit with audiences. I’ll be reviewing it for you in October ahead of an anticipated UK transfer.
Hot on its heals comes news that a stage show of family film favourite, MRS DOUBTFIRE, is in development and try outs of MOULIN ROUGE in Boston are getting everyone very excited at the moment and it seems bound for New York.
Another more bizarre idea is also about to come to fruition there and I can’t wait to see it next month. A musical of the film KING KONG is about to open. It’s gone through many, many rewrites and shed composers and directors along the way. Brit whiz kid, Drew McOnie (Who also staged STRICTLY BALLROOM) is now in charge of pulling everything together as director and choreographer, with a new book by Jack Thorne who wrote the HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD play.
Converting a much loved film to a theatre piece doesn’t always guarantee a hit however.
Recently a musical based on GROUND HOG DAY by MATILDA Composer Tim Mintchin won a loyal following and accolades but never quite generated enough interest to sustain a long run on either side of the Atlantic. It was a similar story for MRS HENDERSON PRESENTS in London, whilst PINOCCHIO at the National Theatre was so self-consciously arty that it landed with a dull thud and no one was interested. Musicals of British films MADE IN DAGENHAM and BEND IT LIKE BECHAM also failed to attract the numbers backers anticipated.
It may be that certain films aren’t as popular with audiences as theatre producers believe, however Andrew Lloyd Webber’s SCHOOL OF ROCK, although it recently closed on Broadway, is still a strong seller in London and the successful run of KINKY BOOTS that’s now coming to an end suggests that even obscure film titles can draw an audience with strong marketing.
One thing’s for certain, with commercial musicals often costing millions to produce, they’re a costly gamble, even if the success stories can make investors big bucks. With so much at stake producers will continue to base new shows on titles you already know from the cinema.
