Lawrence of Arabia: The Musical led me to think of Ishtar: The Musical....
Well, if Previn wrote it, I am sure it was a wonderful interperetation....
I saw the PBS presentation of the opera Streetcar Named Desire, but must admit I had almost forgotten about it until you mentioned it here. And it's not that I don't like opera. I love Verdi, Puccini, Bizet, et al and I like Andre Previn, too. I do remember that "Stellaaa" was spoken, not warbled, and that the dialogue was true to the play, though. Oh yes, and that Rene Fleming was Blanche.
And now I'm thinking about Lightwizard's Fountainhead. That might be a pretty good musical, LW. (Tall skyscraper on stage (Miss Saigon's helicopter was a huge success) and opening theme: Just picture a penthouse way up in the sky, with hinges on chimneys for clouds to roll by. hmmm, it's sounding good. It would sure beat the "Wuthering Heights" musical I have on CD from the London production.
Cav, you're killing me......I love ya.
(((((((((((((((((((BEAR HUG))))))))))))))))))
Opera? An entirely different thing. "To Kill a Mockingbird" could be an opera. When one stops and thinks about, how outre is Stephen Sondheim using the demon barber of Fleet Street as the inspiration for a musical with victims getting their throat's slashed on stage and then made into pies (by Angela Landsbury, yet)? "Murder She Wrote" indeed!
You have a point there about musical theatre vs. opera, LW. Musical tend to be upbeat, or at least have happy endings, and operas can be more tragic.
Mind you, we could cover both topics, worst ideas for operas would just come from a different perspective, like "Pat the Bunny-The Interactive Opera"
Actually the 'Simpsons' would make a great musical, except that they've already sort of done it by now. You could stitch enough numbers together to fill 2 hours at least.
Rugrats have a bit of a running theme with Reptar, they've used it in a musical 'Reptar on Ice' and the Rugrats in Paris movie used 'EuroReptar' with a musical about it.
I've just catalogued 'Cats' and I was thinking about a musical called 'Dogs'. They could sniff each others bums a lot and talk like Scooby-Doo.
"Blazing Saddles: the Musical"
He rode a blazing saddle
He wore a shining vest
He made that blazing saddle
a light to guide the West
Beans : The Odour of the Night
Silently, and deadly
odour shall surround you ...
Flatus, hear it,
closing in around you ...
As the kettle may boil,
let your bowels uncoil,
in this darkness which
you know you cannot fight -
the darkness of
the odours of the night
Hmm....Blazing Saddles had a touch of the musical in it already....I think it would be better as a 'worst opera adaptation' idea.
The Flatulence Libretto
Was that a fart?
(Oh yes a fart)
A fart?
(A farrrttt!)
Oh, the smell
(He did it...)
Oh I die!
(He did it...)
Oh, I truly die....auuughhh....[falls down dead]
(My masterly plan has succeeded, and nobody suspects me....)
Well, cav, except for comic opera and operettas. Gilbert and Sullivan, Franz Lehar and so forth. Just bought a vintage recording of "The Merry Widow" and it is a log of fun to listen to -- PBS recently had a San Francisco Opera revival and it was okay but nothing special.
Actually, the idea of some classic novels becoming musicals isn't all that bad. Sondheim could really do a number on "Great Expectations," only using the updated film version as a guide. His "Passions" is original material but could easily have classic novel roots (it is loosely based on "Camille" and other classic novels). "Cabaret" came from the dark comedy of "The Berlin Stories" by Christopher Isherwood.
I still feel the future of Broadway musicals is going to always be in new and innovative material like "Urinetown." A brilliant satire on the level of "Candide."
Which leads me to "Blazing Saddles" as a musical -- actually quite a good idea! After all, "The Producers" sure knocked 'em dead.
Hmm.....'Glen or Glenda' the musical?
Heh heh....is it just me, or does anyone else think that the Terminator movies are the real reason we don't have robot armies today?
"Glen or Glenda!" Terrific choice, although not a book. I could imagine pirating the gay National Anthem again, "I Enjoy Being a Girl" from "Flower Drum Song" (now on Broadway in revival).
"The Terminator" with the show-stopping song and dance routine, "I'll Be Back."
Terminator: The Musical
"I'll be back, I'll be back!
Your arms off I shall hack.
Your game I play, your game I play,
In evil robot way....."
Of course, with Arnold's slurry accent, I always though he was saying," Awl be back." I thought he was going to return with some hammer and nails to do some carpentry work around the police station instead of turning it into a drive-thru.
