While many stage musicals have eventually found their way to the big screen with both failures (Cats) and successes (not Cats), movies have sneakily been making their way into live-theater as well. While some films such as Rocky Horror Picture Show and Hairspray were obvious choices to take to the stage, there are many movies that make the jump much more surprisingly.
Here are ten movies in particular that come off as odd choices for live performance. Mostly due to the fact that none of them were musicals when crafted for the screen, and yet, almost all of them have made the change with rousing success.
Evil Dead
The cult classic horror film is about teens heading out to a cabin in the woods, where they face demonic forces that force them to kill one another. Made famous by its campiness and a memorable performance by Bruce Campbell in the lead role, the bloody horror comedy franchise manages to make a surprisingly natural jump to stage.
The plot remains mostly unchanged for the stage musical but with added songs like “Do the Necronomicon” and “Ode to an Accidental Stabbing.” The show does all it can to not disappoint fans of the films, and it succeeds by including chainsaws, shotguns, and even a front-row splatter section, where you may be hit with blood.
King Kong
With four feature film adaptations already released, producers needed to look elsewhere to tell the grandiose story about a giant gorilla brought to New York City. The musical follows the same plot as the original 1933 film, with a crew of explorers led by an arrogant filmmaker heading into the dangerous wilderness of skull island.
The second act of the musical picks up when the team returns to New York, with Kong in tow. It, of course, builds to a dazzling finale when Kong escapes and rampages around the city, before being killed. The play was received with mix reviews, but the technical aspects were loved, with the effects team winning a Tony award in 2019.
Rocky
Sylvester Stallone co-wrote the book for the 2014 Broadway adaptation of his boxing classic. When an underdog boxer gets his shot at the undefeated champion, he trains hard for the seemingly unwinnable fight. While dealing with the pressures of the title shot, he also falls head over heels for a pet shop owner.
The musical was well-received and won awards in 2014. The drama and romance of the film translate to stage with success, and the actual boxing sequences are masterfully done by the performers. Plus, with not just one, but TWO, training montage song numbers, you know the audience got what they came for.
Bring It On
Before becoming the biggest name in musicals by writing and starring in Hamilton, Lin Manuel Miranda co-wrote the musical about overly-competitive cheerleaders, based on the 2000 movie of the same name.
The show would start in Atlanta, then have a U.S. tour, then finally make its way onto Broadway, where it over-performed, getting additional dates added to its run. While the music is praised, it is the dance numbers in the show that many critics were blown away by.
Pretty Woman
The heartfelt romance movie about a wealthy businessman who hires an eccentric escort to be his companion for a week is maybe the most surprising translation on this list. The film relies on a slow pace and subtle performances, both of which are lost when bringing the story to the stage as a musical despite having both the movie’s writer and director attached.
The show received a mixed reception at best and was criticized for tackling such a gender-defined story without any attempt to modernize it. While the show would do fine financially, it is doubtful that it will be coming back for a tour any time soon.
The Toxic Avenger
A rock musical based on the ultraviolent 1984 Troma film. When a janitor in a fictional New Jersey town is plunged into toxic waste, he becomes the crime-fighting superhero The Toxic Avenger.
The film gained a cult following upon its release for its originality, gore, and raunchiness, and while they can’t exactly showcase the blood or sex appeal on stage, they get away with a surprising amount and the same type of humor the original film exudes drives the entire show. The presentation is impressive, and fans of the movie will be pleased with everything from decapitations to the risque song “hot toxic love.”
Mean Girls
Tina Fey’s classic 2004 comedy about a new student trying to find her place in the dog eat dog world of high school makes the swap more naturally than many of the others on the list. With a book by Fey herself and music by her husband and long-time collaborator Jeff Richmond, the show does more than just follow the plot of the film by keeping the same tone and style of humor that makes the movie such a standout.
The songs are true to the character and many are laugh-out-loud funny, and the change in format allows the show to feel fresh while still keeping in many of the classic set-pieces and jokes that are loved in the original film.
Legally Blonde
The original Broadway production follows the same plot as the film about Elle Woods, an energetic coed who enrolls at Harvard Law School in an attempt to win back her ex-boyfriend. As the story progresses, Elle begins to find herself and decides to use her law knowledge to help others.
The show’s opening number “Omigod You Guys” immediately dissuades any fear that the film’s charm and humor would be lost in the adaptation. Much like Mean Girls, the show strikes the right balance between being an original product and entertaining fans of the film.
Beetlejuice
The raunchy bio-exorcist made his stage debut in 2018, then reaching Broadway the next year. Following the plot of the 1989 Tim Burton film, the musical is a high energy romp through the world of the recently departed.
The show has been applauded for both its humor and its technical aspects like lighting, costuming, and set design for which is won a series of awards for through 2019. Worth noting just in case there was any doubt, the show does close its first act with an ensemble performance of Day-O (The Banana Boat Song).
Young Frankenstein
Mel Brooks’ horror parody musical is next in line for a live-television rendition on ABC in late 2020. Based on his own film of the same title, the story imagines the classic tale of Frankenstein from the perspective of the famous doctor’s eccentric grandson.
Brooks’ work has always had an old Hollywood allure to it, and the film takes to the stage like it was built for it from the get-go. The show is a whimsical trip through Transylvania, until the finale which drastically detours from that of the original film. The show’s last act goes for a more serious wrap-up, and actually create a more emotional conclusion than the film it’s based on.
