Why Do Cult Movies Keep Becoming Musicals?

It all started 10 beautiful years ago when Legally Blonde the Musical graced the Great White Way. The musical, which is a hit and one of my favs, was the beginning of a snowball affect to the new trend of Cult Classic movies becoming musicals. One of the biggest lately was Heathers, which never even made it to Broadway but was an incredible hit and one of the most popular musicals until Hamilton premiered the year after it closed. Heathers, which was by the creators of Legally Blonde seemed to help span and open the gab of these movie turned musicals working out. You would never think ‘oh yeah murdering teenagers should be singing’ but it works so well. The past few years have seen movies such as The Addams Family, Anastasia, Amélie, Bring It On, Catch Me If You Can, Ghost, Gigi, Groundhog Day, Kinky Boots, Little Miss Sunshine, Matilda, Newsies, Once, Rocky, School of Rock, Sister Act, Shrek, Spider Man, and Waitress. Then there’s all the Disney movies made into musicals. Not to mention that in the next year Mean Girls, Pretty Women and Spongebob will be making their Broadway debuts. 

Me at Newsies in 2013

It’s kinda curious how it works that these classics with our culture are continuously being readapted and reimagined for a different audience. Sometimes they’re being adapted before the movie is even ten years old. There’s less original content and more what has been popular. I’ve found it frustrating and sad at the time. As someone who loves theater, there’s nothing like an original musical blowing you away. There’s nothing to compare it to just the idea that what you’re seeing is completely unique. It’s a very special feeling to sit and no that no one else in the room can experince what you are to see something completely new.  As much as I love these cult musicals, I listened to half of them while writing this just because they’re that much fun. I find it interesting that so many have graced the stages lately and only more are coming.

Another pic from me at Kinky Boots in 2015

I’m always curious what’s coming next, with both Mean Girls, Pretty Woman, and Spongebob coming to Broadway in 2018, I don’t think it’s the last of those and more are definitely coming but it feels that it could get repetitive. Every time there’s a good movie it shouldn’t be set towards Broadway immediately some of the most amazing shows have been originals, Hamilton, Next to Normal, Rent, and the most recent hit Dear Evan Hansen. Not to mention that not everything could actually fit, I don’t want every single cult classic or teen movie to get its chance on the Great White Way. Not only would it be tiring but it would lose a bit of the magic of theater if those begin to dominate originals or revivals. While I love and appreciate the new age of theater, in my opinion it’s almost a renaissance of theater in a world dominated by instant streaming, I worry about this trend even though I will so be at Mean Girls on Broadway asap. 

All Images By Ciara Clemons

• broadway
• musical
• opinion
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