It’s no secret that I am a big theatre nerd. Back in the spring of 2023, I wrote a blog post dissecting the relationship between film and theatre, and in that post, I discussed the ways in which film adaptations can benefit stage musicals. Unfortunately, movie adaptations of musicals have been in a bit of a rut recently, to say the least. Almost every single one released within the past decade or so has been unsuccessful in some fashion. Some, such as 2021’s In the Heights and West Side Story, were critically lauded but bombed at the box office. Others, such as Mean Girls (2024), made good box office numbers but received generally mixed reviews. And then there’s Cats (2019) and Dear Evan Hansen (2021), both of which were complete commercial and critical failures. However, at the end of 2024, the world was graced with a movie that managed to achieve the unthinkable. For the first time in nearly a decade, a film adaptation of a stage musical managed to not only receive near-universally positive reviews but also make bank at the box office. That movie is, of course, Wicked. Given the overwhelming success of Wicked, movie musicals may finally have another shot at success, as film studios and producers will hopefully be more open to making them now. So, in the wake of this newfound sense of optimism, I would like to discuss a few musicals that I believe would be perfect for film adaptations. Consider this something of a spiritual successor to my previous blog post about film and theatre, as I will occasionally be referencing some of the points I brought up in that post. 

Carrie: The Musical

Based on the Stephen King novel of the same name about a high school outcast who discovers she has supernatural powers, Carrie: The Musical is, for those unfamiliar, one of the most infamous musicals in Broadway history. Due to countless developmental issues, including such highlights as the director confusing the musical “Grease” with the country “Greece” when designing the show, one of the lead actresses almost being decapitated due to a technical mishap, and the show’s producer literally taking all the show’s money and fleeing to Germany after opening night, Carrie’s original Broadway run in 1988 only lasted a mere five performances before closing amidst near-universally scathing reviews, cementing it as one of the biggest failures in musical theatre history. However, in 2012, the show was massively reworked and revived off-Broadway; this version of the show was more warmly received and has now become a staple in universities, high schools, and community theatres across the country. While this version of Carrie is overall an improvement over its messy original form, Carrie is still a deeply flawed musical. It has some genuinely incredible songs (such as those at the beginning of the show), but it is also extremely poorly paced, often grinding all excitement to a halt for gauntlets of slow, boring ballads. It is also very difficult to stage; due to its supernatural nature, Carrie is a musical that lives or dies by its special effects, and this is an area where very few productions of the show have managed to succeed in my opinion. But do you know what medium could not only help the show tighten its pace by cutting unnecessary songs, but also allow for way more freedom in the realm of special effects? That’s right, film. For these reasons, I believe a film adaptation could easily become the definitive version of Carrie: The Musical, if handled correctly. Not to mention, the 1976 film adaptation of Carrie is a horror classic, so it would have strong name recognition on its side. However, Carrie has already had multiple less beloved remakes (such as the 2013 remake), so the marketing would need to make it crystal clear that this new film is an adaptation of the musical, lest people groan at Hollywood making another pointless remake because the fact that it’s a musical wasn’t properly marketed… looking at you, Mean Girls (2024).

Fun Home

Adapted from lesbian cartoonist Alison Bechdel (of Bechdel Test fame)’s graphic novel/memoir of the same name, Fun Home is a frank and deeply personal examination of Bechdel’s relationship with her late father, Bruce, a closeted gay man. This winner of five Tony Awards (including Best Musical) premiered off-Broadway in 2013 before transferring to Broadway two years later and features three different actresses playing Bechdel (one as an adult, one as a young adult, and one as a child) as she reflects on her memories of her father, particularly focusing on their vastly different experiences/expressions of queerness and what they can reveal about his untimely death. In my opinion, Fun Home would be a great fit for a film adaptation not only because it is a fantastic show and one of only a few Broadway musicals to feature a lesbian protagonist, but also for another main reason: since the musical is based on a graphic novel, a movie would provide the perfect opportunity to better incorporate Bechdel’s art into the musical. This could be done either by having comic strip segments interspersed throughout the story, or by making the musical entirely animated in Bechdel’s art style. The original stage version of the show actually toyed with the idea of displaying Bechdel’s art through projections (as seen in the photo above), but this was only used one time in the final show. As a result, I believe that a movie adaptation of Fun Home would have fantastic potential, since it would allow the songs from the musical and the art from the graphic novel to be blended together into one beautiful package much more easily than could ever be accomplished on the stage.

Bare: A Pop Opera

In the realm of musical theatre, Bare: A Pop Opera is the definition of a cult classic. Originally premiering in Los Angeles in 2000 before transferring to a short-lived off-Broadway run in 2004, this entirely sung-through musical has garnered a small but devoted fanbase over the years despite never making it to Broadway. Bare examines the lives of a group of teenagers in a Catholic boarding school as they struggle to find love and authenticity in an environment filled with prejudice and secrecy. The show particularly focuses on Peter and Jason, two boys who share a secret romance with each other, and the conflicts (both internal and external) that arise from this relationship. If there was ever a musical that deserved a film adaptation purely for the sake of getting exposure to a wider audience, it would easily be Bare. Bare tells a hauntingly beautiful story through what is perhaps the best combination of songwriting and lyrics that I have ever seen in a musical, to the point that I consider it to be my favorite musical of all time. Unfortunately, Bare does not have anywhere near the level of recognition that it deserves, and it currently stands as a criminally underrated show that would benefit massively from the wider market that film adaptations often garner (as discussed in my previous blog post). Also, what with the popularity of Conclave, I hear that dramas involving the Catholic church are all the rage these days, hint hint. Fun fact, a film adaptation of Bare was announced to be in development back in 2018, but no news has been heard of it since. Actually, I lied, that fact isn’t fun at all. Give me a Bare movie or give me death. 

La Cage aux Folles

Having made its original Broadway debut all the way back in 1983 and later followed by revivals in 2004 and 2010, La Cage aux Folles has been a Broadway staple for decades. In fact, La Cage is notable not only for winning the Tony for Best Musical when it first premiered, but also for being one of only five musicals to have won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical more than once, one for both of its revivals. This musical comedy is adapted from the 1973 play of the same name (which, in turn, was made into a non-musical movie in 1978), and follows Georges, the owner of the titular “La Cage aux Folles” (a drag nightclub), and his husband Albin, who works as the star drag queen at said nightclub, as they navigate meeting the parents of their son’s fiancée, whose father is a far-right politician and vehemently opposed to drag performance. Given the fact that it originally premiered in the 1980s, La Cage easily remains as one of the most influential pieces of 20^th century queer theatre, as it was the first musical on Broadway to feature a gay couple as protagonists. Not to mention, its first-act finale, “I Am What I Am,” has become one of the most iconic gay anthems of all time ever since it was covered by Gloria Gaynor in 1983. With multiple acclaimed productions on Broadway and a legacy spanning over 40 years, the fact that no one has even attempted to turn La Cage into a movie musical yet is simply baffling. Granted, there was a La Cage aux Folles film adaptation in 1996, The Birdcage (starring Robin Williams and Nathan Lane), but it was a remake of the 1978 movie and, thus, not a musical. With the demonization of drag queens in recent years by many politicians, including the state of Tennessee outright banning public drag performances in 2023, there has never been a better time to bring this musical to the big screen. A La Cage aux Folles movie musical is not only long overdue, but it would also help spread love and acceptance at a time when they are desperately needed. But my biggest wish for a La Cage film adaptation, above everything else, is that they do NOT cast James Corden in it.

Avenue Q

Okay, I’ll be completely honest about this one: I’m not actually the biggest fan of Avenue Q. Originally premiering in 2003, this raunchy, adult riff of Sesame Street featuring both human and puppet characters centers on Princeton, a fresh college graduate, as he searches for his purpose in life after moving into the titular Avenue Q. However, the show hasn’t aged particularly well when compared to many other musicals, in my opinion. Littered with long-outdated pop-culture references (such as Gary Coleman, who has been dead since 2010, being the foreman of the titular avenue), descriptions of technologies like the internet that now appear primitive, and songs like “Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist” that almost certainly wouldn’t fly today, Avenue Q is very much a product of the early aughts. With that being said, I think that these problems are also clear opportunities for positive changes, and a film adaptation would be the perfect avenue (heh) to give this show a much-needed update. Because, despite its many flaws, Avenue Q does still contain some very funny moments, and it will remain at least somewhat relevant for as long as there are young adults with no idea what to do with their life (i.e., forever). Not to mention, it would be easy to suspend the audience’s disbelief during the musical numbers (see previous blog post), since half of the characters are already puppets, and puppets are almost intrinsically linked to musical numbers. However, there is one even bigger reason why I think Avenue Q should be adapted into a film: against all odds, Avenue Q beat Wicked for Best Musical at the 2004 Tony Awards, and I think it would be really, really funny if it managed to win an Oscar and beat Wicked again. Granted, it’d have to be made extremely quickly in order to be in the running for the Oscars against Wicked: For Good next year, but it’s simply too funny of an opportunity to pass up.