Growing up, I heard lots of soundtracks for Broadway musicals and can sing along to a number of them, but I’ve never seen many, aside from the Rodgers and Hammerstein films. I grew up (and still live) on the back end of beyond, so seeing anything live isn’t an option. Ideally, I’d be getting DVDs through the library or Netflix.
So, what do you recommend? What are your favorites? What musicals aren’t available on DVD at all? Teach me.
For reference, what I’ve seen:
All of Rodgers and Hammerstein
Jesus Christ Superstar (years ago)
The Music Man (Preston/Jones and Broderick/Chenowith)
Kiss Me, Kate
Grease
I think that’s all. I have seen lots of film musicals, but I feel culturally benighted with my lack of Broadway exposure.
You could do a lot worse–a LOT worse–than working your way through all of Vincente Minnelli’s movies. He was the grand master of the Golden Age Musical.
I love musicals. The old Fred Astaire or Gene Kelly movies, especially. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is my favorite movie, I think. A movie I saw for the first time recently was 1776, which I liked a lot. If you like R & H, try Lerner & Loew.
I’ve definitely seen a ton of Astaire movies, perhaps all of them. A few Gene Kellys (not really a fan). As I said, I’ve watched a lot of film musicals–from the 30s and 40s–but I’ve missed most of Broadway. If it wasn’t an adaptation, assume I’ve seen it.
I did forget My Fair Lady and 1776, though.
Maybe I’ve seen a greater percentage of the available Broadway musicals than I thought.
To clarify, I’m not solely looking for big-budget movie musicals. Those are fine, but chances are better that I’ve seen them. I’m also looking for good versions of musicals that have simply been filmed and are available on DVD.
Which version of “Jesus Christ Superstar” did you see, the one from the '70s or the more recent one with Glenn Carter? The recent one was amazing, I thought. I love its cast recording and the original cast recording equally, I think.
That would be the one. I am most familiar with him as Sydney Bristow’s dad on the tv show Alias. That made the movie slightly weird. Still good though.
The George Hearn & Angela Lansbury Sweeny Todd is great. This will fall into the “Filmed Stage Performances” category. There are actually a bunch of Sondheims that got this treatment- I’m particularly fond of the filmed stage performance of Into The Woods.
Also, in this same category, definitely check out Pippin.
For film adaptations, I actually like both the 1962 Gypsy with Rosalind Russell as well as the 1993 made-for-T.V. remake with Bette Midler.
Cabaret is excellent. I don’t know how it compares to the original stage production, but if the original stage production is anything like the 1990s revival production from the Roundabout Theatre then the film and the stage musical are very very different.
As it was both a big hit as well as a recent hit, I assume you don’t need a review of Chicago. In case you do need a review, I’d say it’s definitely good enough if you really do live in the back of beyond and are without an opportunity to see it on stage.
I thought the big budget Evita was pretty good, though the fact that they couldn’t resist the urge to attempt to make her a more sympathetic character ultimately hurt the final product.
I only recently heard that Frank Oz had originally shot the much darker, true to the original stage show, ending of Little Shop of Horrors. Then, when the dark dismal ending tested poorly, the totally lame happy ending was shot and tacked on. If ever there comes a DVD that restores the original ending, I will run out and buy it immediately!
I know very little of musicals, but I recently watched the 1993 film adaptation of Gypsy (actually, it was made for TV) with Bette Midler and it was really good (bienville concurs). Mostly because it stars Bette Midler, and how could you not like Bette Midler?
Well maybe you could…but then how could you hate America?
Hedwig and the Angry Inch is the best musical to hit film in the last decade if not longer.
The original stage musical is even more different. The revival incorporated songs written for the film (“Mein Herr” and “Maybe This Time”) among other significant changes.
I was fully prepared to hate Madonna’s performance in Evita, being a big fan of Patti Lupone… and she won me over. So another vote for that. A vote for Hedwig and the Angry Inch, also mentioned.
