# Worst Stage Musical Adaptation **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 23, 2006, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-stage-musical-adaptation/349513 "2006-03-23T00:12:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![mrunlucky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7993a0/32.png) [@mrunlucky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrunlucky)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-stage-musical-adaptation/349513/21 "2006-03-23T07:02:25Z")
Telephone Book: The Musical, in three parts (Yellow, White, and Blue Pages) Or maybe War and Peace: The Musical Or teen-oriented like Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret: The Musical ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-stage-musical-adaptation/349513/22 "2006-03-23T07:16:38Z")
> [@Rodgers01](#): > > Well, I wouldn’t have thought you could make a good one out of “Sunset Boulevard.” Shows what I know. A \*\*good \*\*one? You were right. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-stage-musical-adaptation/349513/23 "2006-03-23T07:19:40Z")
> [@bmoak](#): > > Atlas Shrugged: The Musical! No, but I can see it as a Wagnerian opera. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-stage-musical-adaptation/349513/24 "2006-03-23T08:10:10Z")
> [@mrunlucky](#): > > Or maybe War and Peace: The Musical Well now, I wouldn’t have though Les Miserables could be made into a good musical, so I think War and Peace may have potential as source material. You could even toss in a comic relief piece about the characters trying to keep each others’ names straight. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-stage-musical-adaptation/349513/25 "2006-03-23T08:49:08Z")
I’d love to see an opera based on either **Bazooka Joe** or **Tom and Jerry**. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-stage-musical-adaptation/349513/26 "2006-03-23T10:19:51Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Elephant: the Musical!. (Based on **The Elephant Man** , of course.) Why “The Critic” of course. Let me rub your hump for luck!! That show on MTV, “The State” I think, had a hilarious sketch that was Moby Dick: The Musical complete with Johnny Bluejeans as a rapping whale. It was awesome, just as good as Oedipus Rex performed in trucker CB talk. Marc ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-stage-musical-adaptation/349513/27 "2006-03-23T13:11:34Z")
> [@appleciders](#): > > How about _Charlie and Algernon_, a musical based on a straight drama loosely based on the classic sci-fi short story Flowers for Algernon? [It’s been done](http://www.nodanw.com/shows_f/flowers_for_algernon.htm). And apparently it worked! I want to see the musical GARP! (particularly the accident scene) ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-stage-musical-adaptation/349513/28 "2006-03-23T13:29:31Z")
**Waiting for Godot – The Musical** **Asterix the Gaul** – just fot Cacophonix’ number **Oedipus Rocks!** – includes rock version of Tom Lehrer’s _Oedipus Rex_ There really _is_ a version of Alfred Jarry’s _Ubu Roi_ called **Ubu Rock** , by the way. It did pretty ell in Cambridge. And what’s wrong with my **Dune: The Musical**? [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=167075&highlight=Dune+Musical](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=167075&highlight=Dune+Musical) ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-stage-musical-adaptation/349513/29 "2006-03-23T13:36:26Z")
> [@MGibson](#): > > Why “The Critic” of course. Let me rub your hump for luck!! Nope. DataZak got it – The Critic was just referring to **The Tall Man** ---
**Author:** ![Elza\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Elza\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elza_B)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-stage-musical-adaptation/349513/30 "2006-03-23T14:27:20Z")
_The Exorcist: The Musical_ ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-stage-musical-adaptation/349513/31 "2006-03-23T14:39:59Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Elephant: the Musical!. (Based on **The Elephant Man** , of course.) > > (Extra points if you get the reference.) 😉 Was the title “Elephant: the Musical” or “E! The Musical”?- ref- The Tall Guy starring nekkid Emma Thompson, with appearances by Jeff Goldbloom and Rowan Atkinson. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-stage-musical-adaptation/349513/32 "2006-03-23T14:53:54Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > I would like to see someone try to make an opera out of _A Clockwork Orange._ Really. Burgess did adapt it for stage, with songs, but not enough to count as a musical. I saw it done in L.A. 2 or 3 years ago by a community theater- not bad at all. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-stage-musical-adaptation/349513/33 "2006-03-23T14:56:19Z")
There’s a bit in _The Producers_ (original movie, far better than the movie based on the musical) where Zero Mostel’s character is mulling over potential choices for the worst play in the world. “Hmm…Gregor Samsa awoke one morning to find that he had been turned into a gigantic cockroach…Nah, too good.” Ever since then I’ve been wondering why no one has ever seen the vast potential for a musical version of Kafka’s _Metamorphosis_. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-stage-musical-adaptation/349513/34 "2006-03-23T15:17:21Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > There’s a bit in _The Producers_ (original movie, far better than the movie based on the musical) This just reminded me: they’re making another movie of **Hairspray** , based on the show. But the movie the show was based on isn’t that old, and is still just fine to watch. Grrr. I guess John Travolta as Edna will bring in a whole new audience. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![want2know](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@want2know](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/want2know)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-stage-musical-adaptation/349513/35 "2006-03-23T15:45:52Z")
Real: **Home Sweet Homer** , a musical based on _The Odyssey_, starring Yul Brynner. Ran on B’way less than a week in the 1970’s. Fictional: **Star Trek: the Musical**. I mean, with two bonafide musical superstars like Shatner and Nimoy, how could it miss? :eek: How about a musical version of _Brokeback Mountain_ ? Possible titles: **The Best Little Bunkhouse in Wyoming** , **Sheepherder’s Serenade**. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-stage-musical-adaptation/349513/36 "2006-03-23T15:50:21Z")
> [@](#): > > Real: Home Sweet Homer , a musical based on The Odyssey, starring Yul Brynner. Ran on B’way less than a week in the 1970’s. I don’t really get the title – it’s too cute by far. When this show had its tryout run in Boston it was just **The Odyssey** > [@](#): > > Fictional: Star Trek: the Musical . I mean, with two bonafide musical superstars like Shatner and Nimoy, how could it miss? MAD magazine did a Star Trek musical **Keep on Trekkin’** back in the 1980s. It started with “Send in the Crew” (to “Send in the Clowns”). ---
**Author:** ![supervenusfreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@supervenusfreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/supervenusfreak)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-stage-musical-adaptation/349513/37 "2006-03-23T16:24:01Z")
How about “Sing along with A Confederacy of Dunces”? or “Night, Mother, Hello Dolly!” I’m waiting for “GARP!” also… if only for the man bites dog dance number. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-stage-musical-adaptation/349513/38 "2006-03-23T17:27:11Z")
Their website is no longer in operation, but [Cobra: The Musical](http://www.canadianshakespeares.ca/Production_Shakespeare/SearchPublicShowPlay.cfm?PlayID=361) was a hilariously bad yet fun musical based on G.I. Joe. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-stage-musical-adaptation/349513/39 "2006-03-23T17:44:22Z")
The (fictional) adaptation of _The Art of Happiness_ for the musical stage: _ **Hello, Dalai!** _ ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-stage-musical-adaptation/349513/40 "2006-03-23T23:48:12Z")
How about Mel Brooks’ “Silent Movie-The Musical!”? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-stage-musical-adaptation/349513.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-stage-musical-adaptation/349513.md?page=3)