Movie Musicals

Setting the stage

Popular musicals adapted for the big screen in 2021

Emerson Elledge elledeme000@hsestudents.org

As long as films have been made, movie musicals have been made, too, although theater fans have had mixed reactions. “The Sound of Music” and “Fiddler on the Roof,” among others, were hit musicals that were adapted for cinema many years ago. Diehard musical fans and casual moviegoers alike were able to experience more movie musical magic than ever before in 2021. “West Side Story,” “Dear Evan Hansen” and “In the Heights” are among some of the widely popular Broadway musicals that were adapted for the big screen last year. “There are mixed opinions about West Side Story, but I loved how Steven Spielberg shot it like it was an old sixties movie musical,” junior Tara Pyle said. “There was lighting on their faces like it was the old sixties movie sets. It was really cool.” Some of the sacrifices that creators make when adapting a musical for the screen have made them unpopular with fans. For example, in “Dear Evan Hansen (2021),” the song “Good for You” was cut, causing controversy among fans of the play because of the importance the song had to the plot. In an interview with parade.com, producer Marc Platt explained the cuts. “There are certain songs on stage called ‘presentational songs,’ where the character is not singing to anyone in particular, is turning to the audience and singing…” Platt said. “It would have felt too stage-bound and otherworldly.” However, not all is lost when adapting a musical for the screen. There are added elements that can make a show more visually dynamic, such as the addition of CGI and other film effects, as well as being more widely available to the public. “I think one of the main issues with things like Broadway plays is that there is no way for it to make it accessible or less expensive for those in the community that want to go see these shows,” junior Aiyanna Allen said. “[Movies] are obviously more accessible for people than the stage.” Accessibility is a major factor that inspires directors to adapt stage musicals for the screen, even if theater is not their forte. According to broadway. org, tickets for stage musicals tend to range $20-175 a seat, not considering the travel and lodging that may be needed in order to watch. However, the movie adaptation of “Mamma Mia” grossed $611 million at the box office, according to IMDB, whereas the stage musical has a worldwide revenue of four billion dollars. “[Directors] have to be careful to try and find that line that allows people who have not seen it to really enjoy it,” senior Nathaniel Lewis said. “But people who have seen it also get the same feeling that they got from watching it on the stage. So there is a thin line that they have to try and balance and some movies can do it.” According to playbill.com, “13,” “Cyrano” and “Matilda” are the only movie musicals set to be released in 2022. However, countless musicals like “Wicked” and “Be More Chill”, along with many others, are still in the phases of pre-production, which just gives audiences something more to look forward to. 1

1. The 2021 poster for “In the Heights,” a musical by Lin Manuel Miranda. 2. The poster for “West Side Story,” a remake of the popular, older film. Posters courtesy of Creative Commons. Graphics by Emerson Elledge.