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Movies and musicals have always had a unique connection. Or maybe 'connection' isn't the best term—sometimes movie-to-musical adaptations hit the mark, and other times they miss terribly. (Just take a look at the notorious Carrie: The Musical.) Here are 10 films that transformed into stage productions… with mixed results.
1. EVIL DEAD THE MUSICAL
Among the most memorable titles in musical theater, “All the Men in My Life Keep Getting Killed by Candarian Demons” stands out. George Reinblatt took a different approach from the dark horror and gruesome scenes of the original films and embraced a full-on satire with Evil Dead: The Musical. Debuting in Toronto in 2003, the show—based on all three of Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead films—moved to Off-Broadway in 2006 and has since toured Japan, South Korea, Spain, and Las Vegas, where it remains ongoing. For an unforgettable, bloody experience, grab a seat in the infamous “splatter zone,” where expectant audiences are treated to fake blood showers.
2. HEATHERS: THE MUSICAL
Laurence O'Keefe, composer and lyricist, has two notable teen comedy-inspired musicals under his belt: Legally Blonde: The Musical, which earned seven Tony Award nominations in 2008, and the somewhat lesser-known Heathers: The Musical, co-written with Kevin Murphy (Reefer Madness: The Musical). Premiering off-Broadway in 2014, Heathers: The Musical made several notable changes to its source material, starring Winona Ryder—most significantly combining Veronica's former best friend Betty Finn and outcast Martha “Dumptruck” Dunstock into a single character. A feature film adaptation has been in development for years, though progress has been slow.
3. METROPOLIS
In 1989, none other than Brian Blessed starred in a musical adaptation of Fritz Lang’s 1927 science fiction masterpiece Metropolis. Blessed took on the role of Joh Fredersen (renamed John Freeman), the oppressive ruler of a dystopian city where the working class struggles in subterranean factories while the elite live in luxury. The film’s most iconic duo—the virtuous Maria and her robotic double—was portrayed by Judy Kuhn, who received a Laurence Olivier Award nomination in 1989 for her performance. A four-time Tony Award nominee, Kuhn is perhaps best known outside the musical theater world for providing the singing voice of Disney’s Pocahontas
4. ROCKY
The intersection between “musical theater aficionados” and “sports movie lovers” proved to be smaller than expected for the Broadway production of Rocky, which—despite a huge promotional push and four Tony nominations—closed after just six months in 2014. (The show was much more popular in Germany, where it had first been produced.) Ironically, the project was led by an underdog: Alex Timbers, making his directorial debut, who later co-directed the successful Peter and the Starcatcher and the pre-Hamilton musical Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson. Timbers is also the co-creator of Amazon’s Mozart in the Jungle. Andy Karl, who played Rocky, went on to star in another movie-turned-musical: Groundhog Day, currently running on Broadway.
5. AMERICAN PSYCHO: THE MUSICAL
The American Psycho musical, directed by Rupert Goold, had an even shorter Broadway run, lasting just a few months in 2016. Originating at the Almeida Theatre in London, where Matt Smith (of Doctor Who fame) played the infamous yuppie serial killer Patrick Bateman, the show transferred to Broadway with Benjamin Walker (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson) taking over the lead role. In addition to original compositions by Duncan Sheik, the show featured '80s pop hits like “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” “In the Air Tonight,” “Don’t You Want Me,” and, of course, “Hip to be Square.”
6. BARBARELLA
Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics wrote the score for Barbarella, a musical adaptation based on the 1968 sci-fi cult film of the same name. However, as pointed out in Variety's review, the production is based not on the film itself but on the French comic book that inspired it—a subtle yet important distinction. The review described the show as “a 21st-century bore,” “a cheesy, awkward production,” and “hopelessly juvenile book and lyrics.” After struggling with both critics and audiences, the musical closed after about a year at Vienna's Raimund Theater.
7. GHOST THE MUSICAL
Here’s another short-lived Broadway venture: the musical version of the supernatural romance Ghost, based on the film featuring Demi Moore, Patrick Swayze, and the iconic pottery scene, which closed after just under four months in 2012. The reviews were largely unfavorable, with Christopher Isherwood of The New York Times describing it as a “thrill-free singing park ride … flavorless and lacking in dramatic vitality.” The music (co-written with Glen Ballard) and lyrics (with Ballard and Bryce Joel Rubin) were crafted by none other than Dave Stewart—yes, the same Dave Stewart who previously had little success with Barbarella.
8. BRING IT ON: THE MUSICAL
Before becoming a household name for his work on Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda co-wrote the music and lyrics for a musical adaptation of the teen cheerleader comedy Bring It On. The show made waves for introducing Broadway’s first transgender teen character and, on a less positive note, for being embroiled in a lawsuit with one of the movie’s screenwriters over rights disputes.
9. KING KONG
King Kong is having trouble making it to New York… at least the King Kong musical is. The stage adaptation of the 1933 classic first premiered in Melbourne in 2013, with plans to eventually bring it to Broadway. But four years later, it still hasn’t happened; the creative team is reportedly still deep in the revision process. The musical features a blend of '30s Broadway classics like “Get Happy” and “I Wanna Be Loved by You” alongside new songs by contemporary artists, including Sarah McLachlan, who wrote original material specifically for the show. And just to clarify, Kong doesn’t sing—he’s portrayed as a 20-foot-tall animatronic puppet in the Melbourne production.
10. YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN
Mel Brooks’s The Producers was a massive hit on Broadway in the early 2000s, even setting the record for most Tony Awards won by a single production. So it was only natural for Brooks to revisit his film catalog for another Broadway outing. Unfortunately, Young Frankenstein didn’t replicate the success, suffering from “mixed reviews, poor marketing decisions, and excessive expectations,” according to The New York Times. Despite an impressive creative team that included Brooks and his The Producers collaborator Thomas Meehan, with Sutton Foster as Inga and Megan Mullally as Elizabeth, the show ran for just over a year. Cloris Leachman was reportedly set to reprise her role as Frau Blücher from the 1974 film, but the show closed before that could happen.
