Broadway first started adapting movies into musicals in the early 1950s, as far as I can tell. Hazel Flagg (1953) was based on the 1937 film Nothing Sacred; Fanny (1954) on the Marcel Pagnol movie trilogy (Marius, Cesar, and Fanny) of the 1930s; Silk Stockings (1955) on Ninotchka; Seventh Heaven (1955) on an early sound film of the same title, etc., etc. It can be argued that The King and I was actually based on the 1946 film of Anna and the King of Siam, though only Margaret Landon's book was credited. I haven't been able to locate any Broadway musicals from the 1940s or earlier based on movies, though there might have been some.
One of the differences between the movie-to-stage-musical adaptations of the 20th century and those now is that in the 20th century Broadway creatives went looking for movies that they wanted to adapt, for some reason. In this century, it's often the case that Hollywood studios, seeking to squeeze more money out of their old properties, are commissioning and financing these Broadway musical projects themselves. It seems they don't always consider whether the property in question would make a good musical; it gets the treatment because it's there.
However, like you, I'm looking forward to the Tootsie musical, mainly because I'm a great admirer of Yazbek and of the Women on the Verge score in particular. |
