Musicals Based on Other Mediums

Musicals Based on Other Mediums



The 2018 were significant in that all four Best Musical nominees were based on movies or TV shows. This was big news in the the Broadway world, but it is hardly a new trend.

All but one of Broadway's Top 10 Longest Running Musicals were based on something else. Only A Chorus Line was an original story, not originally a book or movie,

In recent years best musicals haven't fared much better. 3 of the last 5 Best Musical Tonys have gone to musicals based on movies or books. It has long been a tradition for stories to move to Broadway from somewhere else.

Many of the most famous Musicals have been based in literature. Wicked was a book. Chicago was a play. Hamilton was a book.

Musicals often end up being based on something else but they give us new insight into the stories and characters in them. Chicago gave us new insight into Velma Kelley. Hamilton introduced people to the story of Alexander Hamilton that would have never read Ron Chernow's book. It can be a great thing, as long as it is done for the right reasons.



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