Summary
- There are numerous phenomenal Broadway musicals that deserve movie adaptations, as evidenced by the success of recent stage performance recordings and movie adaptations.
- Musicals like "Carrie: The Musical," "Hadestown," and "The Book of Mormon" are prime choices for movie adaptations due to their ionate fanbases, critical acclaim, and relevant themes.
- Musicals like "Next to Normal," "Beetlejuice," and "Be More Chill" should be turned into movies to further important conversations about mental health, offer fresh takes on familiar stories, and reach wider audiences who may not typically enjoy musicals.
With big-name Broadway musicals coming to the big screen, it becomes apparent that many phenomenal Broadway musicals deserve movie adaptations. Considering the fact that acting started on the stage, there’s always been a strong link between the theater, movies, and TV. Additionally, Hollywood has never hesitated to mine the theater for great stories to turn into movies. Regaled examples include Chicago, Guys and Dolls, and Les Miserables.
Recently, more popular Broadway shows have come to the big screen in the form of stage performance recordings or movie adaptations. The 2021 movie adaptation of West Side Story proves that these musicals are often timeless. However, adaptations of newer musicals – like Matilda the Musical, Mean Girls, and In The Heights – show that there are so many fresh stories in Broadway musicals that could come to life on the big screen.
Carrie: The Musical
Run: May 12, 1988 to May 15, 1988
Based on the popular Stephen King book, Carrie: The Musical is considered one of the most expensive Broadway failures of all time after producers spent $8 million on the show, and it closed with only five performances under its belt. However, the musical has gained more attention in recent years as well due to Riverdale’s Carrie: The Musical episode. With a ionate fanbase and increased attention, Carrie: The Musical deserves a movie adaptation that truly appreciates everything amazing that the musical has to offer.
The 2014 Off-Broadway revival – which served as the Riverdale episode’s source material – includes the perfect mix of upbeat Broadway tunes with relevant themes and messages. A movie version of this Broadway musical can use two existing adaptations for inspiration – Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and Mean Girls (2024). Carrie: The Musical shares the horror style of Sweeny Todd while maintaining campy vibes in Mean Girls.
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Hadestown
Run: March 2019 to Present
The sing-through musical Hadestown tells a variation on the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, weaving in the relationship between Hades and Persephone as well. Hadestown debuted on Broadway, gaining eight Tonys and one Grammy, including Best Musical and Best Musical Theater Album. Given the success of this Broadway musical, it’s a prime choice for a movie adaptation. The themes of poverty, global warming, capitalism, and exploitation of works are more relevant than ever. Additionally, the Hadestown score sounds like New Orleans jazz rather than traditional Broadway, making it more appealing to audiences who don’t like musicals.
The Book Of Mormon
Run: March 2011 to Present
In 2011, the creators of South Park premiered their Broadway musical, The Book of Mormon, and it immediately became a hit. The story follows Elder Kevin Price and Elder Arnold Cunningham, two Mormon elders who go to Uganda in order to convert the citizens of a village. The Broadway musical is a satirization of the ideals, practices, and indoctrination of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints – better known as the Mormon Church. Audiences and critics alike absolutely loved the musical.
Unsurprisingly, The Book of Mormon won nine Tonys in 2011, including Best Musical. Considering the popularity of the musical and its numerous awards, The Book of Mormon is the perfect choice for a movie adaptation. It’s hilarious, fast-paced, and criticizes many serious problems through the use of satire. The movie would inevitably be contentious due to the subject matter, but it also wouldn’t be the first satire comedy film that got backlash.
Next To Normal
Run: April 2009 to January 2011
One Broadway musical that desperately needs a movie adaptation is Next to Normal. This rock musical explores the life of Diana Goodman, a woman living with Bipolar Disorder, and how her mental illness impacts her family system. During its Broadway run, Next to Normal received the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama due to its ambitious subject matter and important messages about mental health.
The reason for its Pulitzer Prize is the same reason why Next to Normal should be turned into a movie. With society becoming more comfortable talking about mental illness, this film would further the conversation. Additionally, a movie adaptation could update some of the information to match where the mental health field is nowadays.
The Addams Family
Run: April 2010 to December 2011
The Addams Family franchise has come back into the public consciousness recently thanks to the 2019 Addams Family movie and Netflix’s Wednesday season 2 on the horizon. As such, now is the perfect time to make an adaptation of the Broadway musical. The comedy follows the Addams family as they prepare to welcome Wednesday’s boyfriend and family over for dinner. The Addams Family is campy in the best way possible and leans into the cartoonish depictions of the characters. A movie adaptation of the Broadway musical could embrace what makes the musical so beloved, rather than rejecting it as shallow.
SIX
Run: September 2021 to Present
SIX has become a worldwide phenomenon since it premiered on the West End in January 2019 and boomed more since coming to Broadway. This musical tells the lives of Henry VIII’s wives, as they try to determine who had the worst experience. However, the musical takes an adventurous spin by setting the entire thing through the lens of the queens putting on a pop concert. Due to its adventurous and modern feel, SIX would work extremely well as a movie adaptation. It would feel fresh, plus the music style would appeal to people who hate musicals.
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Jekyll And Hyde
Run: April 1997 to January 2001 and April 2013 to May 2013
The horror Broadway musical Jekyll and Hyde is highly underrated and deserves a movie adaptation. Jekyll and Hyde loosely adapts The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. Considering the story has been told to death, Hollywood could benefit from adapting the Broadway Musical. It’s a fresh take that’s unique and compelling. The music is also evocative of classic Broadway while also modernizing the style.
Mike Medavoy and Rick Nicita of RPMedia clearly agreed because they bought the rights to the musical in 2013, intending to make a movie adaptation by 2015 (via Broadway World). Unfortunately, the Jekyll and Hyde adaptation has been stuck in development hell ever since. Hopefully, the production team will find a way to finally bring this masterpiece to the big screen.
Beetlejuice
Run: April 2019 to March 2020 and April 2022 to January 2023
When it comes to movies-turned-musicals, it’s difficult to justify adapting them back to a movie. Typically the stories are too similar to warrant revisiting it onscreen. However, Mean Girls (2024) proves that it’s possible to create a movie-turned-musical-turned-movie that maintains high quality and offers something new. Like the Mean Girls musical, the Beetlejuice 2 in the works, the franchise could make a Beetlejuice adaptation its next focus.
Bonnie & Clyde
Run: December 1, 2011 to December 30, 2011
While it isn’t one of the best-known Broadway Musicals, Bonnie & Clyde is a hidden gem that would make a great movie. The story follows the titular couple known for being outlaws during the Great Depression. The pair have become folk heroes, and their story has been told repeatedly. The musical has 20 musical numbers to pick from, all of which fall into the non-traditional Broadway category. This gives the musical the wider appeal that’s necessary for movie musicals to succeed. Additionally, the characters are so iconic that the right actors could boost their careers acting in Bonnie & Clyde.
Be More Chill
Run: March 2019 to August 2019
One of the most promising options for a Broadway musical getting adapted into a movie is Be More Chill. Based on the eponymous YA sci-fi book by Ned Vizzini, Be More Chill follows an outcast teen boy named Jeremy who decides to obtain a SQUIP, a sentient supercomputer that changes the way Jeremy behaves and speaks in order to make him more popular. This bizarre and hilarious story is one that truthfully would’ve performed better as a movie instead of a musical, to begin with.
Stephanie Hsu from Everything Everywhere All At Once originated the role of Christine Canigula in Be More Chill.
The target audience for that story isn’t the same people who usually attend Broadway musicals. Additionally, Be More Chill doesn’t fit into the traditional Broadway box since it’s campy and integrates science fiction. There is, however, a massive audience for this kind of story among movie viewers. The soundtrack has already gone viral multiple times. Luckily there’s a solid chance Be More Chill will actually become a movie. The Broadway musical was picked up for a movie adaptation in 2018 (via The Verge); however, there haven’t been many updates since the original announcement.
Sources: Broadway World and The Verge
