18 Iconic Film-to-Stage Musical Adaptations

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• Presented by The New York Film Academy School Of
  Performing Arts

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42nd Street

• One of the earliest film-to-stage adaptions,
  impressively still holds up today. The adaption
  faced some challenges as the dance numbers in the
  film could not be directly translated to stage
  due to their reliance on camera angles.

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Calamity Jane

• Originally released in 1953, the musical film
  produced an Oscar-winning song Secret Love.
  The film was adapted for the stage in 1961.

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Cinderella

• An adaption of an adaptions, Cinderella was a
  written fairy tale prior to being first performed
  live on TV in 1957. This performance was then
  brought to the stage. It has since been one of
  the most remade and adapted stories of all time.

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Cry-Baby

• A 1990 film by John Waters that was later adapted
  for the stage as a musical by David Javerbaum and
  Adam Schlesinger. Mark ODonnell and Thomas
  Meehan took part in creating the book (they had
  also previously adapted Waters Hairspray for
  the stage). 

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Dirty Dancing

• In 1987 Vestron Pictures was planning on
  releasing Dirty Dancing in theaters for just
  one weekend before sending it to home video.
  However, the movie took off and instantly became
  a hit with a popular musical score to boot. It
  has since been internationally adapted as a stage
  musical.

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Fame

• The 1980 film won two Academy Awards, both for
  its music. IT was a natural pick for adaptation
  to the stage. But it is unique in that it was
  also adapted for television and used as
  inspiration for a reality show.

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Flashdance

• The 1983 musical film exploded onto the scene. It
  created a star out of lead Jennifer Beals, and
  the soundtrack sold over 20 million copies with
  the help of constant exposure on MTV. The stage
  adaptation of the film premiered in 2003 in the
  UK.

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Footloose

• The 1984 film has become an icon of the 80s. All
  about teenage rebellion.through dancethe film
  was a perfect candidate for a stage adaptation.
  The stage show premiered in 1998 and won two Tony
  awards.

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High School Musical

• The 2006 Disney Original Film instantly became a
  huge hit. The very next year High School Musical
  On Stage, the stage adaptation of the film,
  premiered its USA tour.

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Marry Poppins

• P.L. Travers published the first of 8 Poppins
  books in 1934. 30 years later, Disney released a
  musical film based on the iconic character. A
  huge hit, the film was nominated for 13 Oscars
  and took home 5. The 2004 West End adaption for
  the stage won 2 Olivier Awards, while the 2006
  Broadway production took home 7 Tonys.

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Newsies

• In 1992 Disney released this live-action musical
  film. It bombed and received some very harsh
  criticism from the critics. But the film stayed
  alive and gained a cult following through the
  internet. In 2012 the Broadway adaptation of the
  film premiered to much greater success than the
  film. The show sold out instantly and won two
  Tonys.

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The Producers

• The Mel Brooks 1968 comedy classic was not only
  adapted for the stage decades after the original
  film release, but the stage show was the
  re-adapted for film. While the stage-to-film
  adaptation didnt see much success, the original
  film launched Mel Brooks long career. And the
  stage adaptation has won 12 Tony Awards, the most
  any Broadway production has ever received.

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Silence! The Musical

• An oddball addition to the list is Silence! The
  Musical, The self-proclaimed unauthorized parody
  of Silence of the Lambs. The original itself
  was far from a musical. Rather, it was a very
  serious, dark, award-winning drama. This
  off-broadway production turned the mood on its
  head and told the story through music (and with
  great success).

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Xanadu

• The original 1980 film was inspired by a 1947
  Rita Hayworth film, which was inspired by a poem.
  The convoluted origins translate to the screen.
  The strange story failed at the box office but
  gained a cult following. So much so that it was
  later turned into a comedic musical for the stage
  which gained Tony Award nominations.

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Beauty and the Beast

• As Disney often does, they took a classic fairy
  tale and turned into a hit animated film. Several
  years later, the film was adapted for the stage
  in the form a Broadway musical. Several
  nominations, wins, and international shows later,
  it solidified itself as the eighth longest
  running musical in Broadway history.

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The Lion King

• Another creation of Disney, the original film
  debuted in 1994. The stage adaptation premiered
  in 1997 and was an instant hit. It has been
  running on Broadway, and internationally, since
  making it the fourth longest running show in
  Broadway history. It has also surpassed Phantom
  of the Opera as the highest grossing film/stage
  production.

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Billy Elliot

• The dramatic film premiered in 2000 and the stage
  adaptation followed several years later. The
  musical debuted in 2005 at the West End with
  music by Elton John. It was an instant hit,
  nominated for nine Oliver Awards and winning
  four. IT also went on to win several Tony awards.

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The Little Shop of Horrors

• The original 1960 horror-comedy film was shot
  over a period of two days for just 30,000. It
  slowly built up a cult following and eventually
  debuted as an Off-Off-Broadway production in
  1982. This production ran for five years. But
  several productions (including a Broadway
  adaptation) have followed since, as well as a
  film reboot in 1986.

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