Whether it’s a book or Broadway play that’s being turned into a movie, everyone loves a great adaptation, and movies making their way to the Broadway stage is no different. From great ones like The Lion King to new ones like Magic Mike, there’s something about musicals we just can’t get enough of. Now if only the upcoming Mean Girls can live up to the original (C’mon, Tina Fey. We believe in you.)
HERE ARE 10 FILM TO STAGE MUSICALS
Legally Blonde
Legally Blonde was such a hit with fans that it’s no wonder when they decided to bring Elle Woods to the stage. After following her ex-boyfriend to Harvard in hopes of winning him back, she actually discovers that she has what it takes to have a career in law and proves everyone wrong. Which is always the best revenge, am I right?
Also known as the movie that always made me cry as a kid — how dare Scar trick Simba like that and then kill Mufasa!— The Lion King has become one of the most iconic Disney films to be brought to life on stage and with good reason. From the costumes to the music, it’s no wonder why it’s become one of the longest running stage productions.
Billy Elliott
Telling the story of a young boy growing up in County Durham in 1984, Billy Elliot is all about following your dreams as 11 year-old Billy goes on an journey to become a ballet dancer. The movie was released in 2000 and debuted on the London stage five years later. With music from Elton John, the play became a huge hit and went on to tour Australia and North America while winning 10 Tony Awards along the way.
9 to 5
Why not jazz up your favourite movies with a little dose of Batman? In this YouTube vid by PistolShrimps, the dark knight makes a cameo in classic flicks like Forest Gump, The Wizard of Oz, and Dirty Dancing. LOL, this spoof just nails that deep raspy voice. Love it!
In totally inconsequential, pointless news of the day, Taylor Swift and Harry Styles are actually living in the 80s teen movie Dirty Dancing. We know this because sometime during their intense love affair, which is blossoming as beautifully as a single red rose, Harry was photographed picking up Taylor in what can only be called a Patrick Swayze lift.
The photo at the top of the article was taken of the One Direction singer with the serial dater at the Z100 Jingle Ball after-party. Earlier that night, the two were spotted (blush) kissing. Regardless of what you think of them you have to admit they’re cute. And they really know how to work a photo op.
Watch it here
Now, we all know remakes of classics generally end in disaster. However, one director thinks he can pull off a remake of Dirty Dancing.
MTV News announced that High School Musical director, Kenny Ortega, is all set to direct and produce the classic tale about Baby and her coming-of-age, Dirty Dancing.
In a statement on EW.com, Ortega said, “The opportunity to direct ‘Dirty Dancing’ is like returning home for me. … Patrick Swayze set the bar for men dancing in the movies as Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire did before him. I believe everywhere you look there is evidence that the talent is out there and I can’t wait to begin the process of discovering the next breakout triple-threats.”
We can confidently say that Ortega can handle this difficult task. After all, he is the one behind the phenomenon that is High School Musical. Not to mention, he directed Michael Jackson’s This Is It.
No cast members have been announced yet but it looks like Ortega is ready to discover the next Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey. Who knows, it could be you!
While celebrity deaths sprout emotional tributes left, right, and center, they do not always end up as tasteful and special as they set out to be. However, in the case of the late actor Patrick Swayze and ABC’s show Dancing with the Stars, the dance tribute was dirty, and that was perfect, according to E! Online.
The results that eliminated the first two contestants from Dancing with the Stars on Tuesday night were put on the backburner as some of the show’s professional dancers took to the stage in a dancing Swayze tribute.
The late actor, known for his emotional role in the movie “Ghost” but also for his hearthrob performance in “Dirty Dancing,” would have been proud.
The tribute began with Chelsie Hightower and Dmitry Chaplin, both from So You Think You Can Dance fame, doing a romantic piece to “She’s Like the Wind.” This was followed by real-life husband and wife duo Jonathan Roberts and Anna Trebunskaya waltzing to “Unchained Melody.” It was then that “Dirty Dancing” was really brought to life, with Tony Dovolani and Cheryl Burke dancing to the Oscar-winning song,”Time Of My Life,” and ending with the famous lift where Swayze hoisted Jennifer Grey into the air at the end of the movie. The tribute was received warmly by those who watched it.
In a year littered with celebrity passings, one more soul was added to the list today as Houston-born actor Patrick Swayze died- after a nearly two year battle with pancreatic cancer.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the 57-year-old Dirty Dancing star passed away with family at his side.
“Patrick Swayze passed away peacefully today with family at his side after facing the challenges of his illness for the last 20 months,” said a statement released Monday evening in Los Angeles by his publicist, Annett Wolf. No other details were given.
Swayze first came forward about his diagnosis in spring 2008, but decided to undergo treatments at the Stanford University Medical Center and still continue working at the same time-most recently on A&E’s now cancelled series The Beast. The actor was told he had Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasm (IPMN), a rare stage IV pancreatic cancer.
Dirty Dancing: The Classic Story on Stage has been granted an extension of its run at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto, Mirvish Productions announced yesterday.
In celebration of the show’s 200th performance yesterday, the Mirvishes announced the show would now run until Nov. 2 of this year, an increase of nearly six months.
The show was expected to run until September of this year. But, when it was announced, tickets for the show went quickly, racking up millions of dollars in sales. Many insiders expect the show to run for a while.
Tickets for the new run go on sale Monday morning.
Torontonians will be “Dirty Dancing” for a little while longer — the Mirvish stage adaptation of the hit 1987 movie has been extended for an additional 12 weeks.
The production opened Oct. 31 in Toronto and will now run till Aug. 31, 2008, due to what producers are calling the “ecstatic response” of Toronto audiences.
An additional 144,000 tickets are now on sale.
“Dirty Dancing” tells the story of 17-year-old Frances “Baby” Houseman, who meets and starts a relationship with dance instructor Johnny Castle during a visit to a summer resort in 1963.
The show was penned by Eleanor Bergstein, who also wrote the film, and stars Jake Simons as Johnny and Monica West as Baby.
The Toronto run marks the North American premiere of the production.
