Culture

Hollywood’s 10 Best Broadway Adaptations

Musical films may be having a moment right now, but these stage-to-cinema adaptations are the golden standard on the silver screen

By Victoria Luxford

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The film adaptation of mega-hit musical Wicked arrives in cinemas this month, with the first of an ambitious two-part adaptation starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande premiering on 22 November. In anticipation of this movie milestone, we’ve looked into the Hollywood archives and picked the ultimate silver screen sensations that began as stage musicals, combining the thrill of the theatre with the magic of the movies.

Chicago (2002)

A cross-section of early 2000s talent set the standard both for movie musicals and the original stage production, which runs on Broadway to this day. Renée Zellweger plays Roxy, a would-be star in 1920s Chicago who is embroiled in a murder case, finding fame in an unconventional way that may save her from execution. Featuring an all-star cast that also includes Catherine Zeta-Jones, Queen Latifah and Richard Gere, the film won six Oscars – including Best Picture – and kicked off a revival of musical movies in Hollywood, which for years had viewed the genre as passé.

Mamma Mia! (2008)

Who would have thought a musical inspired by the songs of ABBA would become one of the biggest movie hits of the 2000s? Winning plaudits in London’s West End and on Broadway for years, this story – in which a young woman (Amanda Seyfried) invites three men to her upcoming wedding in order to determine which of them is her father – is a feel-good party. Casting actors with varying degrees of musical talent only adds to the frivolous charm, but Meryl Streep, for once, enhances her glittering career with a great performance as the bride’s mother. With a sequel released in 2018 and a third film on the way, this musical’s legacy is secure.

Les Misérables (2012)

Hugh Jackman spearheaded this adaptation of a famed production – based on Victor Hugo’s 1862 novel – that has enjoyed three successful runs on Broadway spanning over 20 years. Jackman plays Jean Valjean, a former prisoner who agrees to take care of a young orphan even as he is pursued by a ruthless policeman (Russell Crowe) for his former crimes, all against the backdrop of the French Revolution. Though it’s controversial among the stage production’s fans, we think the film is a masterful adaptation that captures the hope, pain and romance of the source material. Winning three Oscars, including one for star Anne Hathaway’s performance of “I Dreamed a Dream”, it’s a stirring cinematic experience.

Cabaret (1972)

How do you escape the shadow of a legendary mother? By becoming a legend in your own right. Liza Minnelli, daughter of The Wizard of Oz star Judy Garland, announced her arrival with this incredible performance as Sally Bowles, lead entertainer in a bawdy Berlin cabaret that reflects the slow rise to power of the Nazis prior to World War II. Seen through the eyes of English traveller Brian Roberts (Michael York), the songs are riotous and enjoyable, but the film has a dark, cautionary underbelly whose lessons remain relevant to today. While the musical is still staged around the world, no one has dared replicate this masterpiece on film.

West Side Story (1961)

Steven Spielberg’s 2021 adaptation was good, but for us, there’s no beating the original movie version of this Broadway classic. Turning the streets of New York into a mix of battleground and dancefloor, the energy is electric as the talented cast leaps through numbers like “Maria”, “America” and “Tonight”. Using Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet as a framework to tell a powerful story about love, class and the immigrant experience, this ten-time Oscar winner grabs you from the opening number and never lets you go.

Grease (1978)

The original Broadway run of Grease lasted eight years and over 3,000 performances, but it’s the film that keeps people dreaming of “those summer nights”. A light-hearted romance set in a 1950s American high school, John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John made history as Danny and Sandy, two teenagers who are destined to be together – if only they can overcome their social differences. Featuring songs like “Greased Lightnin’”, “Hopelessly Devoted to You”, and “You’re the One That I Want”, this is a landmark Hollywood film that audiences have loved for generations. When Newton-John passed away in 2022, the following Oscars ceremony was brought to a tearful halt as Travolta paid emotional tribute to an actor who was close to every movie lover’s heart.

My Fair Lady (1964)

Based on George Bernard Shaw’s 1913 play Pygmalion and adapted from the 1956 Lerner and Loewe stage musical, My Fair Lady follows Eliza Doolittle (Audrey Hepburn), a Cockney flower-peddler who is taken under the wing of a wealthy professor (Rex Harrison) and trained to speak like a member of high society. Considered by the American Film Institute as one of the greatest movies ever made, this story of longing and classism has endured both as a film and a musical. Interestingly, Julie Andrews, who originated the role on Broadway, was passed over for the film version. However, she would eventually thank the studio for doing so; the film she joined instead was Mary Poppins, for which she would win an Oscar.

The Sound of Music (1965)

Andrews would again make her mark on musical cinema in a film that has become a staple of the festive season in many countries around the world. This large-scale production by composer-lyricist legends Rodgers and Hammerstein is based on the 1949 memoir The Story of the Trapp Family Singers. Andrews stars as Maria, a governess who joins the von Trapp family, growing to love the children and their widowed father, Captain von Trapp (Christopher Plummer). When the captain is commissioned to join the Nazis, he and Maria hatch a plan to escape. A rousing story that peaks with the glorious title song, it’s an uplifting journey that never leaves you.

Hairspray (2007)

A film based on a play based on a film? Yep. A 1988 independent film by transgressive director John Waters (dubbed “The Pope of Trash”) may not sound like the perfect formula for a bright and fun production, but Hairspray has been a mainstay of musical theatre since its debut on Broadway in 2002. A movie version of the musical was made in 2007, with a stacked cast featuring Michelle Pfeiffer, Zac Efron and John Travolta. The film retains the original work’s message of acceptance, telling the tale of a young woman in the 1960s (Nikki Blonsky) as she fights for inclusion on a popular TV show.

Matilda: The Musical (2022)

Inspired by the Roald Dahl novel and adapted by Britain’s Royal Shakespeare Company, Matilda: The Musical has been staged across the world, including a smash hit four-year run on Broadway. While the tale was brought to film in 1996, it wasn’t until 2022 that the story – which sees a young schoolgirl use her magical gifts to rebel against her draconian headmistress – would take musical form. Musician Tim Minchin’s wickedly funny songs underpin a film that captures both the twisted fun of Dahl’s work and the magic that made the stage musical so enchanting.