All tagged Carnival

Ten Best Musicals That Started as Films … and Three That Surprisingly Didn’t Make the List

Ten Best Musicals That Started as Films … and Three That Surprisingly Didn’t Make the List

Mark Robinson
Top Ten, Music That Makes Me Dance, Broadway Musical Musings

Nowadays, it has become the go-to fashion on Broadway to adapt films for the musical stage. Such movies asMoulin Rouge!, Back to the Future, and The Lion King have proven to be hits of this ilk. Most, however, have been terrible, pale replications of their screen counterparts. A handful, however, are truly amazing: artistic re-thinkings that improve upon their source material. This article is a celebration of the 10 best musicals that started as films … and three that surprisingly (for some of you) that didn’t make my list.

New York Musical Hits That Didn’t Fly in London

New York Musical Hits That Didn’t Fly in London

Mark Robinson
Music That Makes Me Dance

A Broadway hit doesn’t always necessarily translate to a universal hit. There have been many musicals that opened in New York City, but when they premiered in London’s West End, they failed to ignite with audiences. In some cases, it was the production that floundered and the show proved to be a hit at a later date. Here are some musicals that were hits in NYC, but initially failed in the West End. 

Revive This Musical: PLEASE!

Revive This Musical: PLEASE!

Mark Robinson
Music That Makes Me Dance

It’s a big season for Broadway revivals with Spring Awakening having opened and Fiddler on the Roof, Dames at Sea, and She Loves Me on their way to us in the next few months. Certain shows get revived again and again (Gypsy, anyone?) while others take their sweet time getting back to Broadway. Today’s blog entry is a plea to producers, as I go decade by decade (starting with the 1930s), making the case for the musicals most-deserving of revival in each ten-year span.

The Bane of Broadway Aficionados: Soundtrack or Cast Recording?

The Bane of Broadway Aficionados: Soundtrack or Cast Recording?

Mark Robinson
Odds & Ends

The great faux pas of young musical theatre enthusiasts is that they will use the words "soundtrack" and "cast recording" interchangeably, or omit the latter and defer to the former as a catch-all. Let's clear things up, once and for all: if it's a recording of a movie musical, it's a motion picture soundtrack. If the recording is of a Broadway show, it's an original cast album or cast recording. Never the twain shall meet.