With the success of Fox’s “Grease Live” following the pleasant surprise that was “The Wiz Live!,” it seems that the act of musicals being converted into huge television spectacles is here to stay. With both “Rocky Horror” and “Hairspray” performances in the works, this train will keep on rolling until they are completely out of good material and have to start staging productions of “Carrie: The Musical” and “Spiderman: Turn off the Dark.” With that in mind, here’s a list of some stage productions that should be at the front lines for consideration of what to ruin produce next, before the American public loses interest.
Hamilton
Alright, I’m gonna be real, here. “Hamilton” is the entire reason I made this list. I will take any opportunity to talk about “Hamilton.” My whole life is “Hamilton.”
It’s the weirdest musical possible on paper: A rap/hip-hop musical about the life of founding father Alexander Hamilton. Once you listen to it, though, it all makes sense. (Seriously, go listen to it, it will change your life, it’s streaming on Spotify).
This musical has everything: kick-ass ladies, an intentionally diverse cast (there’s only one white actor in the whole show), a surprisingly emotional story considering the source material, plus absolutely incredible music and lyrics, written by the creator and star, Lin-Manuel Miranda.
The only flaw this musical has is that it’s impossible to see anywhere but Broadway, and good luck getting tickets to that, even. All of these make it a perfect candidate for a television production, and we may be in luck, as it seems it could be in the works already.
Spring Awakening
A huge hit when it opened in 2006 (with a cast of now-mega-stars like Jonathan Groff and Lea Michele), “Spring Awakening” is about as hard of a sell as Hamilton: a teenage punk-rock drama set in 1600s Germany, with a plot that mainly focuses on underage sex, homosexuality, masturbation, abortion and child abuse. It somehow worked, though, and managed to gain a huge following before ending its run.
Now back in production, the musical continues to innovate by being one of the first deaf-friendly musical productions. The actors sign for the audience while someone else sings the songs off-stage, making it accessible to a broader audience, while also giving it a very cool, new energy.
This inclusive revival would be a great choice to bring to TV, minus all the questionable material. Of course, taking away all the darker material would make it about 7 minutes long, so this may be one more suited for a movie or Netflix special.
Rent
Sometimes a musical needs revamping to make it seem less dated, otherwise it can fall into obscurity. That’s why I nominate “Rent” for a trip to television. With just some minor tweaks and updates, this ridiculously-’90s musical could find love from a whole new audience of young people who may find the original source material a bit too cheesy.
Plus, a musical about not being able to pay rent because of a crappy job market is beyond relatable right now. Now’s their chance to bank on that. Or, as Christian Bale would say, seize the day, “Rent” producers!
Wicked
To be honest, I don’t totally like “Wicked.” The songs are kind of grating, and no one’s ever going to out-do Kristin Chenoweth or Idina Menzel, so this may be a lost cause. That being said, it’s one of the few huge musicals to never be turned into a movie (though that’s about to change), and it would at least be worth a TV performance so people could see it from the comfort of their own homes, rather than shelling out $100 for a stage production.
Avenue Q
This seems like the long-shot of the list, but I’m going to throw it out there anyway. “Avenue Q” is a musical about struggling to make it out in the real world (on an English degree, no less), the trials of real-world dating and the overall emotional drag of being an adult. Plus, almost all its characters are puppets.
While probably not a realistic choice for a big network (there is graphic puppet sex and entire song about porn), it’s not a completely crazy idea for a channel like HBO or Showtime to pick it up and do something with it. A girl can dream, at least.