As movie musicals continue to pull in the theatre audiences, Karen Ryder looks more into this popular genre...


Musicals!  I get a rush of adrenaline, a flutter in my heart, and a glow of contentment from one simple word.  For it holds potential.  Potential to be moved emotionally, transported to different times, places, worlds, and to be free.  It ignites passion, excitement, and a flurry of jazz hands, and I will never grow tired of the absolute joy it gives me and millions of others.  Musicals have a life force of their own and are ever evolving to stay relevant, captivating, and to push the boundaries of what is possible.  Even in my lifetime, I think back to my very first musical (Charlie Girl starring Bonnie Langford) to the last one I saw (Mamma Mia at time of writing) and the source material, the approach, and the content show how things transform with time, highlighting the evolution of the relationship between movies and musicals.  But going back to the very beginning (as musicals have taught us that this is a very good place to start), as with Mamma Mia, a musical was a stage show long before it became a movie musical. 

My Fair Lady has a jam-packed talented cast and not to be missed this March in Manchester

Sound technology in the late 1920’s meant that musicals exploded onto our screens and changed the history of cinema forever.  New stars emerged; Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Gene Kelly, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Ann Miller, Howard Keel, Donald O’Connor, Cyd Charisse, Mickey Rooney, and became household names in a way nobody could have imagined.  Innovative, unique and ground-breaking styles, techniques and methods also emerged over the years from the likes of Busby Berkeley, Victor Fleming, Vincente Minnelli, Bob Fosse, right through to our very own modern-day Lin-Manuel Miranda.  In the 40’s and 50’s MGM started developing new movie musicals, with classics such as On The Town, Singin’ In The Rain, and An American In Paris, culminating in The Golden Age Of The Musical Film.  In a twist of circumstance, these movie musicals went on to become hugely popular stage musicals, and so the favour was paid back in kind.  In the 60’s, movies based on stage musicals gained momentum again, with hits such as West Side Story, My Fair Lady (Palace Theatre, Manchester - March 22nd to April 1st), Mary Poppins, and Oliver!

The King & I is taking centre stage at the Palace Theatre this May

So why is this brief history lesson relevant to us today?  Well, you only have to look around at the shows on offer to see where I might be going with this.  First there were stage musicals, then movie musicals, then original movie musicals.  Next, these original movie musicals were put on stage, which we can still see today with the likes of The Lion King (Palace Theatre, Manchester till March 11th), The King & I (Palace Theatre, Manchester - May 9th to 13th), Charlie & The Chocolate Factory (Palace Theatre, Manchester - July 11th - 30th) and Shrek (Opera House, Manchester - August 1st - 12th).  A new phenomenon has even developed in the form of taking the movie musical (many originating in animated form) and putting it on stage, still in its movie form but with a few theatrical surprises thrown in.  This is now known as the increasingly popular sing-a-long show, and can be witnessed in all its glory with Sing-a-Long-a Encanto (Manchester Opera House on March 5th). 

Pretty Woman The Musical is coming to Manchester in March 2024

So where could the relationship of movies and musicals go on their next adventure and ensure their relationship continued to blossom?  They found a way to still be together after all these years by creating yet another baby – they took cult movies that are not musicals and developed the beloved script for the stage to include song and dance!  This format takes some of the biggest movies of all time and brings its movie buff audience with it, encouraging a whole new audience to the theatre, providing opportunities for scores of artists, and tickling our taste buds with endless possibilities!  With the recent announcement that Pretty Woman The Musical will be touring (arriving at the Manchester Opera House March 5th - 16th 2024) a whole generation of people will be clambering to get seats because to miss it would be a “big mistake – Huge!”  I recently saw the show in London at The Savoy Theatre and it was clear that the movie source it came from was like a magnet, attracting audiences by instinct.  Pretty Woman has even gone one step further by enlisting rock royalty Bryan Adams to write new music for the show, and I have to say it’s outstanding. Sometimes however, these movies come with their own soundtrack built in that is so epic and iconic in its own right, it doesn’t need new music.  This is certainly true of The Bodyguard (Palace Theatre, Manchester - April 3rd - 15th) and so an audience is enticed in, not only by the movie, but by a soundtrack that reverberates memory after memory in their own lives.  Personally, every song in The Bodyguard reminds me of a person, a story, or evokes a memory, all of which fill me with a happy nostalgia.  Another show that does this is Dirty Dancing (Palace Theatre, Manchester May 30th - June 3rd) and when that famous lift takes place during Time Of My Life, you will cry tears that you can’t explain but are equally powerless to stop!  And why stop there?!  The Commitments is bringing its cracking tunes and Irish charm to the Manchester Opera House on June 5th to 10th, followed by the Australian movie cult classic Strictly Ballroom from 26^th June 26th - July 1st at The Lowry, starring Kevin Clifton and Faye Brooks.  And I can’t finish this section without mentioning the musical soundtrack every teenager seems to own and my students are begging me to get tickets for – Heathers coming to the Palace Theatre, Manchester (August 8th - 12th)

Strictly Ballroom The Musical can be seen on stage at The Lowry this June

Movies to musicals are saturating the market right now, even down to amateur productions such as Hope Mill Theatre’s Amateur Dramatics Company's Grease in April, or go and see Legally Blonde  (The Met, Bury Met on March 15th - 18th performed by PADOS).  The list is endless and the more I think about it, the more I realise I’ve seen.  I saw Elf in London at Christmas, Mary Poppins, Big, Back To The Future, Moulin Rouge are all in my back catalogue too (Ok, compiling this list, I’m starting to see why my savings pot is empty) but it is a market that has been slowly growing and bringing new audiences with it along the way. 

Many of us grew up watching movie musicals on TV on a Sunday afternoon, from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang to Finnian’s Rainbow and for some of us, those musicals have left a handprint on our heart, a jazz hand in our reflexes, and a back catalogue of happy memories to call our safe place.  A good old fashioned movie musical can evoke such clear, strong attachments that they can alter our mood, form bonds with our family and friends, and envelope us in a warm hug whenever we need them too.  They are always there for us no matter what, and now as the movie world extends an olive branch of potential new material to develop for the stage, we have come full circle and solidified this wonderful relationship between movies and musicals.  These films want a new lease of life, a way to high kick themselves into the hearts of a whole new generation – Heathers is living proof of that alone!  Reinvention and reinterpretation are a brilliant way of luring new audiences and keeping the excitement and the challenge of new musicals alive.  Musicals will never stop in its search for its source material, and neither should it, for it has to keep evolving and finding that new twist.  Look at Everybody’s Talking About Jamie (The Lowry - September 7th - 17th), a hugely popular modern musical that is derived from a true-life TV documentary.  The Great British Bake Off The Musical is soon to open in London!  And the truth is, no source material should ever be ruled out, because until it’s been experimented with and workshopped, you just never know!  But back to the movie musicals to stage musicals; to finish, I have a request please to any producers out there that The Greatest Showman be next.  And if you’re looking for a Christmas musical, please consider Spirited, both of which happen to have songs penned by the incomparable Justin Paul and Benj Pasek of Dear Evan Hansen fame.  I am already counting the days till either of these projects happen so for now, let’s celebrate that the relationship between movies and musicals have given us years of joy, and if my wish comes true, possibly leave us all ringing out This Is The Greatest Show for many a year to come. 

Everybody is Talking About Jamie returns to The Lowry in September

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