The Top Five Dream Stage Adaptations

Katie Zepf ’17 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer
Close your eyes and picture your favorite movie. With so many great films out there, it’s hard to choose just one. Now think about the excitement you would feel if you heard that movie was coming to Broadway. To see your favorite story in an entirely new way would be a refreshing and entertaining change on the narrative you’ve probably seen a hundred times. Although there are a lot of wonderful movies that have already been translated over to the stage, such as the extremely popular The Lion King and Legally Blonde, there are some great films that have yet to make their debut on the stage (for the benefit of everyone, Frozen the musical is currently in the works).  The following are the top five movies that we’d love to see become musicals!

5. A Series of Unfortunate Events

Synopsis: A Series of Unfortunate Events is based on a series of thirteen books, written by Lemony Snicket, that follow the woeful lives of the Baudelaire siblings. The three children (Violet, Klaus, and Sunny) were orphaned after their parents died in a tragic fire. They are placed in the care of a distant relative, the evil Count Olaf. The children must fight their way out of Olaf’s clutches, but they encounter numerous challenges along the way.
Why It Should Be a Play: How can audiences not feel for the Baudelaire orphans? These poor kids have had everything and more taken away from them, yet they still manage to keep their spirits up. The readers root for them throughout the entire story. The villains are so wonderfully treacherous that readers can’t help but get overly committed in their hatred of them. Between the heartbreaking songs that the orphans could sing, the entertaining and villainous monologues that Olaf could have, and the original casting choices one could make, this is sure to be a show that would leave the audience laughing as they wipe their tears away.

4. The Great Gatsby

Synopsis: The Great Gatsby is based on a book by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The story tells the tale of the doomed love between Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan. Gatsby is a millionaire with a complicated romantic history that remains unresolved. The object of his affection, Daisy, is married to an aristocrat named Tom Buchanan. Her cousin Nick, who’s telling the story, moves in next door to Gatsby. These relationships become entangled in a way that will leave the reader speechless.
Why It Should Be a Play: Beautiful people. Wild parties. General debauchery. Do adaptors need any more reasons? The movie was fun, exciting, beautiful, and heartbreaking. The story has everything audiences could possibly want to see. Add music, dancing, and long monologues of Gatsby confessing his great love for Daisy, and producers have a show to remember.

3. John Tucker Must Die

Synopsis: John Tucker Must Die is a classic romantic comedy about a trio of high school girls who discover that the gorgeous star of the basketball team (John Tucker) has been secretly dating, and cheating, on all three of them. The girls plot to break his heart and embarrass him in front of the entire school. They get the cute, shy new girl to join them in the scheme. They convince her to make John Tucker fall in love with her so that she can crush his heart.
Why It Should Be a Play: Don’t get mad, get even: the mantra of many woman the world over. This movie connects to such a wide audience that it’d surely be one of the most popular shows to hit the stage. Not only is it one of the funniest romantic comedies ever, but everyone who has ever gone to high school knows someone like John Tucker. It’s relatable, cute, and shows some super boss girls. Plus, cast someone ridiculously good looking as John Tucker with the voice of an angel (Zac Efron, anyone?) and you’ll have every woman and girl in the audience swooning.

2. Pirates of the Caribbean

Synopsis: Pirates of the Caribbean is one of Disney’s most popular movie series. The main character is the iconic Captain Jack Sparrow, played by Johnny Depp. Blacksmith Will Turner teams up with Captain Jack Sparrow, the most eccentric and cunning pirate to sail the seas, in an attempt to save his lifelong love Elizabeth Swann. Elizabeth was captured by pirates who are in control of Captain Jack Sparrow’s former ship, The Black Pearl.
Why It Should Be a Play: There is so much love for this movie that the play would be popular simply because it shares the same name. Seriously, Captain Jack Sparrow has become one of the most iconic figures of the 2000’s. He is one of the most interesting, funny, and exciting characters to ever be written into being. Any song of his would become an instant classic. Even his drunken, “Yo ho ho, a pirates life for me,” is still belted at random times throughout fans’ daily lives.

1. Mean Girls

Synopsis: Mean Girls is a movie about, well, mean girls. Specifically, high school mean girls. Cady Heron, played by Lindsay Lohan, is a new student from Africa who was homeschooled her entire life. She enters high school and discovers that teenage girls engage in psychological warfare that she has never seen before. The social rules and expectations teenage girls have for themselves take a toll on her. She ends up learning a lot about herself, others, and why giving into social pressure is detrimental to your life.
Why It Should Be a Play: Mean Girls remains one of the most popular movies of this generation. It is the most often quoted, most often joked-about, most often related-to, and above all, most often enjoyed. There is something in it that everyone can connect with. There are so many rich, real characters that would translate so well onto the stage. They capture the tension that fills the life of a teenager perfectly; teenagers hate, envy, love, despise, and most of all, want to be, the popular kids. Considering how popular this movie is, it’s shocking that a play has not already been made. Come on, Broadway, let’s get to it.
Just remember: On Wednesdays, we wear pink.