Recently and especially after the successful 2012 adaptation of the epic musical Les Misérables it seems as though musical theatre is enjoying a level of mainstream popularity unprecedented on this side of the 21st century; as Neil Patrick Harris quipped in his opening number at the 2011 Tony Awards, its not just for gays anymore. This tongue-in-cheek comment has been proving true: Broadway is seeming broader by the day, not the least of which is due to Hollywoods regained interest in what the Great White Way has to offer in the way of cinematic adaptations. The upcoming theatrical release of Jersey Boys is just one of a slew of movie musicals set for release in the next year (or shall I say, 525,600 minutes?) alone. What one can take from all this is that, these days, musicals are not just your grandmas stodgy entertainment anymore: they can be bold, they can be unconventional, they can hit as close to home and be just as if not more fun to watch as anyones favourite film in which characters don't spontaneously burst into song and dance. Through creative cinematic re-imagining, the modern movie musical its precedent set, for better or for worse, by the aforementioned Les Mis is aiming to hit a wider demographic than the stereotypical theatregoing audience in a variety of different ways and through a diverse selection of high-profile shows being translated to the silver screen in the near or distant future.
Canadian student. Spends probably an unhealthy amount of time enthusing over musicals, unpopular TV shows, and Harry Potter. Main life goal: to become fluent in Elvish.
