8 Musicals Being Made Into Movies (And Why You Should Care)

Because Les Miserables was only the beginning (and chances are you'll be singing along this time).

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, €œit€™s 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 Hollywood€™s 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 grandma€™s 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 anyone€™s 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.
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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.