Hollywood movies and Broadway musicals have a long history with one another. Over the years, it’s been common for successful musicals to be quickly adapted into Hollywood films for a larger audience to enjoy. However, in more recent years, it has sometimes been working out in reverse. Why is there such a connection between the two? As you may suspect, it often comes down to being able to make money as well as having an engaging and adaptable story. Theatrical films and theater productions can both be very expensive to make, so when a screenplay has already proven successful it’s a much surer bet to adapt. In a time when sequels and remakes are at an all-time high, there’s been an influx of cross-over projects between the two worlds.
The past 20 years have seen a bigresurgence in the movie musical industry:Moulin Rouge!,Les Misérables,andLa La Landwere all Golden Globe Award winners, to name a few.Mamma Mia!, A Star is Born, and Phantom of the Operaall attracted big-name stars to their productions and were, for the most part, fan favorites as well. Hit movies have likewise turned into musicals, likeMean Girls,School of Rock,Legally Blonde, andHairspray.
The success of these projects shows there is certainly a mainstream audience out there who are interested in movie musicals. This success should continue for the foreseeable future. A generation of cinema fans have grown up watching these movie musicals, and it will certainly influence the next generation of filmmakers. How did all this happen? Let’s explore a few of the reasons why people enjoy musical films.
Musical Numbers Add Spectacle to the Big Screen
While some might say the magic of live theater can’t be captured in movies, you could also argue that live theater cannot duplicate the spectacle of musical numbers on the big screen. Both offer unique and special experiences. With that being said, movies can create more immersive sets, do endless amounts of takes, film from multiple angles (including close-ups), and even use CGI graphics if they want to.
They can create larger-than-life worlds that add depth to stories in ways that can’t be captured in the same way on a live stage. This can sometimes take away from the raw energy and spontaneity of a live performance. However, it also allows for a performance to be captured on camera that may live on in the hearts and minds of its viewers for many years.
This is specifically the case in the likes ofGrease, where John Travolta’s Danny Zuko and Olivia Newton-John’s Sandy Olsson are dressed head-to-toe in their matching black outfits as they sing along toYou’re the One I Wantwhile at their High School carnival, which has gone down as one of the defining cinematic scenes of all time.
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Music Provides Another Avenue of Expression
Songs in movies often connect with an audience because they have relatable messages, memorable vocal hooks, and catchy musical accompaniment. Many times, the songs and the lyrics that are part of these theatrical stories become hits in their own right. This is particularly commonplaceinMamma Mia!which relies on a string of massive hits from Swedish group, ABBA.
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Songs are a popular device to tell a story in a film. In musicals, the role of music goes beyond mere emotional cues, it can help drive a plot forward, develop character personalities, or express the innermost wishes of either the protagonist or antagonist without them having to explain themselves in a dialogue. This provides another means of expression for the characters, creating a hybrid between showing and telling the audience how they feel.
RentMamma Mia!on Prime Video or Apple TV+
Why Songs From Musicals Live on Beyond the Movie
Music can be at the forefront of a movie scene or provide a subtle background effect. It can build or dissipate, create a vibe, or set an expectation, sometimes all without the use of words. Movie musicals can do all this and much more through the use of songs. The same song may even affect us differently depending on when and where we hear it.
The same thing goes for movies. Whether it be the joy-inducing dusk scene in Damien Chazelle’sLa La Land,the tear-jerking emotion inA Star is Born’s “I’ll Never Love Again,“or the famous balcony scene fromWest Side Storywhere Maria and Tony declare their undying love for one another.
A good song can effectively offer emotional context, while also offering a reflection of the cinematic world the characters are part of. This allows the audience to visit these worlds even long after the movie is over. Listening to a musical’s soundtrack maintains a connection with its story without laying eyes on a screen. For this reason, as long as good stories are told, the partnership between Broadway and Hollywood will likely be a successful one for many years to come.
StreamLa La Landon Netflix, rentA Star is Bornon Prime Video, and stream the originalWest Side Storyon Paramount+
Musicals Make Songs That Live Through the Ages
Whether it’sGrease’s “You’re The One I Want,“High School Musical’s “We’re All in This Together,” orHairspray’s “You Can’t Stop the Beat,” musicals have given us countless classic hits that have lived long in our collective memories. These are songs that have transcended the big screen, featuringat school proms, weddings, and even occupying a spot on the official charts in some cases.
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While it certainly isn’t for everyone, many a cinema has hosted special sing-along events, where audiences are not only invited to rewatch musical classics but to sing along to their hit songs, too. Although, unsurprisingly, many will be deterred by attending with the preservation of these classic anthems in mind, saving themselves from having to endure a bunch of potentially tone-deaf attendees butchering these musicals’ often cherished playlists.
StreamHigh School Musicalon Disney+ and rentHairsprayon Prime Video
The Power of Dance
As with most music, dance is often the artistic accompaniment of choice. This expression of unrestrained freedom is often employed in musicals alongside songs.Dance sequences in moviesoffer a further dimension to this celebratory fusion of music and film, adding the art of movement to the collaboration.
As music offers insight into a character’s feelings, the power of dance also further widens the audience’s comprehension of tonality, meaning, and the film’s proclamations. Not only does dance add to the overall spectacle of a musical, but it brings a flamboyance and flair that can be translated in a plethora of ways and moods, from melancholic sadness, anger, and fear, to joy and happiness as seen inWest Side Story’s gang fight scene.
