There are some iconic musical movies out there we’ve all probably seen and maybe know all the words to, but many of them actually started out on the stage.
While movies can be packed with special effects and impressive cinematography filmed anywhere in the world, nothing can beat the special feeling of seeing a musical on stage.
The feeling that you are watching something completely unique, no matter how much the actors have rehearsed to perfection every night the show will vary somehow, even by the slightest note change, step, or wrinkle in a costume.
You are lucky to be there, to have the cast perform for you, live. You are part of it, the sound waves from the pit are bouncing off of you, and the performers are feeding off the audience.
However, sometimes a show is so magical that it is only fair to allow everyone a chance to see it. That is why musical films are so popular. Many of the ones we know and love began on the stage, and you may be quite surprised to see which.
Movie musicals that started on stage:
Annie
If you ask someone to think about Annie, they are most likely going to cast their mind back to the 1982 film, starring Tim Curry, Carol Burnett, Bernadette Peters, and Aileen Quinn as the little orphan Annie. The movie was so successful in fact, that there was another Annie movie in 1999, and once again in 2014.
However, Annie actually began as a stage musical. Based upon the Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie, the musical includes music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and a book by Thomas Meehan. The original Broadway production opened in 1977 and ran for nearly six years.
There were many productions of Annie in a variety of different countries, and it won seven Tony Awards, including the one for Best Musical.
In 1997, there was a Broadway revival of the show, and the next year, in 1998, there was also a West End revival. Annie was last revived in 2013, on Broadway.
In 1977, Columbia Pictures acquired the film rights for $9.5 million. The film was released in 1982 and was directed by John Huston.
Grease
The original production of Grease was produced by the Kingston Mines Theatre Company on Chicago’s Lincoln Avenue. It ran for eight months and was seen by Ken Waissman and Maxine Fox, who made a deal to produce it Off-Broadway.
It opened in February 1972 and was moved to the Broadhurst Theatre on Broadway that June. In November, it was moved again, this time to the Royale Theatre, where it ran until January 1980. The show has had several revivals: one on the West End and two on Broadway.
Grease was adapted into a film in 1978 by the Robert Stigwood Organisation. Directed by Randal Kleiser, the film starred John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John as Danny and Sandy, respectively.
Mamma Mia
Although the 2008 smash hit movie is what most people think of when they think about Mamma Mia, the story actually began on stage.
Mamma Mia is a jukebox musical written by British playwright Catherine Johnson based on the songs composed by Abba members Benny and Bjorn. It premiered in the West End in 1999 before making it big in North America in November 2000 and has since been performed in more than 50 countries worldwide.
But how did the idea for the musical come about? Well, in 1982 British playwright Judy Craymer reached out to Benny and Bjorn about a story involving several songs by Abba and it was the song ‘The Winner Takes It All’ that persuaded Craymer the songs could be successful in the theatre.
In July 2008, the Mamma Mia movie came out and in the UK it grossed £69.2 million at the box office, making it the thirteenth highest-grossing film of all time at the UK box office. The film was so successful, in fact, that at the Swedish premiere Anni-Frid and Agnetha joined the two male members of Abba, marking the first time all four members of the band had been photographed together since 1986.
In The Heights
In The Heights, the movie came out in 2021 and was directed by Jon M. Chu. The movie was a smash hit of the summer, and there’s a good chance you would recognise a whole host of quotes and song clips from TikTok.
However, In The Heights started out as a stage musical, with the concept, music, and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, and a book by Quiara Alegría Hudes. The show opened on Broadway in 2008 following a 2005 try-out in Waterford, Connecticut and a 2007 Off-Broadway run.
The stage production was nominated for 13 Tony Awards and won four, including Best Musical.
Much of the Broadway cast was featured in the movie including Olga Merediz, who played the role of Abuela in both the stage and screen productions of In The Heights.
Christopher Jackson and Miranda were both too old to reprise their original roles of Benny and Usnavi, respectively, but still appeared in the film. Jackson featured as Mr Softee, an ice cream man, while Miranda played Piragüero.