Arts & Entertainment
Scenes from a Marriage
been scattered examples of film-based
musicals throughout Broadway history,
there’s never been anything to rival the
current phenomenon. Set in motion by
Mel Brooks’ endlessly successful musical
There’s no question about it—the world version of The Producers, the movie-to-is divided. Some of us believe that after musical trend has some critics decry-two people declare their undying love ing a dearth of new ideas, but simple
for each other they should get a room, economics is the real driving force. A
BY HEATHER JOHNSON Tand some of us believe they should burst successful or well-known film has the
into song. Musicals and their conven- proven appeal that makes it easier to sell
tions aren’t for everyone on the planet, to investors and audiences alike.
but if you listen closely at this particular “It’s an expensive thing to go see a
time, you’ll hear an increasing number Broadway show, so an audience is look-of the earth’s residents singing show ing for as many assurances as they can
tunes. Broadway musicals are boom- get that they’re going to get their moning, movie musicals again have become ey’s worth,” says Michael Rosenberg,
lucrative and prestigious propositions executive producer of East of Doheny
and, with the profusion of films being Productions. His company is currently
transformed into Broadway musicals, working on musicals based on the classic
the entertainment industry is experienc- films Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm and
ing an unprecedented level of cross- Please Don’t Eat the Daisies, and is respon-pollination between the two mediums. sible for bringing a number of film-based
At press time, nine of the week’s musicals to Broadway, including The
10 top-grossing Broadway shows were
musicals, and five of those musicals
were based on movies. While there have
Broadway’s
biggest musicals
are among
Hollywood’s
greatest hits
