Gregory Camp, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
Adapting a stage musical to the big screen is never simple, and can often go disastrously wrong. Here’s our expert’s opinions on what works and what doesn’t.
Gangs have changed in the decades since ‘West Side Story’ first came out – they are deadlier, and their demographics are different – as are the means law enforcement use to control them.
Nick Simpson-Deeks, Vidya Makan and company in the Watch This production of Sunday in the Park With George, 2019.
Watch This/Jodie Hutchinson
A formula found often in nature, many artists believe that following the golden ratio leads to the most aesthetically pleasing work. It can also accidentally turn up in musicals.
Meryl Streep and James Corden in The Prom.
MELINDA SUE GORDON/NETFLIX
It was a box office flop, panned by critics. But in using the songs of the Beatles to craft a story of Vietnam-era America, Julie Taymor reinvigorated the film musical.
Lin-Manuel Miranda, center, and the cast of “Hamilton” perform at the Tony Awards in New York on June 12, 2016.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Invision - Evan Agostini
Alexander Hamilton’s commitment to a well-funded national army and his support for territorial expansion had grave repercussions for the Indigenous Nations west of the Appalachians.
The musical re-telling of the life of founding father Alexander Hamilton has been widely praised for its pro-immigrant and anti-colonial sentiments.
Disney+
Nothing passes the time like a singalong to some classics from the Golden Age of Hollywood.
Joseph Morales and company in ‘Hamilton,’ the musical that opens to sold out shows in Toronto this month. The show highlights early ambition in America.
(Hamilton national tour/Joan Marcus)
There are many reasons the movie version of Cats has flopped, not least the unfortunate way in which various characters have been assigned racial characteristics.
South African-born composer Stanley Glasser’s musical legacy is in many ways unknown in his motherland which he left under political duress in 1963, and awaits critical engagement.
After opening in 1943, “Oklahoma!” was an instant hit and had a run of over 2,000 performances.
Charles Lucas/AP Photo
The Broadway hit offered an escape from the anxieties of World War II. But the America it portrayed – unified, patriotic and white – rings hollow today.
Muriel Heslop stole Australia’s heart when she debuted on screen in 1994. Now she gets a loving, ABBA-filled musical tribute, that is definitely not terrible.
Ben Hall and Tim Draxl in Only Heaven Knows
Robert Catto
Queer life thrived in 1940s Sydney despite policing and prohibition, as a new production of the musical Only Heaven Knows demonstrates. But it was not to last.