Like most of the Broadway community, I was pretty hyped up about NBC’s Jesus Christ Superstar this week. And it was good! I’m hoping they film all musicals as concerts from here on out. I really enjoyed it (and I’ve never seen JCS before – what?). There are so many musicals I’d like to see them put on as live TV specials, that I think they could do something really special with. Here are just a few:
– Rent – Rock musicals work good as concerts, right? Lucky for us, Fox is planning on making Rent a live special. I hope it’s wild and electric, as I know that musical (which I love) is capable of. Here’s hoping we get a really special cast.
– Cinderella – This has been done as a live TV musical before (twice) as well as a TV movie. But there’s a reason it’s done so much. It’s a happy, well-known story with sweet music. Let’s get a remake based on the new Broadway revival (and bring back Laura Osnes and bring in Zachary Levi), and I think it would make an enjoyable night of TV watching.
– Beauty and the Beast – While we’re on the topic of princesses, I think ABC needs to get in on the live musical game and what better way to start than with one of their most beloved musicals? Okay, so it might take a little work to figure out how to make the singing and dancing objects work, but they have a lot to work with. I’d like to see some new actors tackle these roles.
– Guys and Dolls – This is one of the best musicals of all time. It’s cute, it’s fun. It’s got gangsters and dancing. Thanks to Frank Sinatra, a lot of people are familiar with the music. Let’s get a charismatic cast, like Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Channing Tatum, and I think a concert of this could really work.
– Aida – Again, Jesus Christ Superstar proved that concerts of rock musicals could work. I’ve always had a soft spot for Aida, for its story and score. Elton John music translates well. With a cast of serious singers, I think this has potential to be one of the most electric TV musicals that has been done.
