In the West End today there are a host of musicals to choose from. You can buy Jersey Boys tickets, tickets to The Lion King, or your seat at any other of the musical productions.
Musicals continue to offer Londoners, and visitors to the city, a different form of entertainment. In the West End alone, it is possible to choose from the cinema, the ballet, classical music concerts, pop music gigs, stand up comedy and plenty more. Without speaking ill of any of the other forms of entertainment on offer, because they all have their place in London life and should all be experienced at some point, musicals offer something quite unique; with its combination of great songs and storytelling.
Within the genre of musicals there is still a great deal of choice, and the productions available are all conceived out of different starting points.
Some musicals are created from scratch. That is to say the story, and the songs that go with it, are new and have been written specifically for the production. Famous musicals such as Grease, Les Misérables, The Phantom of The Opera and Chicago were all created in this way. Some, like Chicago and Grease, go on to be adapted into full-length feature films and continue their success in the cinema.
There are then other musicals that go in the opposite direction; from films to musicals. Dirty Dancing and The Lion King, both productions in the West End at the moment, were originally films and follow the same story on stage. Sometimes there are slight modifications made, such as adding more songs, but essentially they remain the same.
There are then, and this has become an increasing trend, musicals based on already existing popular musical artists. Productions such as Thriller Live, Mamma Mia! and We Will Rock You are all inspired by the music of a particular artist. The musicals themselves are new stories based around this music, rather than documenting the life and work of those artists. That is not to say that this documentation doesn’t happen or doesn’t work, far from it.
Jersey Boys is a musical based on the music of the 1960s rock ‘n’ roll band The Four Seasons. Rather than create a totally new story, Jersey Boys follows the creation, career and subsequent end of the career of the band. The musical is split into the four seasons of the year, and each season is then narrated by a different member of the band with the account from their perspective.
The show has proved to be a big success, with productions all over the world. The West End production is at the Prince Edward Theatre and in March will celebrate its three-year anniversary at that location.
Although this style of production works for Jersey Boys, it is becoming increasingly popular to write totally new stories for the musicals rather than a documentary. A good example of this would be We Will Rock You, written by Ben Elton and inspired by the music of Queen.
The surviving band members all have had influence and a certain element of control over the production which will please Queen fans; and it is these fans that will form the core of the production's audience. Through them, friends and family will go along or hear about the production, and the music will reach new or younger fans that may never have heard of Queen.
The story of We Will Rock You is about the Planet Mall, where instruments and rock music are banned. Instead of rock music, the inhabitants must put up with and download the music generated by computer companies. Beneath the cities, however, live the Bohemians; a group of rebels in search for an end to this control. With rumours of an axe that represents the guitar of a rock hero, it falls upon a young Bohemian, Galileo, to search for the guitar.
This story is typical of these types of productions. It is something young and old alike can enjoy. Fans of the music will enjoy the songs, as well as the constant references to lyrics and the band, and newcomers should become wrapped up in the story as a new entity.
Just as it is entertaining to watch these new stories and fresh productions, there is something to be said for classic musicals that have stood the test of time. Productions such as Grease, Chicago and Blood Brothers have remained on stage in London, and further afield, for a reason. Grease and Chicago were conceived in the 70s and are still incredibly popular. The fact that they were made into feature films has helped with their longevity on the stage, but also highlights the fact that they were good enough stories in the first place to warrant film production.
The opposite of this is then to turn a film into a musical. The fact that they have an established fan base to start off with can be a double-edged sword. There may be those that feel the films are best left as they are, untouched, and then there are others that look forward to the reincarnation of something they love. On the whole, these prove to be popular productions.
Maybe the best example of this adaptation is The Lion King. Originally an incredibly popular Disney animation, the musical has managed to become one of the most popular productions in the West End during its 12-year stint (and still going strong). There are slight changes from the film, with a couple of songs being added; both of which were written for the film but then edited out. The character of Rafiki has also changed to a female, but fans of the film can still enjoy the musical, and the combination of coloured costumes, impressive sets and mechanic puppets and animatronics make it a thoroughly entertaining spectacle.
The musical industry is alive and well in London, and there is ample opportunity to find a production that suits you. From new creations to adaptations, it is the stories and songs that remain the attraction.