Hollywood and Broadway have been intermingling quite a bit in recent years, and since we see a lot of shows on Broadway, I’ve had a chance to compare many of them.
The results, I think, have been mixed.
For example, I was not surprised to discover that “The Outsiders” was better as a film than a Broadway musical.
The musical was very good, but the movie is so much better.
Same for “Beetlejuice.” A great Broadway show, but even better as a movie.
Not surprisingly, “Back to the Future” was also a far better movie than a Broadway show.
The musical wasn’t great.
Same for “Mrs. Doubtfire.” Excellent film. Bad Broadway show.
However, all of these shows began as movies, later adapted for the stage, so a nearly limitless art form — film — became hampered by the scope, size, and temporal limitations of the stage, making it difficult to improve upon the original.
But there are a few Broadway shows that might be better than the movie.
“Life of Pi,” a book I loved, made for a good movie, but it was even better as a Broadway show.
I’m not a fan of the “Lion King” story, so I wasn’t fond of the original film, and I wasn’t particularly enamored of the Broadway show, but it was admittedly better than the film.
Last month, Elysha and I saw “Glengarry Glen Ross” on Broadway and liked it a lot, but upon leaving the theater, my first thought was this:
“The movie is so much better.”
Not because the performances are better, but because the film expands the story brilliantly, introduces new characters, and adds significant depth to the existing ones.
Both were written by David Mamet, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. He made his great story even greater by adapting it to a more expensive, flexible medium.
The one I am debating now is “Wicked,” which I have seen more than once on Broadway and love. But the first installment of the film was incredibly impressive, so once I see the second movie, which concludes the story, I’ll be forced to decide:
Which is better?
The brilliant, unforgettable live performance of a fantastic story, or the fully realized, world-expanding version on the silver screen?
I look forward to the internal debate.
