I am a big fan of reading, especially folk tales and stories written with the folk style to it, and recognize the inherent pattern of “idea theft” in story-telling. Folk tales constantly revisit archetypal concepts, such as the character of “The Trickster:” Loki from Norse myth and the Coyote in the American South West. Hell, Star Wars lives and breathes because of its archetypal characters and situations. So it’s understandable when, at some point, a writer feels compelled to comb the past for ideas.
However, with the batch of remakes, sequels and Broadway musicals coming out lately, I have to wonder sometimes if we have used up the reserve of human creativity that creates original plots. There are some adaptations that, granted, have a spark of brilliance to them. Taking Puccini’s “La Boheme” and placing it in New York as a rock opera? Not a half-bad idea. Turning a London urban myth about a barber/serial killer and turning it into a black musical? I can dig it.
But there is a dark-side to this concept. One need not look any farther than “Legally Blond: The Musical” or the Denzel Washington version of “The Manchurian Candidate” to understand the terrors of this road on which we are traveling. What terrors, you ask? An appropriate question. What we are facing is not just a bankrupting of originality, but an over-drawing, if you’ll pardon the banking metaphor. If world story culture continues to decline at the rate that it has been this century, we may face a world where the hottest new productions are ones that have only been retold twice before, rather than three, four or even five.
The main question one must ask is this: Why bring this story to stage? Or better yet, why recreate a classic?
The answer is clear: money. If you remake a classic, or bring an unlikely show to stage, and if you market it well enough, there will be a crescendo of curiosity. “You say they’re putting ‘Encino Man’ on Broadway as a musical? That sounds wonderful!” Not that bad, you say? Well, it can and will get worse. “‘Casablanca’, starring Ben Affleck? You bet we’re going to see that!”
Imagine a world where no Hollywood film goes onto screen going on Broadway at the same time. What does this mean, as an audience- member, an artist, and a producer? It means that Broadway will someday cease to be an independent entity, that the only shows on that famous lane are shows that started as movies. It will mean that the only things that Broadway will produce are press and Hollywood- bound cash. Doesn’t that seem a bit of a one-sided deal?
For that matter, imagine a world where the schedule of movie postings at cinemas seems eerily familiar: Indiana Jones at 12:00, 4:00, 5:30 and 10:00. Metropolis at 12AM only. Star Wars at 2:00, 3:00 and 6:00. The Maltese Falcon at 1:30, 4:45, 7:30 and 8:00. At some point people are going to ask: “Why bother going to the movies at all anymore? I’ve seen them done better two years ago, with the first remake.”
To the film industry, to Broadway, I suggest this: Do not recreate classics. They are classic for a reason. Try to make a horrific older film magnificent. Re-imagine “This Island Earth.” Reinvent “Plan 9 From Outer Space.” Make sense of “Manos: Hands of Fate.” There is untapped brilliance waiting to be mined from the dregs of cultural scatology. All you have to do is dirty your hands just a little bit, for somewhere in that dumpster lies a gold nugget.
Leave a Reply