Stage Shows Based On Films

West Side Story

This is a modern day retelling of Shakespeare’s Romeo And Juliet. Two street gangs, the Jets and the Sharks are at each other’s throats. When a boy and girl from each gang falls in love it ends in tragedy.

Billy Elliot

A young boy in North East England dreams of becoming a ballet dancer. However, his father and those around him reject his career choice as being too feminine. This musical takes place during the violent Miner’s Strikes of the 1980s.

Hairspray

John Waters is revered for his groundbreaking and often disturbing cult films. It came as a shock to his fans when he created a feel good movie set in the 1950s. When it became a musical, Hairspray was a smash hit.

Legally Blonde

The original 2001 film starred Reese Witherspoon as a ditsy young woman who struggles to fit in at a law school. For the West End adaption Sheridan Smith made the role her own and ended up being lauded for her performance.

Sunset Boulevard

In 1950, Sunset Boulevard put a mirror up to the dark side of Hollywood. Decades later in 1991, Andrew Lloyd Webber wrote the music for a stage version. Over the years there have been a number of revivals which have tended to be well received.

The Producers

Unlike some of the shows on this list, the film version of The Producers already had musical numbers. Mel Brooks’ hilarious movie follows a pair of Broadway producers who hope to stage a flop as part of a money making scheme. Brooks himself adapted his own screenplay.

42nd Street

Tap dancing takes emphasis over singing in this stage version of the Busby Berkeley classic. It is one of the more physically demanding shows for its dancers. The musical numbers feature impressive choreography and costumes.