Sing "Far From Heaven", Sing!
Friday, January 20, 2012 at 4:31PM Far From Heaven, one of our favorite movies here at TFE, is stage bound. Musical stage bound to be more precise. Not every property was meant to be reinterpreted for the musical form but you've generally got a head start on greatness if the story or appeal is already heightened as it were...
Some emotions are too deep to speak. You have to sing them. Imagine Cathy Whitaker's voice soaring over some poignant melody while her heart is quietly breaking? Imagine the opportunities for a great 11th hour duet that maybe becomes a solo at the train station.
Gives you chills it does.
Viola Davis in "Far From Heaven"But this could all go horribly wrong. Perhaps big brassy pastiche numbers like "Mr & Mrs Magnatech" await us? And Mr Whitaker's gay escapades in musical context could veer way too far into unintentional camp rather than 50s homage. The musical will premiere in July 2012 at the Williamstown Theater Festival but no cast has yet been announced.
Do you think they'll give the best sidebar song to Sybil the maid (the Viola Davis role) or Cathy's evil bestie Elle (the Patty Clarkson role)?
Invent song titles in the comments. May the best amateur composer win!
The musical is being written by the team behind the musicalized Grey Gardens. If you've never heard any songs from that show I've included the best one after the jump "Around the World".
It's more effective within the show, and that's what's important to the success of a musical. Christine Ebersole was just great in that show. Did any of you see it?
Broadway and Stage, Far From Heaven, Grey Gardens, LGBT
Reader Comments (14)
I love when they turn movies into musicals. Very excited about 'Ghost' coming to Broadway. This looks promising. It's fun to get new looks into characters we already love from the big screen. The creativity involved in doing that is really amazing.
Ooh- this is a fun exercise. How about...
"When the Leaves Fall"- Opening song with reprise near the end of the musical
"Tried to be Better"- Frank's revelation
"My husband makes love with men" - My tribute to Cotillard in Nine
Oh, Grey Gardens! What a great musical - and what a hell of a performance by Christine Ebersole! I was PISSED when it didn't win Best Musical at the Tonys that year. If there's any team I would trust to turn out a really good musical version of Far From Heaven, it's the people behind that show. It's also an excellent property for musicalization for exactly the reason you point out.
This now has me unnecessarily excited!
How perfect would Christine Ebersole be for the role of Cathy Whitaker?
I think this movie will make a fantastic musical.
And I'm with you, Lola! I've been excited about Ghost for a while...not that I'll be able to see it, but still...
Autumn in Connecticut has gotta be one.
I wouldn't mind "Mr & Mrs Magnatech as long as it's just a small number filled with irony and the different layers of deceit necessary to pull it off. Since musicals are so expensive, I assume, and hope, that this is a small show with six or seven characters. Well, not unlike Grey Gardens actually.
I did see Grey Gardens on Broadway from about the third row. It was a good show, BUT it had a GREAT performance from Christine Ebersole. She took command and never let go. Thrilling actually.
I hate to say it but I think that Christine is a bit too old to play Cathy, but I could see her playing Patricia Clarkson's role. I'd cast someone like Kelli O'Hara or Sutton Foster in the leading role.
"God Damn It, Cathleen"
"Pink No More" -- a poolside anthem for the Quaid character, belted with one eye on Cathy, the other on the sinewy blonde boy who's just slipped into the water. Could we hope for Victoria Clark as the lead?
"I was robbed by a prosthetic nose" - Big finale. Lots of tears. Tony nomination.
You can choose one song as the best in Grey Gardens? I can't. Especially if you count the cut material from the Off-Broadway cast recording. "Body Beautiful Beale" deserved to be sung on Broadway.
LOL to Peggy Sue's.
How about about Be Our Guest-like number called "Taking Dinner to My Husband" which would then turn into "I Can't Believe What I've Just Seen!"
I remember Julianne Moore saying that Haynes wrote the movie FOR her - not having seen the film, do you think anyone else can fit into that role, Nat?