We can no longer count the examples of films adapted into musicals with more or less success… Or even by making an oven. Adaptations that you may not have known existed. Proof in three!
There are countless examples of films adapted into musicals: Little Shop of Horrors, Singing in the Rain, Hairspray, Sister Act, Billy Elliot, The Full Monty, Le Bal des Vampires, even La Haine by Mathieu Kassovitz. Not forgetting animated films.
Just look at the catalog of Disney films. The Lion King, staged on Broadway in 1997, is one of the champions in all categories. Winner of 5 Tony Awards, the show was performed no less than 10,500 times on Broadway, not counting its variations in 63 cities in 15 different countries, for an impressive total of 127 million spectators. In 2025, The Lion King grossed over $1.8 billion from Broadway ticket sales alone; without even including international productions or derivative products.
But there are also other famous films which have also been adapted on stage, with more or less success… Or even by making a fuss. Adaptations that you may not have known existed. The proof in threes.
Carrie
We wonder what fly could have bitten the tandem Dean Pitchford (lyrics) and Michael Gore on the music to give birth to a musical comedy adapted from the cult work of Stephen King and brilliantly brought to the screen by Brian de Palma, which tells the tragic and (very) bloody story of a teenager endowed with telekinetic powers prey to the delusions and oppression of a religious fanatic mother, when it is not her little classmates.
It took seven years of work to put together this adaptation, which will be performed for the first time in Stratford Upon Avon then on Broadway in 1988. But the musical will not last long: after its Broadway premiere on May 12, 1988, the doors will close after… only 5 performances.
Which made the New York Times that “Carrie: the Musical is probably the most expensive flop in Broadway history, costing over $7 million. And an audience oscillating between hilarity and consternation.
In any case, the musical continues to be performed from time to time, as in 2015 in Los Angeles, as shown in this little focus from the ABC TV channel…
Rocky
If there’s one film that we wouldn’t have really imagined seeing transposed into a musical, it’s Rocky. And yet… It is to the Ukrainian boxing brothers Vitali and Vladimir Klitschko that we owe this initiative, which still took eight years to come to fruition, in 2011. With the blessing of Sylvester Stallone, as producer of the show, which cost the tidy sum of 20 million dollars.
A very large budget, mainly injected into the construction of a moving set, which allowed spectators in the first two rows to be on stage for the 20 minutes of the final fight in the ring. An impressive decor rewarded with a Tony Awardafter the show moved to Broadway.
Composed of a booklet written in English of 20 songs, Rocky – the musical – was relatively well received by critics and the public… But not enough to last long. In August 2014, the adventure ended after 188 performances.
Below is an excerpt from the show when it was presented in Hamburg. With Sly as a guest in the room!
The Silence of the Lambs
Here too, we would not have really imagined Jonathan Demme’s terrifying thriller becoming a musical, in the most literal sense of the term. It is to the brothers Jon and Al Kaplan that we owe this adaptation, conceived as a delirious parody of the 1991 film. It all started with a schoolboy joke, in 2003: the idea of making a parody on the internet, with nine songs, and by hiring volunteer friends. Benefiting from a big viral buzz, the decision was then made to make it a real show put on stage.
Presented Off Broadway in 2005, Silence ! The Musical was also exported to London in 2009, and three years later performed in Los Angeles. Respecting the plot of the film, the show offers as a bonus a musical libretto of 17 sometimes trashy-sounding songs (like “If I Could Smell Her Cunt”…), and sometimes crazy staging ideas (a choir of actors disguised as lambs for example). Jodie Foster apparently really enjoyed the show, finding it very funny. There were only 37 performances in Off Broadway in 2005.
Below is an excerpt from the show…
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