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Musicals

Jeff Richmond Says the 'Mean Girls' Musical Is "Actually Becoming a Thing"

by | March 7th, 2013

Tina Fey told reporters in January that she was hoping to develop a Mean Girls musical, and now her husband/composer Jeff Richmond revealed to Vulture that "It's actually becoming a thing!" Richmond added, "We're taking meetings with people; I've profiled Broadway folks, who are talking to us about it. It's a long process — a year, two years, however long it might take. We watch Smash, so we know how it works!" While none of the play has been written yet, he says they're working on figuring the structure of the story. "I think there will be a fair amount of songs to move the action forward," [...]

Musicals

Book of Mormon Finally Crushing the Broadway Box Office Like the Champion It Is

by | February 7th, 2012

It's been 11 months, but The Book of Mormon is finally the top-grossing Broadway show of the week. Eat it, Lion King, Wicked, and Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark!

Musicals

A Christmas Story, From Movie to Touring Musical to Broadway?

by | December 6th, 2011

Did you know that A Christmas Story is now a $5 million musical on tour in five cities and hoping to end up on Broadway? This article is an interesting look at how holiday comedy franchises like Elf and How the Grinch Stole Christmas march towards the Great White Way. Also, the show was composed by a pair of 26-year-olds, who are now working on a musical version of Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach and yes, this must happen immediately, along with musicals based on every other Roald Dahl book also, and I will not end this sentence until I can go see The BFG on [...]

Musicals

Parker, Stone, And Lopez On The Writing Process For Book Of Mormon, Sacrificing Mighty Ducks Jokes

by | March 29th, 2011

Over at Vulture Trey Parker, Matt Stone and Avenue Q's Robert Lopez discuss writing the songs in the Book of Mormon, and the necessity of sacrificing a specific joke to enhance the show as a whole. Much like how we had to sacrifice Emilio Estevez's career to benefit American filmmaking as a whole. Realizing they had to re-write the song "The Bible Is A Trilogy Too" to focus more on the historical background of Joseph Smith, the writing team was distraught to lose a running gag about The Matrix: Revolutions. As a result of the change, audience will also never get to see a dying Joseph Smith shouting, [...]

Musicals

Catch Your First Glimpse of R. Kelly's 20 New 'Trapped in the Closet' Chapters

by | October 17th, 2012

IFC is resurrecting R. Kelly's comedic hip hopera Trapped in the Closet, with at least 20 new installments on the way. The oft-parodied series is returning from a five-year hiatus on November 23rd, with "Chapter 23" debuting on IFC that evening at 9/8c, following a digitally remastered version of the original Trapped in the Closet videos. I must have missed a massive online campaign to bring Trapped in the Closet back a la Arrested Development. That's how this happened, right?

Musicals

The Austin Powers Musical Is Red-Hot in Development, Unbelievably

by | December 13th, 2011

Tony-winning co-director of The Book of Mormon Casey Nicholaw might sign on to direct the Austin Powers musical currently in development. Burt Bacharach and Elvis Costello are doing the music, and Mike Meyers will write the story, which is a prequel to the movies about "how Powers first acquired his mighty mojo." This thing has some serious talent attached to it! Look out, Book of Mormon. You're not the only one who can win Tonys.

Musicals

Book Of Mormon's Josh Gad on Almost Refusing The Role, Wildly Thrusting His Pelvis

by | May 25th, 2011

Despite his nearly painful enthusiasm on-stage, Tony-nominated Book of Mormon's Josh Gad wasn't immediately thrilled at the thought of so much blasphemy, for fear of, you know, being murdered. "When I first got the phone call three years ago, the very first thing that I was sent was that very controversial number [“Fuck You, God”] about where God can shove it," he explained in his Vulture interview. "And it was completely out of context and I called up my agent and I said, 'I don’t know if I can do this.' Not because I don’t think Trey and Matt and Bobby [Lopez, who co-created the musical] are [...]

Musicals

Prepare Yourself To Receive The Holy Book Of Mormon, Says Nearly Every Reviewer In New York

by | March 25th, 2011

It's not much of an exaggeration to say that I believe more in a musical by the South Park guys than I do in any actual religion. Oh no, actually it's not any kind of exaggeration at all. For the most part, reviews for Book of Mormon haven't just been great, they've been downright fanatical. "Parker and Stone have created one of the freshest original musicals in recent memory," David Roone of The Hollywood Reporter raved. "It has tuneful songs, clever lyrics, winning characters, explosive laughs and disarmingly intimate moments." Ben Brantley of the New York Times was practically speaking in tongues over the "improbably paradise" [...]

Musicals

Dane Cook to Sing and Dance and Goose-step

by | June 26th, 2012

Dane Cook will be play Franz Liebkind in the Hollywood Bowl staging of the Mel Brooks' musical The Producers on July 27-29. He'll be jazz handing it up with the likes of Richard Kind, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and Rebecca Romijn. Dane, who apparently likes to make it easy for people to rip on him, will be playing an ex-Nazi. Below is a video of Will Ferrell in the part, so just imagine it with more slithering around like a snake.

Musicals

A Projected Song List for Austin Powers: The Musical

by | December 12th, 2011

Just in case the Austin Powers series does become a musical, here's a rough draft of the song list:

I'm Almost Saying a Word for Testicles! … Full Company

Do I Make You Horny, Baby? … Austin Powers

Welcome to the 90s (Mama Cass: Ham Sandwich) … The Fembots

One Million Dollars … Dr. Evil

Singing the Word "Shag" a Lot … Austin

INTERMISSION

The "Sh" Song … Dr. Evil and Scott Evil

The Romancing of Frau Farbissina … The Fembots

But Who Is Mini-Me? … Mini-Me

Singing the Word "Shag" a Lot (Reprise) … Austin and Alotta Fagina

Singing the Word "Shagadelic" a Lot [...]

Musicals

Cannibal!: Matt Stone and Trey Parker's Original Twisted Musical

by | March 29th, 2011

Matt Stone and Trey Parker have always been obsessed with the macabre. One of the more famous episodes of their most famous creation, South Park, ended with Cartman licking the tears off the face of an older boy, Scott Tenorman, who had just been fed the remains of his parents as chili, all because Scott had the gall to make fun of Cartman.

But 18 years before “Scott Tenorman Must Die,” and four years before Cartman got an anal probe in the very first episode of South Park, Matt and Trey collaborated on their first, and most hilariously ghoulish, film: Cannibal! The Musical.

Originally titled Alfred Packer: [...]

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