Column Chronicles: Broadway adds music

Broadway adds music

Frank Cotolo
October 7, 2021

Deep inside the workings of Broadway productions are the competitive productions that fight for money and audiences in a world plush with entertainment. Our theater insiders have scoops on some probably projects of future plays turned into musical adaptations of material people know in another form.

Millions of dollars are being invested into a musical version of 2018's smash superhero movie, AQUAMAN. Special effects include a million gallon tank filled with crystal clear water where special breathing gear hidden on actors allows the cast not only to breathe but to talk and sing. Being considered for possible musical score are Timberland and Missy Eliot, Billie Joe Armstrong and Sam Smith. Harrison Ford's name was also mentioned in some capacity.

THE HATEFUL EIGHT, according to newcomer playwright Whip Keyboard, is already based on three old TV Westerns, "making it crave songs to bring it alive where it failed as a movie." Some investors are hesitant to put money into a title with the word hateful in it but Whip thinks they'll change their minds when they hear the title song, which he has written to help raise money for a production that could cost close to a half billion dollars. "Harrison Ford would sing it so well," Whip says.

CRAZY HEART brought Jeff Bridges a Best Actor Oscar and already has songs but is not a musical by definition. Some actors, including Johnny Depp, Pete Davidson and Jude Law are said to be considering parts but the real draw for production cash is Sean Penn, who wants to play the lead role as a hearing-impaired Country singer. One prospective director mentioned the lead role being great for Harrison Ford.

A few moguls in the banking industry tell us they are ready to hand over bags of cash to any creative team that can develop a musical based on the Oscar - winning Best Film of 2007 - NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN. Many playwrights sare writing scripts on speculation, including lyrics for music that could be written by Billie Eilish, Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, Pop Smoke, Eric Idle or even Harrison Ford, which would be his first songwriting endeavor.

A major play backer, unnamed, has commissioned a major songwriter, unnamed, to score a musical version of COWBOYS AND ALIENS. A source says, "It would be a multi-dimensional experience that would, at times, require 3D glasses, which is new to Broadway musicals - though I think it was tried in the fifties in the road version of MY FAIR LADY." The source also says that one of the movie's cast members, Harrison Ford, could be interested.

A veteran Broadway producer says that the Clint Eastwood's movie, THE MULE, did so badly is because it was not a musical. The unnamed by request producer says Clint was too old for the part but Harrison Ford is at the perfect age "to drain audiences' tear ducts singing in this meaningful tale."

Frank Cotolo can be found hosting the talk and interview programme Cotolo Chronicles. You can send him an e-mail at this address: frank@148.ca.