Jukebox musicals — plays built around popular songs — are all the rage, and we have “Mamma Mia!” to thank for it. (Or to blame, depending on your perspective.) Although there were other jukebox musicals before it, the monstrous success of the ABBA musical not only revived interest in the Swedish pop band, it spawned dozens of other Broadway productions based on classic rock and pop catalogs.
In honor of the Maine premiere of “Mamma Mia!” this weekend at Merrill Auditorium, let’s look at some of the more successful — and non-successful — jukebox musicals of the past decade:
MONEY, MONEY, MONEY
“Movin’ Out” — In 2001, dancer and choreographer Twyla Sharp used Billy Joel’s songbook to create a musical about growing up on Long Island in the 1960s. The play was a huge success, racking up 10 Tony Award nominations (it won two) and running for more than 1,300 shows on Broadway.
“Jersey Boys” — Based on The 4 Seasons’ rise from a street-corner group to a hit-making machine, this production was largely responsible for reviving the doo-wop genre. Co-written by original 4 Seasons member Bob Gaudio, “Jersey Boys” won three Tonys, and is still going strong on Broadway almost seven years after its premiere.
“Rock of Ages” — Set in Los Angeles in 1987, this musical pays homage to ’80s glam metal in all its Aqua Net, spandex-laden glory. Apparently, there are still lots of Twisted Sister and Poison fans out there, because this production has steadily gone from Off-Off-Broadway to Off-Broadway to Broadway, and a feature film is scheduled to be released this year.
“American Idiot” — Green Day’s 2004 rock opera proved to be tailor-made for a stage interpretion, perhaps largely due to the hands-on involvement of the band itself. “American Idiot” received rave reviews upon its 2010 Broadway debut as well as two Tonys; a national tour launched in December.
S.O.S.
“Lennon” — Despite a multimillion-dollar budget and numerous rewrites, this musical based on the life of John Lennon closed after only 41 days in 2005, proving that it takes more than great songs to make a great play.
“Good Vibrations” — Three high school friends travel to California with a girl in tow, singing Beach Boys music along the way. That’s about it. The vibrations were so bad for this show, it closed after 94 performances in 2005.
“Ring of Fire” — Burn, burn, burn the screenplay. This musical based on the works of Johnny Cash went over as well as another ring of fire — a hemorrhoid.
“The Times They Are A-Changin’ “ — Hot off the success of “Movin’ Out,” Twyla Tharp thought it would be a great idea to make a musical based on the music of Bob Dylan, apparently forgetting that most Dylan tunes don’t make people want to dance. The times were indeed a-changin’ for Tharp — the play closed after only 28 performances in 2006.
Deputy Managing Editor Rod Harmon may be contacted at 791-6450 or at:
rharmon@pressherald.com
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