ABSTRACT
Film musical adaptations provide audiences with the opportunity to enjoy performances of Broadway shows featuring famous stars. Fans of a particular stage musical, whether they’ve seen it or developed an attachment to the original cast recording, tend to expect a film adaptation to keep material from the stage production mostly intact. Significant practical and artistic concerns arise when adapting a stage musical for film. Narrative sound films typically obey certain conventions, wherein images and sounds are constructed to appear natural to audiences. A primary concern with adapting a musical thus involves how filmmakers approach the demands of filmic realism. Casting choices can be of utmost concern to fans. Cast lists for film adaptations can cause intense reactions similar to those elicited upon release of a cast list at a school show: surprise, delight, rage, questions about the suitability for a role, doubts about whether the casting was “fair”.
