Which games would work best as Broadway musicals?

The Philosophy, Art, and Social Influence of games
Post Reply
User avatar
REPO Man
Next-Gen
Posts: 4767
Joined: Tue Jul 29, 2008 8:05 pm
Location: Outer Banks, NC

Which games would work best as Broadway musicals?

Post by REPO Man »

To date, three stand out.

The first is Final Fantasy, since like the games it doesn't have to build directly upon the world established in any previous incarnation of the series but rather uses some form of shared lore (spell names, creatures, etc). While bringing such a world to the stage would be an expensive endeavor for something that at its cheapest would be just as expensive as most AAA games and at its most expensive would be 2-3 times as high, I think it'd be a spectacle worth watching, though even if it lasts only a year on the stage before closing, it'd have to make its money back through merchandise, cast recording sales and the home media release of any official pro-shot.

The second is Crash Bandicoot. Given how Julie Taymor has adapted the animal characters of The Lion King and how Tina Landau has adapted the anthropomorphic aquatic characters of SpongeBob Squarepants to the stage, I could see Crash Bandicoot done in a similar fashion. My top choices for the cast would be Billy Porter as Aku Aku, Sophia Caruso as Coco and either Ethan Slater or Andrew Keenan-Bolger as Crash Bandicoot.

The last is Super Mario, which given its appeal would be the most marketable option, though Nintendo's protection over its IPs might make such a project a fantasy at best. I could see Danny Skinner and Ethan Slater as Mario and Luigi, and given their roles as Patrick and SpongeBob in the SpongeBob musical they already had an excellent rapport with one another. To round out the cast I'd suggest Taylor Louderman as Peach, Alex Brightman as Wario, Wesley Taylor as Waluigi and either Will Roland or George Salazar as Toad.
User avatar
ZRofel
24-bit
Posts: 166
Joined: Tue May 13, 2014 10:10 pm
Location: At the beginning

Re: Which games would work best as Broadway musicals?

Post by ZRofel »

God Hand
User avatar
prfsnl_gmr
Next-Gen
Posts: 12262
Joined: Mon Jun 01, 2009 10:26 pm
Location: Charlotte, North Carolina

Re: Which games would work best as Broadway musicals?

Post by prfsnl_gmr »

Parappa the Rapper

There’s also a little known game called “Grease” released for the Nintendo DS and Wii in 2010. It’s a collection of music-themed mini games set in 1950s America, which is kind of a weird concept for a video game! That said, the music’s actually really catchy, and I think it’d make a pretty good musical.
User avatar
RobertAugustdeMeijer
24-bit
Posts: 151
Joined: Fri Sep 02, 2022 10:15 am

Re: Which games would work best as Broadway musicals?

Post by RobertAugustdeMeijer »

This thought experiment has me chuckling : D

Vib-Ribbon has a tutorial that is sung. Which has me wondering, can't we make all tutorials bombastic musicals?
User avatar
marurun
Moderator
Posts: 12123
Joined: Sat May 06, 2006 8:51 am
Location: Cleveland, OH
Contact:

Re: Which games would work best as Broadway musicals?

Post by marurun »

Katamari Damacy is the obvious choice. For characterizations it's really about a child's search for approval in the face of a powerful but mercurial, even flippant, parent. That approval involves more and more Sisyphean tasks. This would be a leaner musical without a burgeoning cast, but would provide a neat opportunity for songs that are both introspective and silly.
User avatar
Blu
Next-Gen
Posts: 2805
Joined: Sat Mar 03, 2012 1:09 pm
Location: Michigan

Re: Which games would work best as Broadway musicals?

Post by Blu »

I vote for Ms. PacMan and Galaga. Preferably as if you were adapting their combined arcade cabinet into one musical. You could really throw the audience with that one.
User avatar
RobertAugustdeMeijer
24-bit
Posts: 151
Joined: Fri Sep 02, 2022 10:15 am

Re: Which games would work best as Broadway musicals?

Post by RobertAugustdeMeijer »

marurun wrote:Katamari Damacy is the obvious choice. For characterizations it's really about a child's search for approval in the face of a powerful but mercurial, even flippant, parent. That approval involves more and more Sisyphean tasks. This would be a leaner musical without a burgeoning cast, but would provide a neat opportunity for songs that are both introspective and silly.


Hell yeah!!
I'd love to see The King get upset.

Image
User avatar
Key-Glyph
Next-Gen
Posts: 1715
Joined: Tue Sep 06, 2011 12:38 am
Location: Summer Games Challenge!
Contact:

Re: Which games would work best as Broadway musicals?

Post by Key-Glyph »

Oh my god, I need a Katamari musical. NEED. I can barely stand that it doesn't exist, and now I'm going to have to live with this unfulfilled idea for the rest of my life(?).

Thanks maru. :lol:

Seriously though, can you just imagine the opening Katamari on the Rocks sequence?

NEED!
Image

BogusMeatFactory wrote:If I could powder my copies of shenmue and snort them I would
User avatar
marurun
Moderator
Posts: 12123
Joined: Sat May 06, 2006 8:51 am
Location: Cleveland, OH
Contact:

Re: Which games would work best as Broadway musicals?

Post by marurun »

Key-Glyph wrote:Oh my god, I need a Katamari musical. NEED. I can barely stand that it doesn't exist, and now I'm going to have to live with this unfulfilled idea for the rest of my life(?).

Thanks maru. :lol:

Seriously though, can you just imagine the opening Katamari on the Rocks sequence?

NEED!


Right? I mean, the musical numbers just about write themselves.
Post Reply