Menken reveals the Disney films he'd like to adapt for the stage.
Alan Menken told Digital Spy which Disney favourites he'd love to see translated next. "I'd love to see Hercules and Enchanted," he revealed. "They're both projects that I think would translate really well." Just don't expect 1995's Pocahontas to come to Broadway. "I don't know how that would translate," Menken said.
Meanwhile, there are still some outstanding items from the Disney catalogue to bring to the stage. “I’d love to see Enchanted on stage, and I can see Hercules working, too. Tangled has just come out on cruise ships – Glenn Slater and I adapted it for an hour-long version there,” he says. What about Pocahontas? “That may be the hardest one,” he conceded. “I’m not sure how it could be done.”
Well, he should've listened to our Three Commentears' commentary about Pocahontas and their thoughts about it's possibilities as a stageplay
It's tempting to come across as biased, but frankly I don't consider it to be impossible. It would've been challenging due to it's dramatic nature and an ending which you usually wouldn't expect from Disney. But I could definitively see it happening.
I wonder how Enchanted could be adapted to the stage, since the character of Giselle and her world are meant to represent old-school Disney animated fairy tales.
"There are two wolves and they are always fighting. One is darkness and despair. The other is light and hope. Which wolf wins? Whichever one you feed." - Casey Newton, Tomorrowland
I'd think it can still work perfectly fine without the visual contrast of live-action versus animation. The two worlds in the film are still completely different---definitely different enough for the story to be able to play out in essentially the same way.
If done right Pocahontas on Broadway would be epic and beautiful. A bit more serious, sophisticated and adult oriented compared to the rest of Disney's musicals, but I could see it work. The Hunchback of Notre Dame works as a stage adaption, and so would Pocahontas.
Favorite Disney-movies: Snow White, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules, Mulan, Tarzan, Tangled, Frozen, Pirates, Enchanted, Prince of Persia, Tron, Oz The Great and Powerful
But yeah, I would love to see Hercules and Enchanted on Broadway! Especially Hercules. I think it could be a really fun production with many new comic songs. But the movie/story also have a lot of heart and sincerity, it's not just only jokes. Hercules is such a sweet and kind character.
Favorite Disney-movies: Snow White, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules, Mulan, Tarzan, Tangled, Frozen, Pirates, Enchanted, Prince of Persia, Tron, Oz The Great and Powerful
Walt Disney Records has announced it will kick off its 60th anniversary with a special event titled ‘An Evening with Alan Menken’ to take placce on June 1 at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles.
Huzzah and Tally Ho! Alan Menken has been nominated for an Emmy for the song A New Season from "Galavant". It was actually the only song from the show that was submitted for consideration. This is Alan's second Emmy nomination. His first nomination was for the song More or Less the Kind of Thing You May or May Not Possibly See on Broadway from "Neighbors". Oddly, last year he was snubbed and none of the songs from Galavant were nominated. Hopefully, second time's the charm! Fingers crossed!
I think the song from The Hunting Ground will win. Sympathy from its surprise Oscar loss to Writing's on the Wall of all things will help its chances. Though I don't know how the film was eligible for both an Oscar and an Emmy. It's either a theatrical movie or a tv-movie. Can't be both.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend also seems like formidable competition for Galavant in this category.
"There are two wolves and they are always fighting. One is darkness and despair. The other is light and hope. Which wolf wins? Whichever one you feed." - Casey Newton, Tomorrowland
Let’s be honest, winning awards requires “push,” and I doubt Disney or ABC are going to push Galavant very hard. I’m actually astounded anything got nominated—and not surprised nothing prior was even submitted. If this were the '90s, Disney would likely help Menken reach EGOT status, but modern Disney doesn't give two shits about him.
I will say “A New Season” was the best song in the second season. I’d probably go with “Galavant” or “Hero’s Journey” for overall series.
Listening to most often lately:
Ariana Grande ~ "we can't be friends (wait for your love)"
Ariana Grande ~ "imperfect for you"
Kacey Musgraves ~ "The Architect"
Alan's working on a new TV show! I bet it's DreamWork's Lidsville. Already a couple of projects there originally planned as movies have turned into Netflix TV shows (like Trollhunters or Dinotrux).
Among Menken's upcoming projects is a Mrs Doubtfire musical, a stage version of his musical sitcom Galavant, and music for a new television series from the creators of H.R. Pufnstuf.
His has been a super-successful career, but he can’t help but wonder, wistfully, how much more it would have been with Howard Ashman. “I have dreams that Howard and I are starting a new show. ‘Howard, you’re here. We have to write a new show.’ ‘Yep,’ he says, ‘we have to.’ Then, I wake up. I still have those dreams.”
Ashman still visits him in his dreams. "It makes you wonder if there isn't a residual connection," Menken says. He isn't quite religious, but thinks "there is a collective consciousness that we all share, even though we are all sort of split into these separate identities". It sounds like the perfect religion for a musical collaborator. "He remains a very powerful presence in my life," Menken says of his old friend. "I say, 'Oh! We are working on a project together.' "
I've often wondered that myself. Ashman always directed him (and the films he worked on) in the best possible direction. I wonder how much better the Disney Renaissance would’ve been if he hadn’t died. Maybe more of TLM and B&tB, and less of the over-serious bombast of the later films.
Listening to most often lately:
Ariana Grande ~ "we can't be friends (wait for your love)"
Ariana Grande ~ "imperfect for you"
Kacey Musgraves ~ "The Architect"
Menken's first musical with Howard Ashman "God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater" is getting a concert version at the New York City Center as part of the Encores! Off-Center series. You can buy tickets, here.
I looked this up on Amazon the other day randomly and saw they had a physical CD available there, and bought it. The CD is fantastic, especially giving good covers of "Anytime You Need a Friend" and "Shooting Star" that are honestly better than the originals... (Beu Sisters and Boyzone suck, whoever they are.) OJA and PoYB were actually highlights because they were fairly different from the musical versions, thankfully. IINKY was probably the only cover I didn't really like.
This made me look up Sierra Boggess, and she's been doing a lot of things since TLM apparently. Unlike Tituss Burgess who I looked up after he appeared on ABC's reboot of Match Game (he was fantastic on there, btw). I listened to Boggess' cover of "Over the Rainbow" on YouTube and her voice is still beautiful. I'll probably buy Rodgers and Hammerstein at the Movies at some point; I should try to buy the cast recording of TPoO and Love Never Dies, too. I know nothing about ALP (musical), but I did like both ALP films, so I might get that eventually...
Listening to most often lately:
Ariana Grande ~ "we can't be friends (wait for your love)"
Ariana Grande ~ "imperfect for you"
Kacey Musgraves ~ "The Architect"
I think sympathy over its Oscar loss to the excruciating "Writing's on the Wall" was why Til It Happens to You won the Emmy (though, as I said before, it's weird for a movie to be nominated for both an Oscar and an Emmy. How does that elgibility work, if one award is for theatrically released films and the other is for television?). I had a feeling it would either go to that or the Crazy Ex-Girlfriend song.
"There are two wolves and they are always fighting. One is darkness and despair. The other is light and hope. Which wolf wins? Whichever one you feed." - Casey Newton, Tomorrowland
