Eagles musical: "Hotel California"

[UndertheWire]

There's been some discussion of the potential musical, so I'm reviving this thread.

If you're interest in some (non-Eagles) background reading, here's a few suggestions:

1) Wikipedia explaining what a "juke box" musical is and giving a long list of such endeavors. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jukebox_musical

2) John Kenrick has an informative and entertaining website that covers everything about musicals, including the business aspects. http://www.musicals101.com/index.html

3) If you want to know the numbers, BroadwayWorld (BWW) has weekly reports on box office grosses. http://www.broadwayworld.com/grosses.cfm (I believe Playbill.com also covers the grosses).

4) When it works, the numbers can be huge. Here's the 10 top-grossing shows (only one is a jukebox musical) http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Media/...ll-Time?page=9

5) Just because there's a rock star involved, doesn't mean it's going to make money. Just search on "Spider- man Turn Off the Dark" (Bono and The Edge) or "The Last Ship" (Sting), though these were both new material.

If you want to sit back and watch a fictional version of creating a new musical, you can try the tv series "Smash" although I remember the people who post on the BWW message board complained about it being unrealistic. Still, it shows some of the process and included many real musical theatre performers in the cast.

[DivineDon]

You said it best Willie. I completely agree here!

I didn't care for the movie Mama Mia either and can't imagine what HC would be like at all. Even on Broadway. Just weird to me.

Now the dvd is something I would love! Let's have that guys!

I hate Mama Mia - it's turned me off all of Abba's music and I used to be a big fan.

Soooo exciting about the DVD!!!

[UndertheWire]

I hate Mama Mia - it's turned me off all of Abba's music and I used to be a big fan.

Soooo exciting about the DVD!!!

Don't get too excited about the DVD - that was the HotE documentary. It's an old thread.

I managed to get through the "Mamma Mia!" film by watching it over several days. I felt the same about "Rock of Ages" (though Tom Cruise was a hoot), so maybe the telling a new story with old songs doesn't work for me.

[NightMistBlue]

Good to know that Glenn loved the Carole King show, Beautiful. I'd like to see that.

[DivineDon]

Don't get too excited about the DVD - that was the HotE documentary. It's an old thread.

You've just burst my bubble

[Funk 50]

Compared to most they are rich and compared to many they aren't. I wouldn't presume to tell any of them that they have made enough money and that they shouldn't follow artistic endeavours that they're interested in.

By anybody's terms, the Eagles are rich and the musical does just seem like another way to cash in on their 70s catalog, unless the show contains new Eagles music. If it fails, it wont affect their legacy too much and they'll still be rich.

I'm not a Paul Simon fan but I remember the discomfort I felt watching a clip of his musical. Just listening to his distinctive songs being sung by stage school types, rather than real musicians, was off-putting.

I've faith in Glenn but I wouldn't want the same thing to happen to Eagles songs. The band would be giving a green light to their songs to be murdered on a nightly basis.

[Freypower]

Don't get too excited about the DVD - that was the HotE documentary. It's an old thread.

I managed to get through the "Mamma Mia!" film by watching it over several days. I felt the same about "Rock of Ages" (though Tom Cruise was a hoot), so maybe the telling a new story with old songs doesn't work for me.

It doesn't work for me either, and that's why I don't want it to happen. I went to see Mamma Mia (the musical) & I thought I had never seen anything more contrived. It did not turn me off Abba, however, as I love some of their songs too much. However, I think this is a significant point; it could turn people off the Eagles, especially if it is seen as yet another money-grubbing exercise.

As you mentioned The Last Ship - Sting should have premiered that in his home town of Newcastle where it is set & he would have received the sort of response he expected (he did play it there eventually). I feel somewhat part of it because my husband comes from the area & I think the songs are brilliant but they would have meant virtually nothing to Americans.

I think of Elton John & Phil Collins who have written music for Broadway/Disney musicals. They both won Oscars. On the plus side they were new songs. They were not anywhere near the standard of those artists' earlier material.

What we seem to be talking about here is the Eagles not even bothering to write any new songs for this. Of course if they DID write new songs, wouldn't you prefer them to be performed by the Eagles themselves in concert rather than as some artificial storyline?

[UndertheWire]

I'm more in favour of the biomusical - a bunch of long-haired, skinny young men hanging around the bar, singing harmony as they down their beers.

Maybe Glenn will have time to think it all out as he recovers from surgery.

[Freypower]

So you want to have people playing the Eagles singing Eagles songs to tell the band's story.

I would be happy to hear any suggestions about which Eagles songs would be used, and sung by which 'Eagle', to tell their story. I don't think their songs are autobiographical enough. I assume we are only talking about the 70s here. Which songs could be used to dramatise the breakup?

I guess I should apologise for being such a wet blanket but given the awful news I have just read, I really have even less time for this than previously.

[Glennsallnighter]

It certainly won't be happening soon