Disney Musicals Bringing Classics To The Stage

 In the sea of movies that get stage adaptations, one of the companies that has done this the most has to be Disney. From Lion Kong and Beauty and The Beast to Newsies and the recently announced Bedknobs and Broomsticks. Disney has many musicals on stage under their belts, many are beloved and have long stage lives as well. For a show like Newsies a movie that wasn't well received at first was edited and then put on stage and now is a favorite among many including myself, Aladdin has changes from the classic film, thus giving reasons to listen to and enjoy both. Mary Poppins adds storylines not in the movie, thus giving two versions to love and enjoy with some similarities and some differences, such as having the same song yet changing lyrics. 

In many cases they add songs and a ton of them are winners, my friends love the songs added to Beauty and The Beast and I love "Anything Can Happen" from Mary Poppins or " These Palace Walls" from Aladdin. In the case of Newsies a character was added with Kathrine and she is a stand out character who was not a character at all in the movie, her song " Watch What Happens" being one of my favorite songs in the whole show. The Disney stage shows reinvent classic shows, edit scripts that may have needed a touch up or two, or sometimes make a show out of something that was not a musical to begin with like Freaky Friday. Not all of them work but it is admirable that Disney keeps trying to bring shows to the stage, and the ones that work prove to be unforgettable experiences. I have seen Aladdin and Newsies live and both were fantastic times, fun, inspiring, uplifting, and unforgettable, just like their films.

Seeing both of those on stage, spotting the differences in Aladdin from the film I grew up on was a treat, it carried over some elements but the show was different enough to warrant seeing live. For example the stage version of Aladdin has multiple cut songs, and characters giving you almost a peek at what the original movie could have been, it's super fascinating and exciting.

The only question I have is when is Disney going to put more pro shots of these shows that they own on Disney Plus. We have Hamilton, and Newsies both which are excellent but seeing as Disney owns the originals and stage versions of these shows, I feel like this is a big missed opportunity if not capitalized on. For people who do not live near a theater based town and have to rely on tours, pro shots could be access to a show they have to wait years for. Or for people like me who has not seen every show and would like more pro shots to see them as well, also loves experiencing the memories again. Watching the Hamilton and Newsies pro shots reminds me of when I saw them live and helps me keep those memories alive until I can see them again, I love wearing my Newsies shirt and turning on the pro shot on Disney Plus and watching it. It would be great to have shows like Little Mermaid and Beauty and The Beast to get these as well, I would love a Mary Poppins pro shot. These do not erase the original but rather stand tall alongside them as alternate versions with some similarities, just like the live action remakes Disney loves making so much.