A few of my favourte things...?

It's a conflit I feel every time I receive an email advertising the upoming Ghost musical - I am just a little bored (and maybe disappointed) at the number of musicals being based on well known films. I can't deny that many of the recent adaptions have been some of my favourite films - I am unashamedly curious to see how Ghost will work (?!?) and I flocked to Flashdance with my girl friends in the first few weeks of opening like the 80s child I am - but something in me still misses original productions that take you on a journey you neither know (word for word) or can predict.

I am no theatre snob - I sshhed the audience along with every other female in the audience as Johnny approached the stage in Dirty Dancing to say 'Nobody Puts Baby in the Corner', yet there is a relentless barrage of Shrek!, Ghost, Legally Blonde, Flashdance, Sister Act... that light up the West End skyline and I can't help but be a little disheartened that producers aren't investing in new stories; instead opting for a quick buck and guaranteed three month audience with familiar, beloved but predictable adaptations that rarely offer anything new.

~

Where do you stand? Film adaptations: Too many or bringing a new audience to theatre?

'I'm off to see the wizard...'

I thought I'd mark the 71st anniversary of the 'Wizard of Oz' with a few interesting facts

~ The running time is 101 minutes - the original cut was 112mins - only test audiences have ever seen the cut 11.

~ Reports suggest each actor playing a Munchkin earned $50 p/w while Toto took home $125

~Margaret Hamilton's performance as the Wicked Witch of the West was so frightening it had to be heavily edited and cut.

~ The original production costs were $2,777,000 with it only making $3m on release. It is subsequent TV screenings that have made it one of the most famous films in the world.

~ As for the ruby slippers? There were five pairs made for production and a subsequent pair were made in 1989 to mark the 50th anniversary- they were valued at $3m!

Top Designers re-create Dorothy's rub slippers... http://thedailypump.com/tag/swarovski