Ryan Murphy's New Productions

[edjames]

Mr. Murphy is a busy man and is lining up several broadway inspired new productions and adaptations.

 

Ryan Murphy will continue his pursuit of bringing Broadway to the small screen with a limited series based on the Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical 1975 A Chorus Line. The 10-part adaptation is in the early stages of development as part of the media mogul's deal with Netflix.

No word yet on a production timeline for the project, or further details—including how Murphy intends to expand the 100-minute musical into a long-form

Murphy, who won a Tony Award earlier this year for the revival of The Boys in the Band, is also developing a Netflix adaptation of said Mart Crowley play, as well as a movie version of the recent Broadway comedy The Prom (with a cast including Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, and James Corden).

Additional Netflix projects include the upcoming anthology series The Politician starring Ben Platt (premiering September 27), the One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest prequel Ratched with Sarah Paulson, and Hollywood, starring Holland Taylor and the newly announced Patti LuPone.

WATCH: Ben Platt, Jessica Lange, and Gwyneth Paltrow in New Trailer for The Politician

A Chorus Line, conceived by director-choreographer Michael Bennett and featuring a score by Marvin Hamlisch and Edward Kleban, navigates the high-energy and heartbreaking process of auditioning for a Broadway musical, informed by the accounts of the performers who first brought the show to life.

Since its 15-year original Broadway run, the musical was revived on Broadway in 2006 and returned to New York City as part of City Center's 75th anniversary season. It was previously adapted for the screen, albeit in a film widely considered unsuccessful, in 1985.

[Leyte2019]

Mr. Murphy is a busy man and is lining up several broadway inspired new productions and adaptations.

 

Ryan Murphy will continue his pursuit of bringing Broadway to the small screen with a limited series based on the Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical 1975 A Chorus Line. The 10-part adaptation is in the early stages of development as part of the media mogul's deal with Netflix.

No word yet on a production timeline for the project, or further details—including how Murphy intends to expand the 100-minute musical into a long-form

Murphy, who won a Tony Award earlier this year for the revival of The Boys in the Band, is also developing a Netflix adaptation of said Mart Crowley play, as well as a movie version of the recent Broadway comedy The Prom (with a cast including Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, and James Corden).

Additional Netflix projects include the upcoming anthology series The Politician starring Ben Platt (premiering September 27), the One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest prequel Ratched with Sarah Paulson, and Hollywood, starring Holland Taylor and the newly announced Patti LuPone.

WATCH: Ben Platt, Jessica Lange, and Gwyneth Paltrow in New Trailer for The Politician

A Chorus Line, conceived by director-choreographer Michael Bennett and featuring a score by Marvin Hamlisch and Edward Kleban, navigates the high-energy and heartbreaking process of auditioning for a Broadway musical, informed by the accounts of the performers who first brought the show to life.

Since its 15-year original Broadway run, the musical was revived on Broadway in 2006 and returned to New York City as part of City Center's 75th anniversary season. It was previously adapted for the screen, albeit in a film widely considered unsuccessful, in 1985.

 

When does this man sleep? And how many arms does he have?

[edjames]

You're right, no sleep, his creative mind keeps working 24/7!

 

Just announced, Ewan McGregor as Halston for a biopic, a documentary about Andy Wharol, a series starring Jessica Lange about Marlene Dietrich in Las Vegas in the 1960's, and Patti Lupone and Holland Taylor in a Hollywood sex-industry tale.

[+ WilliamM]

You're right, no sleep, his creative mind keeps working 24/7!

 

Just announced, Ewan McGregor as Halston for a biopic, a documentary about Andy Wharol, a series starring Jessica Lange about Marlene Dietrich in Las Vegas in the 1960's, and Patti Lupone and Holland Taylor in a Hollywood sex-industry tale.

 

Are people who watch programs in 2019 to 2022 interested in Dietrich in the 1960s?

[bostonman]

A Chorus Line, conceived by director-choreographer Michael Bennett and featuring a score by Marvin Hamlisch and Edward Kleban, navigates the high-energy and heartbreaking process of auditioning for a Broadway musical, informed by the accounts of the performers who first brought the show to life.

 

I think a very important distinction is missing here. I would say:

 

"A Chorus Line, conceived by director-choreographer Michael Bennett and featuring a score by Marvin Hamlisch and Edward Kleban, navigates the high-energy and heartbreaking process of auditioning for THE CHORUS OF a Broadway musical, informed by the accounts of the performers who first brought the show to life."

 

(Spoilers below, even though I have to imagine that everyone in this discussion knows the plot...)

 

The whole essence of the show is that they are merely auditioning to be the faceless backup dancers in the show. The fact that the audition process is done in such a personal way and is so cutthroat only serves to remind us how much these performers are sacrificing. It drives Cassie's entire subplot - that Zach rightfully considers her overqualified for the job. It informs Paul's story as it pertains to his injury - that he has lost the chance for this gig, and who knows when he will have his next shot. And of course the end of the show, we see what all of the fuss was about, as the cast comes out in their identical costumes, dancing in precision for their very lives, but ironically indistinguishable. "One" is a joyous, fun song, yet the situation always gives me chills.

 

So I think it's important not to forget that they are, in reality, only auditioning for the faceless ensemble - and yet, that is one amazingly coveted job to these dancers.

[Leyte2019]

Are people who watch programs in 2019 to 2022 interested in Dietrich in the 1960s?

 

No more than they were interested in a series about Joan Crawford and Bette Davis in 2018 (Feud). That did reasonably well, right?

[Leyte2019]

Are people who watch programs in 2019 to 2022 interested in Dietrich in the 1960s?

 

I for one can't wait for a Dietrich mini biopic, though it might have to be a bit sensational for ratings. I read her daughter's biography of her a few years back. As I recall, her life by the 60s was constant tension between booze and the ability to constantly reinvent. All of this was before her famous London encore in the early 70s. I think she was a genius.

[+ WilliamM]

I for one can't wait for a Dietrich mini biopic, though it might have to be a bit sensational for ratings. I read her daughter's biography of her a few years back. As I recall, her life by the 60s was constant tension between booze and the ability to constantly reinvent. All of this was before her famous London encore in the early 70s. I think she was a genius.

 

I saw "The Boy From Oz" in a theater in Sydney, Australia in 1998. At intermission, I happen to see a small sign that signified that Dietrich's last concert took place there. I believe she fell at some point that last night.

 

The theater: some variation of Her Majesty's ......

[+ WilliamM]

I remember the night Judy Garland told Jack Paar that Dietrich "is not one of our great singer." Paar was in London so it wasn't live, rather on tape. Prime time, not late night. In the mid 1960s, Dietrich was still performing, so Garland shouldn't have said anything.

[+ WilliamM]

I for one can't wait for a Dietrich mini biopic, though it might have to be a bit sensational for ratings. I read her daughter's biography of her a few years back. As I recall, her life by the 60s was constant tension between booze and the ability to constantly reinvent. All of this was before her famous London encore in the early 70s. I think she was a genius.

 

With the exception of "Wtness for the Prosection," her films are mostly forgotten. Yes?

[Leyte2019]

With the exception of "Wtness for the Prosection," her films are mostly forgotten. Yes?

 

I would agree with that. I'm mainly referring to her career post films. Wasn't she in Destry Rides Again?

[+ WilliamM]

I would agree with that. I'm mainly referring to her career post films. Wasn't she in Destry Rides Again?

 

Marlene is certainly a hero in Berlin, except for the far right wing.

 

She was one of the many famous people in the 1961 film "Judgment in Nuremburg," with Spencer Tracey.

[beachboy]

I for one can't wait for a Dietrich mini biopic, though it might have to be a bit sensational for ratings. I read her daughter's biography of her a few years back. As I recall, her life by the 60s was constant tension between booze and the ability to constantly reinvent. All of this was before her famous London encore in the early 70s. I think she was a genius.

Me too. Dietrich was a legend. She renounced her German citizenship in the face of Nazism, entertained the Allied troops on the front line during WW2 & received the highest honours from America & France then went on to become the highest paid cabaret artist in the world including performing in Israel with Burt Bacharach as musical director as a contribution towards reconciliation.

She was openly bisexual in a very prejudiced world & didn't give a damn!

She had charisma & glamour rarely seen & only stopped performing in her 70's when she broke her thigh in a fall in Sydney & retired to her apartment in Paris where she lived till she was 92-not bad for someone who was reported to live on 'champagne & cigarettes!'

I & many others would love to see a biopic of this amazing icon as long as it isn't based on her daughter's book which was written with a poison pen.

[+ WilliamM]

Me too. Dietrich was a legend. She renounced her German citizenship in the face of Nazism, entertained the Allied troops on the front line during WW2 & received the highest honours from America & France then went on to become the highest paid cabaret artist in the world including performing in Israel with Burt Bacharach as musical director as a contribution towards reconciliation.

She was openly bisexual in a very prejudiced world & didn't give a damn!

She had charisma & glamour rarely seen & only stopped performing in her 70's when she broke her thigh in a fall in Sydney & retired to her apartment in Paris where she lived till she was 92-not bad for someone who was reported to live on 'champagne & cigarettes!'

I & many others would love to see a biopic of this amazing icon as long as it isn't based on her daughter's book which was written with a poison pen.

 

Marlene was the first person to sing in German in Israel.

[beachboy]

Marlene was the first person to sing in German in Israel.

She was advised not to sing in German in Tel Aviv. Her reply was 'I will not sing one song in German-I will sing nine!' This she did, opening with a German lullaby which melted the hearts of the whole audience.

She included a lament sung in Yiddish in honour of all those who perished in the holocaust. Coming from someone of German birth that took balls & the Jewish audience loved her.

[+ purplekow]

Throw in the whispered about affair with Greta Garbo and you have the makings of a fascinating portrait.

[Leyte2019]

Throw in the whispered about affair with Greta Garbo and you have the makings of a fascinating portrait.

 

According to her daughter, Dietrich and Garbo were also fierce competitors. And maybe Marlene was a bit jealous. But her first comment upon learning of Garbo's death was, "she always smelled like pee."

[+ WilliamM]

I mostly agree with Judy Garland about Marlene Dietrich's singing.

 

However, The time I saw Judy perform (Christmas, 1967 in New York) she was still very good but not sensational.

 

Look, I am very glad to have seen her in person.

[+ WilliamM]

Me too. Dietrich was a legend. She renounced her German citizenship in the face of Nazism, entertained the Allied troops on the front line during WW2 & received the highest honours from America & France then went on to become the highest paid cabaret artist in the world including performing in Israel with Burt Bacharach as musical director as a contribution towards reconciliation.

She was openly bisexual in a very prejudiced world & didn't give a damn!

She had charisma & glamour rarely seen & only stopped performing in her 70's when she broke her thigh in a fall in Sydney & retired to her apartment in Paris where she lived till she was 92-not bad for someone who was reported to live on 'champagne & cigarettes!'

I & many others would love to see a biopic of this amazing icon as long as it isn't based on her daughter's book which was written with a poison pen.

 

Her ego was much too big. Noel Coward and Judy Garland talked about the phonograph record of her post Second World War tour of Germany. Too soon to go back there.

 

The record was just applause. She would say "That's Frankfurt and this Munich." Garland commented, "and not a note of music."

[beachboy]

Her ego was much too big. Noel Coward and Judy Garland talked about the phonograph record of her post Second World War tour of Germany. Too soon to go back there.

 

The record was just applause. She would say "That's Frankfurt and this Munich." Garland commented, "and not a note of music."

I take your point, but don't all performers need a big ego to do what they do?

Agreed Dietrich didn't have the greatest voice but she had what Garland & others with better voices didn"t have-charisma. She could stand in front of a microphone & with a shrug of a shoulder or a raised eyebrow could convey a lyric so clearly & succinctly without needing expansive gestures.

She also had longevity & was entertaining in packed auditoria long after many others had retired or succumbed to the ravages of drugs or alcohol. She was no angel but had discipline & a strong work ethic & although she loved to party, work came first.

[+ WilliamM]

I take your point, but don't all performers need a big ego to do what they do?

Agreed Dietrich didn't have the greatest voice but she had what Garland & others with better voices didn"t have-charisma. She could stand in front of a microphone & with a shrug of a shoulder or a raised eyebrow could convey a lyric so clearly & succinctly without needing expansive gestures.

She also had longevity & was entertaining in packed auditoria long after many others had retired or succumbed to the ravages of drugs or alcohol. She was no angel but had discipline & a strong work ethic & although she loved to party, work came first.

 

Judy Garland was the most talented performer I ever saw in person at a 1961 concert in Boston when I was a freshman in college.

 

.She sang in a huge arena (Boston Garden) with an orchestra. Otherwise, she was alone on stage for over two hours.

[bostonman]

don't all performers need a big ego to do what they do?

 

Yes, but keeping one's ego in check is the trick.

 

Though often when we accuse performers of having too much ego, the behavior we see is actually coming from a place of insecurity, not overconfidence.

[Leyte2019]

I mostly agree with Judy Garland about Marlene Dietrich's singing.

 

However, The time I saw Judy perform (Christmas, 1967 in New York) she was still very good but not sensational.

 

Look, I am very glad to have seen her in person.

 

This clip of Garland on the 1st ABC iteration of Cavett has probably been posted before, but I think it is the best example of her talent as an entertainer shining through despite the effects of pills, booze, and who knows what else. Infuriates me to see the occasional snark comments on this clip about her being bombed. Those are the types who never understood her struggles.

 

[+ WilliamM]

This clip of Garland on the 1st ABC iteration of Cavett has probably been posted before, but I think it is the best example of her talent as an entertainer shining through despite the effects of pills, booze, and who knows what else. Infuriates me to see the occasional snark comments on this clip about her being bombed. Those are the types who never understood her struggles.

 

 

Even in that guest appearance, Garland is less sharp than the Christmas 1967 concerts in New York City

 

Yes, she talked to the audience too much in the beginning and complained about the theater. But, once Judy started to sing, she was quite good. If she had been able to perform at that level, she might have lived longer.

 

Garland at her very best: Judy Garland at Carnegie Hall (1961 complete recording).

[foxy]

Regarding Marlene Dietrich. I recently returned from 10 days in Berlin. The deutcsche-kinemathek.de The Museum of Film and Television is highly recommended and has a large collection of Dietrich’s costumes, props, personal letters, recordings and films. Even the saw she used to play. Who knew she played the saw?

I watched Shanghai Express while there and really enjoyed it. She seems to have slept with almost everyone famous.