For better or for worse, jukebox musicals are here to stay. Here are five of the best — and five that flopped.
1. 'Mamma Mia!' (1999 on the West End of London)
Using the guilty-pleasure pop catalog of ABBA, playwright Catherine Johnson spun a light-as-air family comedy about a bohemian mom and the three possible fathers of her soon-to-wed daughter. Somehow this show makes the songs sound like they were written specifically for the story. It’s fluffy but also downright irresistible.
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2. 'Jersey Boys' (2005 on Broadway)
This smash hit tells the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, the doo-wop-inspired guy group. Even if you don’t thrill to Valli’s falsetto strains in such hits as “Sherry” and “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” the storytelling is supremely crafted with a “Rashomon”-style structure that sees through the eyes of each of the four singers. It’s easily the best of all the “behind the music”-type shows, which include “Buddy — The Buddy Holly Story,” “Beautiful — The Carole King Musical” and the Afrobeat thriller “Fela!”
3. 'American Idiot' (2009 on Broadway)
This one may be cheating a little. Green Day’s concept album wasn’t quite a full-on rock opera a la the Who’s “Tommy,” but it suggested characters, themes and a setting for theater artists to run with. The musical uses the songs in order — while tacking on several from “21st Century Breakdown” —to spin a story of suburban angst that stands as the post-9/11 generation’s answer to “Hair.”
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4. 'Movin’ Out' (2002 on Broadway)
With an onstage band playing the music of Billy Joel, it has a loose coming-of-age narrative about the ’60s generation. But what makes it worth seeing more than once is the dynamic choreography of Twyla Tharp. It’s a dance show even more than a rock concert.
5. 'Priscilla, Queen of the Desert' (2006 in Sydney, Australia)
Two drag queens and a world-weary transgender woman drive a bus through the Australian Outback in this musical. The 1994 film it’s based on isgreat, and a good deal more serious than the stage adaptation, which commandeers pop hits ranging from “I Will Survive” to “Thank God I’m a Country Boy.” But the story also has a heartfelt message of self-acceptance – as well as pulling up your big-girl pants to meet your responsibilities.
Having a songbook full of hits doesn’t guarantee success in the theater, of course. Here are five jukebox musicals that didn’t go as planned.
1. 'Lennon' (2005 on Broadway)
He’s a rock icon bigger than any except Elvis and Dylan, but that didn’t help this $7 million flop, which featured a diverse cast of actors, including women, portraying John Lennon’s life story using only his solo catalog. It lasted all of 49 performances.
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2. 'Good Vibrations' (2005 on Broadway)
The music of the Beach Boys provided the backdrop for a story about high-school buddies trying to escape New England for the sunny shores of California. The New York Times’ Ben Brantley opined, “‘Good Vibrations’ sacrifices itself, night after night and with considerable anguish, to make all other musicals on Broadway look good.”
3. 'Hot Feet' (2006 on Broadway)
A dancer pursues her dream of getting to Broadway with the help of magical red shoes in this jukebox musical featuring the songs of Earth, Wind & Fire, which was directed and choreographed by Maurice Hines. One critic called it a “nuclear meltdown,” and it barely lasted a month in the theater.
4. 'Desperately Seeking Susan' (2007 on the West End)
This adaptation of the 1985 movie inexplicably used the music of Blondie, which may have confused the Madonna fans in the audience.
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5. 'Viva Forever!' (2012 on the West End)
“Mamma Mia!” producer Judy Craymer tried to repeat her success with this musical based on the music of the Spice Girls, which followed a fictional girl group’s quest for stardom. It got terrible reviews and lost more than 5 million pounds for investors.
Reach the reporter at kerry.lengel@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-4896. Follow him at facebook.com/LengelOnTheater and twitter.com/KerryLengel.
