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I've told this story a million times, but seeing the 1994 Lion King in a packed movie theater with my mom and siblings on what felt like the hottest day of summer is one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I wonder if and when I ever see the Broadway version I'll feel the same way.
Merton of the Movies, which opened in 1922 at what is now the James Earl Jones. George S. Kaufman and Marc Connelly adapted Harry Leon Wilson's book about an actor (Glenn Hunter) who's famous for being unintentionally funny. Perhaps because that's no longer unique, Merton hasn't been revived on Broadway.
Little Nellie Kelly, which opened in 1922 at the now-closed Liberty. George M. Cohan once again wrote, produced, and directed a musical. This time, an Irish-American woman (Elizabeth Hines, who previously starred as The O'Brien Girl) realizes that she'll be happier loving within her ethnicity and social station. Loosely adapted into a 1940 Judy Garland film.
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Grand Hotel, which opened in 1930 at what is now the Nederlander. The 1932 Oscar-winning MGM film comes from this play, written by William A. Drake in an adaptation of Vicki Baum's novel. Castmembers included Sam Jaffe, who played Kringelein more than 30 years before costarring on Ben Casey.
As the Girls Go, which opened in 1948 at the Winter Garden, where it spent a season before closing in January 1950 at the Broadway. Mike Todd produced this Jimmy McHugh-Harold Adamson musical led by Bobby Clark, who starred as the First Gentleman. I'm not familar with this show, and am curious if it can be revived.
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Skyscraper, which opened in 1965 at the Lunt-Fontanne. Julie Harris was Tony-nominated for this musical version of Elmer Rice's Dream Girl. James Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn wrote the score. I'll let Concord Theatricals explain things: "Georgina is the owner of an antique brownstone in New York City that is being squashed on all sides by skyscrapers. The builders are angry with her for not wanting to sell her little property, but she considers it a historic landmark and undertakes an 'urban prevention' crusade against the construction giants. Two men figure in her life and her dreams: the assistant (Charles Nelson Reilly) in her boutique, a playwright who had a one-night run off-Broadway and is biding his time for the opening of an avant film festival; and the good-natured architect (Peter Marshall) of one of the skyscrapers, who finds the key to her heart and to all her daydreams. In these daydreams, Georgina imagines the men of her life wooing her as an English officer, an FBI man, a toreador, a southern gentleman and others." Julie lost the Tony to Angela Lansbury in Mame.
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Gigi, which opened in 1973 at what is now the Gershwin. Fifteen years after the MGM film, Lerner & Loewe's musical made it to Broadway. The duo added four new songs and a ballet, which was apparently enough for Gigi to be nominated and win the Tony for Best Original Score Written for the Theatre. Boo! Justice for Raisin or Seesaw! Gigi featured the last Broadway musical performance by Alfred Drake. Sadly, Agnes Moorehead died from cancer shortly after leaving the show. Agnes was succeeded by Arlene Francis.
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Sizwe Banzi Is Dead, which opened in 1974 at the now-closed Edison. John Kani and Winston Ntshona won Tonys for Best Actor in a Play for their work in this play and their other collaboration with Athol Fugard, The Island. In Sizwe Banzi, the man in question (Ntshona) assumes another man's identity so he can continue working amid apartheid.
The Lion King, which opened in 1997 at the New Amsterdam and has been playing at the Minskoff since the summer of 2006. This was the champ at the 1998 Tony Awards, winning six awards including Best Musical, Best Director of a Musical (Julie Taymor) and Best Choreography (Garth Fagan). Unlike in 1974, the score that was familiar to moviegoers (and, okay, augmented for the stage) was an also-ran at the Tonys. It lost to Ragtime.
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Billy Elliot: The Musical, which opened in 2008. Once again, an Elton John musical was the big winner at the Tonys (10 awards out of 15 nominations), with the man himself getting the goose egg. To be fair, Elton did win his Tony for Aida. Anyway, Billy's wins included a joint Best Actor in a Musical award for David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik, and Kiril Kulish as the boy who was "Born to Boogie" and felt "Electricity."
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