Jukebox musical

A jukebox musical is a stage musical or musical film in which a majority of the songs are well-known popular music songs, rather than original music. Some jukebox musicals use a wide variety of songs, while others confine themselves to songs performed by one singer or band, or written by one songwriter. In such cases, the plot is often a biography of the artist(s) in question. In other jukebox musicals, the plot is purely fictional. For musicals about a musician or musical act, some of the songs can be diegetic, meaning that they are performed within the world of the play or film. Works in which all of the music is diegetic, however, such as a biographical film about a singer who is at times shown performing their songs, are generally not considered jukebox musicals.[1]

Revues that lack a plot are also usually not described as jukebox musicals,[2] although plotless shows that include a dance element sometimes are.[3]

Artists whose life and songs have served as the basis for a jukebox musical include Peter Allen, Susan Boyle, Shlomo Carlebach, Johnny Cash, Cher, Patsy Cline, Bobby Darin, Emilio and Gloria Estefan, Buddy Holly, Michael Jackson, Janis Joplin, Carole King, The Kinks, Fela Kuti, John Lennon, Udo Lindenberg, Johnny O'Keefe, Dusty Springfield (twice), Donna Summer, The Temptations, Tina Turner (twice), Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, and Hank Williams.[3] Others who have gotten similar treatment include songwriter/producers Bert Berns, Berry Gordy and Ellie Greenwich, record producer Florence Greenberg, and composer/songwriter Norbert Glanzberg.

For jukebox musicals with a fictional plot, one common approach is to center the plot around one or more (fictional) singers or musicians, thus letting some of the songs be performed as songs within the show. Examples of such musicals include Boogie Nights (1998), Mamma Mia! (1999), We Will Rock You (2002), Hoy no me puedo levantar (2005), Bésame mucho, el musical (2005), Rock of Ages (2005), Daddy Cool (2006), Never Forget (2007), Viva Forever! (2012), All Out of Love (2018) and Jukebox Hero (2018).

Some shows and films combine original and previously-released songs; it may be a matter of opinion whether these qualify as jukebox musicals. For example, the stage musicals 42nd Street (1980), Five Guys Named Moe (1990), Crazy for You (1992) and Xanadu (2007) are all adaptations of earlier source material that added to the original score other well-known songs written by the original songwriters. Films that combine old and original songs include Singin' in the Rain (1952), Idlewild (2006) and Trolls (2016).

History

In Europe in the 17th and 18th century, many comic operas were produced that parodied popular songs of the time by performing them with modified lyrics. Comédie en vaudevilles and ballad operas are two genres that made heavy use of well-known melodies. The Beggar's Opera (1728), the first ballad opera and the most famous, has been called "the original jukebox musical".[4]

Films considered early examples of jukebox musicals include An American in Paris (1951), Singin' in the Rain (1952), Rock, Rock, Rock (1956) and Rock Around the Clock (1956).

The songwriting team of Robert Wright and George Forrest pioneered the concept of musicals whose songs are derived from one composer's instrumental works, with newly-written lyrics. Some of these musicals also told the life story of that composer. Musicals and operettas that they produced in this fashion include Song of Norway (1944, using the music of Edvard Grieg), Magdalena: a Musical Adventure (1948, music of Heitor Villa-Lobos), a 1949 reworking of the 1934 musical The Great Waltz (music of Johann Strauss I and Johann Strauss II), Kismet (1953, music of Alexander Borodin[2]) and Anya (1965, music of Sergei Rachmaninoff).

The origin of the phrase "jukebox musical" in its current meaning is unclear. The word "jukebox" dates to around 1939. The first documented use of "jukebox musical" in print may have been in a 1962 description of the musical Do Re Mi,[5] but that was a musical (with original music) about a man who sells jukeboxes. In a 1964 review of the Beatles film A Hard Day's Night, critic Andrew Sarris described that film as "the Citizen Kane of jukebox musicals",[6] but he too may have had a meaning in mind other than the contemporary one, since most of that film's songs were original.

Although jukebox musicals had achieved success for years (for example, the 1989 musical Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story), a surge in popularity was led by the success of Mamma Mia! (1999), built around the music of ABBA.[7]

List of stage jukebox musicals

1970s
YearTitleBased on the music of
1976Bubbling Brown SugarDuke Ellington, Count Basie, Cab Calloway, et al.
1977ElvisElvis Presley
1978Ain't Misbehavin'Fats Waller

1980s
YearTitleBased on the music of
198042nd StreetAl Dubin, Johnny Mercer, and Harry Warren
1983AbbacadabraABBA
1984Leader of the PackEllie Greenwich, Jeff Barry, and Phil Spector
1986Big DealPopular songs from the 1920s and 30s
1987Hank Williams: Lost HighwayHank Williams
1988Always ... Patsy ClinePatsy Cline
1989Buddy – The Buddy Holly StoryBuddy Holly, including many early rock "standards"
1989Return to the Forbidden Planet1960s rock and roll

1990s
YearTitleBased on the music of
1997Boogie Nightsthe 70s
1998Saturday Night FeverBee Gees and others
1999Disco Inferno1970s disco
1999Mamma Mia!ABBA
1999The Marvelous Wonderettesfemale vocal harmony groups of the 1950s and 1960s

2000s
YearTitleBased on the music of
2001Love, JanisJanis Joplin
2001Shout! The Legend of The Wild OneJohnny O'Keefe
2002We Will Rock YouQueen
2002Our HouseMadness
2002Movin' OutBilly Joel
2003The Boy from OzPeter Allen
2003Tonight's The NightRod Stewart
2003Belles belles bellesClaude François
2004On the Recordthe Walt Disney Company
2005Back to the 80's!various 80s pop artists
2005LennonJohn Lennon
2005Good VibrationsThe Beach Boys
2005All Shook UpElvis Presley
2005Jersey BoysFrankie Valli and Four Seasons
2005Hoy no me puedo levantarSpanish group Mecano
2005Bésame mucho, el musicalMexican and Cuban bolero songs
2006Dusty – The Original Pop DivaDusty Springfield
2006Hot FeetEarth, Wind & Fire
2006Priscilla, Queen of the DesertVarious artists, based on the movie Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
2006Daddy CoolBoney M
2006Ring of FireJohnny Cash
2006Rock of AgesGlam metal of the 1980s
2006The Times They Are A-Changin'Bob Dylan
2006The Onion CellarThe Dresden Dolls
2007Desperately Seeking SusanBlondie
2007Never ForgetTake That
2007Ich war noch niemals in New YorkUdo Jürgens
2007XanaduElectric Light Orchestra and Olivia Newton-John
2007Sunshine on LeithThe Proclaimers
2007The SlideThe Beautiful South
2008All the Fun of the FairDavid Essex
2008Je m'voyais déjà : Le musicalCharles Aznavour
2009Dreamboats and Petticoatsbased on the album featuring music of the 1960s
2009Mentiras el musicalMexican songs from 1980s era Various Artists
2009Fela!Fela Kuti
2009Life Could Be a DreamDoo-wop music circa 1960

2010s
YearTitleBased on the music of
2010Perfect HarmonyVarious Artists (ranging from The Jackson 5, to Pat Benatar)
2010Everyday RaptureVarious Artists (ranging from Judy Garland and The Supremes, to Mr. Rogers)
2010Come Fly AwayFrank Sinatra
2010Million Dollar QuartetElvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash
2010Padam Padam : Le spectacle musicalNorbert Glanzberg
2011Baby It's You!Popular songs from the 1960s
2011Si nos dejanMexican songs from 1930s-1950s era Various Artists
2011Hinterm HorizontUdo Lindenberg
2012The BodyguardWhitney Houston
2012I Dreamed a Dreamvarious artists, songs covered by Susan Boyle
2012Raiding the Rock Vault[8]Various classic rock songs
2012Viva Forever!Spice Girls
2012Soul SisterTina Turner
2012Disaster!Popular songs from the 1970s
2012Yoshimi Battles the Pink RobotsThe Flaming Lips
2013Beautiful: The Carole King MusicalCarole King
2013Soul DoctorShlomo Carlebach and Nina Simone
2013After MidnightDuke Ellington
2013Motown: The MusicalMotown
2014Bullets Over BroadwayPopular songs from the 1910s and 20s, based on the film Bullets over Broadway
2014Holler If Ya Hear MeTupac Shakur
2014Cyrano De Burger ShackVarious Artists (ranging from Carly Rae Jepsen, to Smash Mouth)
2014Sunny AfternoonThe Kinks
2014Piece of My Heart: The Bert Berns StoryBert Berns
2015On Your Feet!Emilio Estefan and Gloria Estefan
2015RésisteFrance Gall
2015Cruel Intentions: The MusicalPopular songs from the 1990s, based on the movie Cruel Intentions
2016LazarusDavid Bowie
2016Dream Lover: The Bobby Darin MusicalBobby Darin
2017The BandTake That
2017Part of the PlanDan Fogelberg
2017Girl from the North CountryBob Dylan
2017Summer: The Donna Summer MusicalDonna Summer
2018Dusty - The Dusty Springfield MusicalDusty Springfield
2018Jukebox HeroForeigner
2018Escape to MargaritavilleJimmy Buffett
2018TinaTina Turner
2018Jagged Little PillAlanis Morissette
2018Head over HeelsThe Go-Go's
2018The Cher ShowCher
2018CluelessPopular songs from the 1990s, based on the movie Clueless
2018All Out of Love[9][10] Air Supply
2018Ain't Too ProudThe Temptations
2018Moulin Rouge!Various artists
2019Club TropicanaVarious artists from the 1980s
2019Standing at the Sky's EdgeRichard Hawley
2019& JulietMax Martin

2020s
YearTitleBased on the music of
2021MJ: The MusicalMichael Jackson
2021My Best Friend's WeddingBurt Bacharach and Hal David, based on the film My Best Friend's Wedding
2021Once Upon a One More TimeBritney Spears
2021What's New Pussycat?Tom Jones
2021The OsmondsThe Osmonds

List of jukebox musical films

List of jukebox musical TV shows

Works based on concept albums

In a different category are films or stage musicals based around a concept album, in which the story being told is not original but rather a fleshed-out version of the narrative already contained in the album. Examples include:

See also

References
  1. Brown, Mark (23 April 2013). "The Commitments to be turned into West End musical". guardian.co.uk. London: The Guardian. Retrieved 26 June 2013. It will include many classic soul songs, including Mustang Sally, but most definitely will not be a "jukebox musical", said Doyle.
  2. "Can Critics Learn to Love the Jukebox Musical?". The New York Times. August 29, 2018.
  3. Larson, Sarah (July 22, 2014). "LET'S ROCK: IN DEFENSE OF JUKEBOX MUSICALS". The New Yorker.
  4. Smith, Rowena (August 17, 2018). "The Beggar's Opera review – the original jukebox musical reimagined". The Guardian.
  5. Guide to the Performing Arts: 3460, Scarecrow Press, Inc., 1962, p. 204, "—Kanin, Garson; his jukebox musical with Phil Silvers, Nancy Walker".
  6. Eder, Bruce (December 11, 1989). "A Hard Day's Night". The Criterion Collection.
  7. "Mamma Mia! and the Rise of the Jukebox Musical". Cheap Theater Tickets. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  8. Jeff Giles (October 21, 2016). "Cheap Trick, Journey and Foreigner vets lead new 'Rock Pack' concert experience". Ultimate Classic Rock. Townsquare Media. Retrieved 2018-10-18.
  9. "Photo Flash: First Look At The Air Supply Musical ALL OUT OF LOVE in Manila". Broadway World. Wisdom Digital Media. 19 October 2018. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  10. Katigbak, Fran (23 June 2018). "All Out of Love: Here it is, an Air Supply jukebox musical!". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
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