Steve On Broadway (SOB)

Glee White Way?

Glee White Way?

After taking television -- and even this year's Tony Awards -- by storm, with several Broadway stars suddenly becoming household names in the process, "Glee" just might be coming to the Great White Way.

According to New York's Daily News' Gatecrasher Frank DiGiacomo:

New York Gleeks -- and all you tourists -- will be happy to know Ryan Murphy is getting closer to bringing a theatrical version of "Glee" to Broadway.

At Tuesday night's premiere of "Eat Pray Love," which Murphy directed and co-wrote, he told us that a Broadway adaptation of his smash TV series is "definitely" happening. "I'm auditioning people now," Murphy said at the Ziegfeld Theatre, where the premiere took place. Alas, he declined to give us any leads on whom he might cast. (Lea Michele, anyone?) "I don't know just yet," he said. "You'll see."

While this may be the first time I've mentioned "Glee" in this space, make no mistake that I'm a die-hard fan of the television show. Just when the tuneful comedy looks like it's going to derail into a huge train wreck, Murphy has a way of effectively pulling it back from the brink. He succeeds in mining depths where you wouldn't expect to find any. It's hardly a one-note wonder.

Additionally, I've loved the fact that Murphy has also used countless Broadway actors to populate his series. And it's been pretty wonderful hearing showtunes from some of the Great White Way's greatest musicals being delivered to a whole new audience.

But could a Broadway version of "Glee" be too much of a good thing?

I have no doubt that Murphy is capable of constructing a solid show. He's already demonstrated he's an incredibly gifted writer. But the devices he's used to stage each production number within his TV show borrows exclusively from time-worn pop and Broadway catalogs. Would a "Glee" musical come fresh with its very own score?

Count me among the curious.

This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).


In keeping with the new Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulations that unfairly discriminate against bloggers, who are now required by law to disclose when they have received anything of value they might write about, please note that I have received nothing of value in exchange for this post.

Labels: Broadway, Glee, Musical, Ryan Murphy, Television

posted by Steve On Broadway (SOB) @ Saturday, August 14, 2010