Broadway's Originality

There seems to be a trend in musical theatre that's going a bit overboard. It seems instead of coming up with unique ideas, folks are basing their musicals on popular films. Examples include Footloose, Saturday Night Fever, The Wedding Singer (we saw this one), and on the bill for next year at the 5th Ave. Theatre in Seattle - Edward Scissorhands? You've got to be kidding me. What's next? Well, I have a few ideas.

Flower Drum Kong - The premise here is that Kong didn't really die. He merely faked his death so that he and Faye could run away together and get married. The move to Japan where Faye meets and falls in love with a Japanese businessman. Kong is so enraged that he destroys Tokyo and Godzilla has to come to the rescue. Featuring the songs "I Enjoy Being a Gorilla" and "Like a Godzilla."

War of the World's Fair - Elvis impersonator Teddy Baer must protect himself and his family from the ultimate red menace - Martians! Teddy's act is interrupted as the extraterrestrials attack Seattle during the World's Fair. You've never seen action like this! The songs! The action! The love scene between an alien tripod and the Space Needle. This one has it all!

The Fantasticks Four - Reed Richards and Sue Storm are tricked into falling in love by their fathers, who pretend to feud. The mysterious Dr. El Doomo is hired to stage a phony adventure in which Reed saves the girl and reinforces her love. But Dr. El Doomo bombards the couple and their fathers with cosmic rays in the hopes of killing them and ending this sickening display. But instead of death, the rays give each person extraordinary powers and with these powers, they battle the evil and insipid Dr. El Gallo.

I'll add to these as I come up with them. If you've got one, let me know about it.