Last fall, NBC had a surprising hit with The Sound of Music: Live! Did we think that a live broadcast of a musical that by all accounts is not as fun on stage as it is on celluloid would be a grand thing to sit through on a Thursday night? Especially when it featured a country music superstar who was not particularly known for her acting talents? Well, people loved it and people hated it, but it sure was fun to watch and tweet about, and its success convinced its producers to make it an annual event. Peter Pan, the 1954 musical, will be broadcast in December. And just yesterday, Fox announced they’ll be following suit with a live broadcast of Grease sometime next year.
Now, as much I as love a silly Broadway musical, couldn’t we do a little bit better than Peter Pan, which is very weird (awkward drag, casual racism), and Grease, which is so lamely oversaturated at this point?
The Music Man
Sure, an ill-fated TV adaptation was made in the early aughts with Matthew Broderick and Kristin Chenoweth, but if we’re going to bring Grease around again, why not bring back a delightful musical — one with timeless qualities and a gorgeous score? Plus, all of those kids badly playing instruments? It’ll be a hoot, I tell ya.
