Gotham Gossipist: Austin Powers Coming to a Broadway Theater Near You
By Kimberly Rae Miller
Long gone are the days of Clifford Odets and the Group Theater using the Broadway stage as a platform for social change. Nowadays we just sit back and watch a movie we've already seen played out before us.
Turning movies into plays is nothing new to Broadway, favorites like 42nd Street, Phantom of the Opera and Little Shop of Horrors, all started out as movies and were later converted for the stage. But this formula seems to be snowballing; taking on just about any movie that carries a wee bit of nostalgia.
Carrie: The Musical, anyone? What about 9 to 5, Footloose, The Full Monty, Shrek, or Legally Blonde? Every Disney movie ever made?
Even Bring it On is touring as a musical.
A musical version of Rocky is currently under way.
That's not all, according to PageSix, Mike Myers is currently in talks with producers to bring Austin Powers to the stage. The character that the SNL alumnus made famous in 1997, is being prepped for Broadway, "Mike is in talks to turn 'Austin Powers' into a musical stage show. Mike would be heavily involved in writing the show, but he will not star in it, even though he has quite a good singing voice."
He may not want to perform in eight shows a week due to the fact that he'll be acting in the fourth instillation of the Austin Powers films. Myers just signed an agreement with New Line. He'll also be writing that script. That's a lot of man of mystery for one man to be responsible for.
I can't say that I don't love me some Dr. Evil, but I will admit to wishing there were fewer movie theaters on Broadway.
Kimberly Rae Miller is a writer, actress, and host living in New York City (kimberlyraemiller.com).
