Sounds quite filmy

After books and short stories were adapted into films, filmmakers and theatre artistes are now looking at music albums for storylines.

Creativity has a habit of changing body shapes. And that alone explains this new fad. While till recently only books and short stories were adapted into films, filmmakers and theatre artistes are now looking at music albums for storylines.

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American rock outfit Green Day’s successful record, American Idiot, has got Hollywood actor Tom Hanks excited. The Oscar winner wants to adapt the album’s multiple influences on celluloid. According to him, “It’s a concept album that tells a narrative story through its 13 songs”. The Broadway version of the album, American Idiot: The Musical, hits Broadway on April 20.

That isn’t much of a departure from what theatreperson Rahul Pulkeshi is busy doing. Through a musical titled Bringing Down The Walls, he’s picked strands of legendary rock act Pink Floyd’s smash-hit album, The Wall, and used it as a character in the play’s script. “Through the play, we wish to speak about issues affecting the society today. The album adds, just like any other character on stage, takes the story forward,” he said.

Besides that breezy change, a few critically-acclaimed films are also being turned into ‘livelier’ theatrical productions. The Keira Knightley-starrer Oscar-winning film, Atonement, for one, is being made into an opera. Complete with musical routines, the war saga will be given a dramatic change, claim reports.

Closer home, filmmaker Mira Nair’s Monsoon Wedding is being fine-tuned to debut as a Broadway musical. In an interview to HT City, the director said, “The musical will be different from the film. It will have 12 songs and will be more colourful and buoyant,” said Nair. Well, ABBA was right; without a song or a dance we’re really nothing.