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I Preferred the Movie Over the Live TV Adaption

posted 7 years ago by radrobd
21 replies | jump to latest

Granted, both the movie and TV adaption were based on the Broadway musical (which was based on the original non-musical film), but the movie was better in my opinion. I'm sure they had to change a lot of the musical to flesh out the story in the movie, but I think it works better. The story had Velma getting fired at the end, Amber losing Miss Hairspray to Inez (who played a minor incidental part in the TV adaption, like why bother). In the movie, Corny pushed for integrating the show, while Velma's racism wasn't so blatant. Kristen Chenoweth could sing better than Michelle Pfeiffer, but she Pfeiffer was the better actress fully fleshing out Velma, instead of making her so one-dimensional.

As for Edna, I didn't particularly buy Travolta as a large woman, but Fierstein couldn't sing so that kind of killed it.

I thought the new girl Maddie B. did a good job as Tracy. Dove was good as Amber.

Garrett Clayton didn't quite hit the mark as Link. Link is supposed to be every girl's dream, but Clayton's Link seemed to prefer the company of men (not that there's anything wrong with it), but he just didn't work as the romantic lead.

Derek Hough was okay as Corny, but I preferred James Marsden.

Arianna's a better singer than Amanda Bynes, but her voice grated on me. Amanda was the better actress.

I liked Jennifer as Motormouth Maybelle, but she seemed too young for the role and not quite as big to sing "Big, Blonde and Beautiful."

They cut out the song, "New Girl in Town," for the TV adaption as well as the scene when Velma tried to seduce Wilbur and Edna catches them.

[–] bthrock 7 years ago

Cutting "New Girl in Town" is worth it if that's what allowed them to restore "Mama I'm a Big Girl Now."

[–] poppyviolet 7 years ago

radrobd, I'm with you. I thought this show was ok, but I doubt that I'd ever watch it again whereas I have both movie versions and can watch them again and again. It had its' good points but....I'll stick with the other versions.

[–] velcronewsletter 7 years ago

agreed. that's one of my favourites and i was glad to see it in this version

[–] rainbowclimbinghigh 7 years ago

I thought that the scene where Velma tries to seduce Wilbur wasn't in the stage show. I thought it was written for the movie.

[–] BestOfAllPossible 7 years ago

The scene and song you mention as being cut were actually additions to the movie which weren't a part of the original stage musical. So, since this TV production was more faithful to the stage production it simply didn't include those elements. But they weren't cut since they weren't part of the show to begin with.

[–] radrobd 7 years ago

The scene and song you mention as being cut were actually additions to the movie which weren't a part of the original stage musical. So, since this TV production was more faithful to the stage production it simply didn't include those elements. But they weren't cut since they weren't part of the show to begin with.

Incorrect. "The New Girl in Town" was originally a song featured in the play.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hairspray_(musical)#Musical_numbers

Hairspray went through several revisions before and during its pre-Broadway run in Seattle, in the process eliminating and replacing several musical numbers.

After Tracy eventually made it on the show, there was a song "The New Girl in Town", which was sung first by the Council girls and later by the black Girls. Although later cut early during the Seattle tryout, it was included in the 2007 film and appears in the show’s instrumental score.

[–] BestOfAllPossible 7 years ago

But it had been cut from the play before it ever got to Broadway. So it wasn't cut from the TV broadcast as it wasn't a part of the stage play as the writers finalized it. You can't do the song if you were to license the stage version.

[–] radrobd 7 years ago

You stated that they were additions to the movie, making it seem like a new song that was written for the movie (like "Come So Far" which the TV adaption included). As stated in my post, "New Girl in Town" was written for the play, not an addition to the movie as you indicated.

[–] fortifarse 7 years ago

That's pure semantics and their intended message is beyond clear...

[–] hoochiemoochie 7 years ago

I agree...and I just finished watching the live version a 2nd time. It's nowhere near as good as the movie.

The worst thing was...you COULDN'T HEAR THEM when they were singing! The only reason I knew what they were saying in almost every song was b/c I am familiar w/the lyrics. It's really embarrassing especially when you think about how they had months to prepare.

Also, I agree with your assessment of each of the cast members. Some were better and some were worse but overall the production was a mess w/mics going out, not turned up loud enough, and unresolved storylines/useless characters.

All I know is that if the live version was a more faithful adaptation of the stage version than the film is, I am glad I know the film version well b/c it is the best adaptation. It flows much better and makes much more sense than this did.

Listen up Fives...a Ten is speaking.

[–] DuckSupreme 7 years ago

I agree with almost all of this-- throughout watching it, all I could think of was how badly I wanted to watch the 2007 film version.

I will say, though, that New Girl in Town WAS included-- for about two seconds, anyway. An instrumental version of it is played as Edna, Wilbur, and Penny watch Tracy be interviewed by Corny when she first appears on the show. It's not much, but I suppose it's no different to what the 2007 film version did to Cooties.

[–] radrobd 7 years ago

I will say, though, that New Girl in Town WAS included-- for about two seconds, anyway. An instrumental version of it is played as Edna, Wilbur, and Penny watch Tracy be interviewed by Corny when she first appears on the show. It's not much, but I suppose it's no different to what the 2007 film version did to Cooties.

I didn't like Cooties. I get that Amber was mean-spirited, but she I can't buy that she would be openly mocking Tracy during her dance. Her dance was supposed to be about her - impressing viewers to vote for her and getting the attention of the talent scouts. I just find it silly that she would risk all that to make fun of Tracy. Consider Velma's "Miss Baltimore Crabs" song. Even though she screwed the judges to win, Velma made it seem like she tried her best and outdid the other girls with her talent and didn't need to resort to putting them down to win.

[–] DuckSupreme 7 years ago

I also disliked Cooties (I loved what they did in the 2007 film, just playing the instrumental) for that reason. However, in the film they did have Amber make disparaging comments about Tracy live on air, so it wouldn't have been completely out of character for her to sing it during the Miss Hairspray competition. (I can't remember if she insulted Tracy on air in the musical-- it's been years since I saw it. Perhaps some else remembers if this was done?)

As for Velma, I agree that she probably tried to her best and didn't put down her competitors, though that was likely not due to some moral code of hers, but rather because it would have been an optics nightmare.

[–] radrobd 7 years ago

Yes, in the 2007 movie, Amber did make some disparaging comments about Tracy (when Corny suggested that Tracy could be a candidate for Miss Teenage Hairspray, Amber said you're supposed to vote for a person, not the Himalayas). BUT... it's one thing to make a quick one second quip about Tracy on air, but quite another to sing an entire song and dance about Tracy. Like I said, it just seems out of character that Amber would risk it all just to berate Tracy - and further more that Velma would allow it.

[–] gcarras 7 years ago

Cooties WAS sung, however, in the end credits as the final song in the 2007 film. Very good song nonetheless!!

"And that's SHOWBIZ--kid."-Roxie Hart.
PROFILE PIC:Courtney Thorne-Smith.
MAGIC=Sarah Silverman.

[–] kerrydragon 7 years ago

I also liked this movie much better,and liked John Travolta as Edna.His character was warm and sweet,harvey was hard,and scary and a beast,really bad casting.

[–] BestOfAllPossible 7 years ago

Bad casting? Tony Award winning bad casting?

[–] velcronewsletter 7 years ago

^ this

[–] kerrydragon 7 years ago

Ditto,Editing done thanks

[–] smeth 7 years ago

I just watched the 2007 movie again after seeing the Live! version 3(?)times. While it definitely contributes things a stage version can't do, some of it like Velma tying to seduce Wilbur, seemed like filler. I suppose with names like Travolta (top billing!)Pfeiffer and Walken they felt obliged to write more scenes for them. What really burns me is what they did to You Can't Stop The Beat. I liked Inez winning the title, but there's sooo much going on. All the extra dialog, Tracy in the battering ram, Tracy in the rocket, Amber in the rocket, Amber falling out of the rocket, Velma cheating and getting filmed, the whole scene seems long... and slightly messy. Besides, it kind of ruins the song.

[–] matthieus2 7 years ago

Things I didn't really like in the 2007 movie that I think the stage and live version did better were:
- Not including Mama I'm a Big Girl Now, It Takes Two and Good Morning Baltimore (Reprise). I wasn't so fussed about Cooties either.

- I felt the likes of Big, Blonde and Beautiful, I Can Hear the Bells, Without Love, and You Can't Stop the Beat seemed to have more purpose and power in the stage and live version.
I didn't really like that in the movie Big, Blonde and Beautiful seemed to just be a song Motormouth was singing at the party, rather than integrating with the march and fighting for equality. I understand they saved that for I Know Where I've Been though.
I also preferred I Can Hear the Bells as the stage and live version as more a dream sequence.
I liked the beginning of You Can't Stop the Beat in the 2007 movie but I felt elements such as Edna and Penny's transformations were lost. I understand maybe they felt Prudy reconciling with Penny and Velma and Amber being included would've been too cheesy perhaps in the movie.

- I didn't like that in the 2007 movie Tracy runs away rather than goes to prison. I think they could've done it like the live version with just Tracy being arrested. I thought it didn't seem like Tracy to run away. I can understand I don't think it would've worked on screen to make it realistic with all the women being arrested so I didn't really mind the lack of Big Dollhouse in the movie and live version.

- I'm on the fence with John Travolta's Edna. I understand maybe they felt a more toned down, timid Edna would work on screen rather than a drag, sort of pantomime role. However seeing Harvey Fierstein's Edna in the live version made me think it could've worked and was more like John Waters' style.

Things I preferred in the 2007 movie were:

- Little Inez winning. I do find the stage and live versions a bit cheesy with Tracy winning and everyone uniting, but I understand it makes sense and is fulfilling for Tracy to win. But I also thought it was more unexpected with Inez winning and definitely integrates the show, and seems very "Tracy" for someone else to win.

- I think certain dialogue was better. "I'm a bad, bad girl who needs to be punished", "Was your Mom in the navy?", "I want that chubby communist girl off the show!"

- The inclusion of Negro Day and The New Girl in Town.

- I sort of like Tracy's transformation in You Can't Stop the Beat. I thought her hair being straight seemed like a nod to the 1988 Hairspray, and her dress looking sort of 70's I thought emphasis Tracy as being ahead of her time.

- Amber seeming more toned down. I don't think her running off screaming would've worked so well in the 2007 movie. I did think Amber didn't seem as mean in the movie though but seemed to suffer a lot, being hit in the face and falling out the rocket.