“There is nothing new under the sun.” These words have never seemed more true when looking at how closely intertwined Broadway and Hollywood have become. There has always been a bevy of story sharing between the two venues, but lately its getting hard to see a distinction. You have Broadway classics like Rent, Chicago, Annie, and Nine turning up on the silver screen, while Disney cartoons and other films get translated to the stage. I never really thought about the negatives of this until today when a top ranked team of Broadway creatives announced that in 2011 they will be debuting a musical version of the 2000 film “Bring It On!”
While I must admit I did enjoy the first movie, (I still remember the opening cheer by heart) I fear that this concept will not translate successfully to the stage. This could be just the knee-jerk reaction of annoyance and pain that I feel, every time another straight-to-dvd Bring it sequel rears its ugly head (four sequels and counting); but I have this overwhelming feeling that when you combine the campy feeling of the movie with the more pushed acting of a Broadway stage you will end up with an over-the-top disaster.
Now I could be wrong. It’s possible that the witty fun of the original cheer movie will work well in this medium. The dance sequences could be interesting, although like the infamous Spaky said, “Cheerleaders are dancers who have gone retarded.” But perhaps the brilliance of the stage could lend a little magic to the piece. Maybe those bright lights will make the jazz fingers jazzier, the pom-poms shake faster, and the spanky-pants… well whoever’s in costuming better have an affinity for spandex. Or this whole production could flub on the dismount and land flat on its face!
