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Adam's Hitchhiker's Guide stories were originally radio plays Larry Send a noteboard - 31/01/2010 06:16:42 PM
A few questions that I hope will provoke some discussion/mild debates/large-scale arguments/huge flame wars to scorch the very coding of this site.

So.

Are there any sci-fi or fantasy ( or if you prefer, "speculative fiction" ) musicals? Doesn't the concept seem fairly ludicrous? Can you think of any sf/f theater--or for that matter, cinema--that could possibly be taken seriously? There are a few old movies, like 2001: A Space Odyssey. But really, can you think of any made after, say, 1990?


Musicals are something I tend to actively avoid, but I suppose a (weak) case could be made for The Rocky Horror Picture Show, even if much of it is audience-driven As for SF theater, well, there were the Adams' radio plays from the late 70s/early 80s. Hard to say with cinema, since so many movies have adopted SFnal concepts into their narrative frameworks and I don't feel like opening that can of worms right now, since I should be busy reading lit journals

Why do you think sf/f is largely not taken seriously? And why do you think it transfers so poorly to other media, given that so much of the theater's established classics have elements of the fantastic?


It's taken quite seriously by investors. They like to make money off of it and have, scads in fact. How well it transfers is up to each individual reader, though.

And no, A Midsummer Night's Dream is not "fantasy." Actually discuss the failings of the genre; don't try to co-opt other works into it.


Loaded question, discussing the "failings" of a marketing group that has only existed for three-quarters of a century, during a time in which the importance of theater has declined?

EDIT: Chatting with someone about this has made it apparent my question isn't clear. In short, why aren't sf/f plays or musicals written, if the genre is deep? I'd prefer for the discussion to be limited to 20th century works and later, since I foresee anything else deteriorating rapidly into arguments for the inclusion of Homer's Iliad into the corpus of fantasy.


Much as I love theater performances, not much is being produced that's new, especially that which would be available outside of NYC.
Illusions fall like the husk of a fruit, one after another, and the fruit is experience. - Narrator, Sylvie

Je suis méchant.
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Obviously I have musicals on the brain. Ghavrel - 31/01/2010 06:36:33 AM 812 Views
Musicals are tricky things to do LadyLorraine - 31/01/2010 07:57:44 AM 548 Views
If sf/f relies on effects, then it doesn't deserve respect. Ghavrel - 31/01/2010 08:04:10 AM 663 Views
I'm not saying it can be done or relies on effects. I'm just saying it might be tricky LadyLorraine - 31/01/2010 06:40:44 PM 528 Views
Dr. Horribles' Sing A Long Blog MightyYT - 31/01/2010 08:37:37 AM 558 Views
I think so. Darth_Katie - 31/01/2010 04:25:27 PM 509 Views
There is a musical episode of buffy.... jh - 31/01/2010 09:50:22 AM 649 Views
The board ends up being about books, but it's actually titled "Sci-Fi & Fantasy." Ghavrel - 31/01/2010 07:23:45 PM 549 Views
Yes, but the site is read and find out. Maybe you should go to listen and find out? *NM* jh - 31/01/2010 07:28:19 PM 234 Views
Tell that to the games board. *NM* Ghavrel - 31/01/2010 07:50:53 PM 224 Views
Which is an interesting example. jh - 02/02/2010 06:41:08 AM 580 Views
Very silly. Less silly, though, when you consider the lack of a Theater/Musicals board. *NM* Ghavrel - 02/02/2010 07:00:00 AM 256 Views
Very interesting question. lord-of-shadow - 31/01/2010 12:19:51 PM 762 Views
Adam's Hitchhiker's Guide stories were originally radio plays Larry - 31/01/2010 06:16:42 PM 660 Views
Which in turn reminds me of the infamous War of the Worlds radio broadcast with Orson Welles... *NM* Legolas - 31/01/2010 06:36:32 PM 221 Views
Nonsense. Ghavrel - 31/01/2010 07:22:25 PM 540 Views
I feel like I'm a broken record, telling you to re-read what I actually said Larry - 31/01/2010 08:40:17 PM 544 Views
Yes, well, it was a fairly weak defense when you started using it. Ghavrel - 31/01/2010 09:23:49 PM 648 Views
I think you're underestimating the number of theater fans LadyLorraine - 31/01/2010 10:00:52 PM 564 Views
I'd have to agree with you - it has become more of a niche. Legolas - 31/01/2010 10:16:02 PM 557 Views
I think cinema has outstripped theater more than theater has declined. Ghavrel - 31/01/2010 10:28:06 PM 464 Views
I don't know, I've seen a theater adaptation of The Hobbit, for instance... Legolas - 31/01/2010 10:11:47 PM 591 Views
Not quite sure what I was thinking about cinema either. My defense was that it was 3 in the morning. Ghavrel - 31/01/2010 10:26:03 PM 497 Views
Good excuse. Legolas - 31/01/2010 10:39:13 PM 691 Views
Yes it is. Ghavrel - 01/02/2010 02:25:44 AM 738 Views
I would definitely count Little Shop of Horrors among some sort of sf/f mold. Cockatiel of Doom - 01/02/2010 12:56:40 AM 705 Views
Definitely. But again, it's campy and ludicrous. Ghavrel - 01/02/2010 02:25:00 AM 602 Views
Well, of course. That's what makes it awesome. Cockatiel of Doom - 01/02/2010 04:57:07 AM 598 Views
Re: Well, of course. That's what makes it awesome. Ghavrel - 01/02/2010 07:58:32 AM 584 Views
There are tons of them ranagrande - 01/02/2010 08:37:35 AM 732 Views
Good point. Ghavrel - 01/02/2010 10:28:07 PM 660 Views
Repo! The Genetic Opera, both the play and the film were great. = Rocky-Horror + Bladerunner *NM* Bookwyrm - 02/02/2010 12:41:31 AM 280 Views
It is 19th century and it is opera . . . .. dadof5 - 02/02/2010 06:55:28 PM 654 Views
Return to the Forbidden Planet smaug - 06/02/2010 10:45:49 AM 735 Views
Yes, Wicked does. *NM* Ghavrel - 07/02/2010 04:19:56 AM 223 Views
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