Iconic Brit author Helen Fielding is in the process of developing her popular book Bridget Jones's Diary into a stage musical. UK news website The Times Online reported that Fielding would be adapting the book-turned-film as a show in the vein of the West End smash Billy Elliot. Fielding told The Times “I’ve been doing it for two years, and writing the songs.”
The bad news about Fielding’s foray into Julie Taymor territory is that it’s all too representative of the current ubiquity of movies turned plays. It’s difficult to fend off the sinking feeling that the stage, once considered the epitome of creativity and expression, is becoming every bit as unoriginal as its constantly cribbing celluloid counterpart. The good news about Fielding’s contribution to this trend is the refreshing fact that movies turned musicals are rarely as terrible as they sound. Hairspray, The Lion King and the above mentioned Billy Elliott all translated into positively reviewed hits. So maybe the theatre hasn’t lost all of its inventiveness; its simply mastered the art of ripping things off creatively.
