News

Is the World Truly Safe for the Modern Movie Musical?

There have been a heartening number of movie musicals recently, which has led me to wonder where they’ve been for the past thirty years and to worry whether or not the world really is once again safe for a contemporary take on this classic genre.

21 Feb 2007 12:00

Howard Emanuel

[This is archived content and may not display in the originally intended format.]

Television

Although many industry insiders scoff whenever they hear that a new movie musical is being made (the latest being an adaptation of the international stage hit Mama Mia! starring Meryl Streep), most ordinary movie watchers adore the idea of a classic MGM musical. Seeing Frank Sinatra suddenly burst into song or Gene Kelly whirl his way through those self-choreographed Olympian dance numbers led men across the country to believe they, too, could achieve such suavity. And what woman didn’t dream of floating across the floor like Ginger Rogers in the arms of Fred Astaire?

Unlock this content?

Access this content and more

Join Now Login

Howard Emanuel

About the Author

As an actor, Howard Emanuel has appeared across the USA in regional theatres ranging from The Paper Mill Playhouse and The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey to the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera and Houston's Theatre Under The Stars. As a playwright, he has recently completed his first full-length work, Last Supper. As a novelist, his urban fiction manuscript, Naked Angels, is currently being shopped to various publishing houses. He is currently hard at work on his second and third plays. He holds a B.F.A. in Acting from New York University, Tisch School of the Arts.