Why there should be no adaptation (to regain the funniest parts of the original movie upon which the musical had been adapted)mystifies me. There are funny moments in it. Nathan Lane does have talent. A few of the musical numbers that are new to the Broadway play do have their charms. All in all, though, it doesn't have the power that the original had. This for a couple of reasons. 1st, Zero Mostel. There is no replacing him in this role...by anyone (the same goes for Gene Wilder as the other half of the team). 2nd, the structure, which had been changed from the movie to work on the stage, doesn't do service to the original idea. The 1968 movie exploited the relationships much better; it had a cohesiveness in structure that the Broadway play doesn't have at all - even if you forgive it having made certain changes for the stage. The biggest problem is having Franz Liebkind as the star instead of L.S.D. This wipes out the whole 3rd act charm of having Franz fuel the lunatic, destructive climax. The second biggest problem is to not have the scene in the bar across the street where the producers discover that their play was a hit. The third is having Uma Thurman's role extended into one of some meaning. This destroys the buddy element of the original screenplay - and this is a big problem since it meant that there is no real relationship at all in the story. There isn't one between Max or Leo and there isn't one worth anything between Leo and Uma's character.
It's not a total loss. It's amusing but it could be easily ignored and nothing would be missed. The 1968 picture can't be bettered - and if it's changed too much, it can't be swallowed.
It's not a total loss. It's amusing but it could be easily ignored and nothing would be missed. The 1968 picture can't be bettered - and if it's changed too much, it can't be swallowed.