Universal has brought the classic horror flick Creature From the Black Lagoon to the stage -- not the Broadway stage, mind you. Not even one of the out-of-town tryout venues. No, it has brought it to its Universal Studios Hollywood theme park, although with production values, as Variety puts it, "typically seen on Broadway." The musical (it's subtitled "A Raging Rockin' Show"), the trade paper observes, is intended to stir interest in a new screen version of the 1954 movie being directed by Breck Eisner and due to be released in 2011. But it's also intended to boost attendance at the theme park. Chip Largman, VP of Universal Creative, told Variety that the park "sought out all the experts, including the New York Broadway world, to come up with something that capitalizes on Universal's horror genre and pokes a little fun at ourselves." Variety calls the Black Lagoon production "just the latest example of how Hollywood-backed theme parks are increasingly turning to tuners as a way to attract more tourists."

Friday, July 3, 2009

“THE CREATURE” TO MAKE STAGE DEBUT