The news that Glee creator Ryan Murphy has purchased the rights to Funny Girl, which jetted Barbra Streisand to stardom in the 1960s, and has talked with Lea Michele about her starring in a real Broadway revival, as opposed to the fictional production depicted on Glee, made us think about some of the great fictional musicals of the past.
Here, in no particular order and with no scientific selection criteria whatsoever, are Classicalite's Five Best made-up musicals that popular culture has (or hasn't) presented us with.
Red, White and Blaine
Who could forget "A Penny for Your Thoughts," "Nothing Ever Happens on Mars" and especially "Stool Bloom" from the 1996 comedy Waiting for Guffman? "Working, making…never stopping, never sleeping." With songs by Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer, the movie and its fake musical may be the funniest sendup of community theater ever.
Bombshell
Far and away the best element of the late, unlamented TV bomb Smash was this fake musical based on the life of Marilyn Monroe. Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman's songs and the production numbers devised to put them across had authentic pizzazz. It's too bad the TV show itself could never gin up any.
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