Book Vs Movie Podcast Margo Donohue

Book Vs. Movie: Kinky Boots
The True Story Behind the 2005 Movie & 2013 Broadway Musical (and the 2019 movie!)

The “Month of Musicals” concludes with Kinky Boots, the true story of a footwear company in Earls Barton, North Hamptonshire, UK--WJ Brooks. The factory was in Steve Pateman’s family for decades when in the 1990s, they started losing money to the cheaper, faster competition. Pateman appeared on BBC’s Trouble at the Top documentary showing how his company switched to creating boots for transvestites who needed more security when they stood in high heels. The collection expanded to “kink wear,” dubbed “Kinky Boots” by the BBC producers, and the story took off.

In 2005, director Julian Jarrold and writers Geoff Deane and Tim Firth brought the story to life (unfortunately, the factory had to close in 2000.) Joel Edgerton plays Charlie Price (the Steve Patemen substitute), and Chiwetel Ejiofor’s Lola is an amalgam of several drag queens that were customers of WJ Brooks's “Divine, Provider, and Lady Provider” brands.

The film has an amazing soundtrack, and Ejiofor was nominated for a Golden Globe.
Harvey Fierstein wrote the book for the musical with legendary talent Cyndi Lauper creating the music and lyrics before its debut in Chicago in 2013. The production would go on to be a smash Broadway hit, earning six Tony Awards and with productions around the world.

The Margos debate between the film and the musical to try and decide which we like more!

In this ep the Margos discuss:
The backstory of the movieThe theme of drag in popular culture and how it is being weaponized currentlyThe cast of the 2005 film: Joel Edgerton (Charlie Price,) Chiwetel Ejiofor (Lola,) Sarah-Jane Potts (Lauren,) Jemima Rooper (Nicola,) Nick Frost (Don Burton,) Linda Bassett (Melanie,) Robert Pugh (Harold Price,) and Ewan Hooper as George.The cast of the original 2013 Broadway show: Stark Sands (Charlie Price,) Billy Porter (Lola,) a...

Book Vs. Movie:
La Cage Aux Folles & The Birdcage

The Original Film and Broadway Musical Vs. the 1996 Film

The “Month of Musicals” continues with the 1996 film The Birdcage, which took its influence from the play turned into Broadway musical La Cage Aux Folles. The original 1973 french play takes place in Saint-Tropez, where a gay couple meets an ultra-conservative family member. It was a huge hit in Paris, playing for over a year in 1973, and was made into a film in 1978.

Originally written by Jean Poiret, the original played in Paris for over 1800 performances with Poiret and Michell Serrault as the leads Georges and Albin, aka “Zaza.” The 1978 film had Italian actor Ugo Tognazzi as the lead playing Renato Baldi to Serrault’s Albin. It played to art houses across America. Poiret wanted to film the American version of the film, so he refused to sell the rights to the play but had no problem selling it as a musical.

Grease producer Allan Carr helped bring the project to Broadway as a musical, with Harvey Fierstein writing the book. Jerry Herman (Hello Dolly & Mame) was a revered lyricist and songwriter who provided the music. Director Arthur Laurents helped to make the 1983 production a massive success, with the song “I Am What I Am” becoming a gay anthem.

It’s important to remember what the culture was like in 1984, and having a gay married couple running a drag nightclub being the protagonists was a huge deal in the Queer community. The idea that 40 years later, we have to fight ugly stereotypes about gay people and drag culture is dispiriting, but we are allies who will sing the work's praises. AND point out the hypocrisy happening in the news cycles today.

The original production won the 1984 Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Book, Best Original Score, and in 2004, Best Revival of a Musical. (And in 2010 as well!)
No less than comedy powerhouses Elaine May and Mike Nichols wrote and directed the 1996 filmed nonmusical adaptation, which stars Robin Williams and Nathan Lane as Arman and Albert Goldman. They run the most popular club in Miami and live with their housekeeper Agador (Hank Azaria). Their son Val (ugh--this character is the one bad spot in an otherwise joyous film) wants to marry his college girlfriend. Still, her parents are...

Book Vs. Movie: Hairspray
The 1988 John Waters Movie Vs. the 2007 Adaptation
“Musicals in March”

The Margos continue their look at “Musicals in March” with the John Waters classic Hairspray, which started with the 1988 movie starring Rikki Lake, Divine, and Debby Harry. Based on his experiences of being a fan of the 1957-1964 Baltimore teen dance TV program--The Buddy Deane Show, Waters was a huge fan of R&B music. On the Buddy Deane show, the dancers were integrated, unlike Dick Clark’s American Bandstand, which was based out of Philadelphia at the same time.

Baltimore Magazine April 1985 by John Waters "Ladies & Gentleman: The Nicest Kids in Town!”

Being a self-described “Super Fan” of the show, the director has a well-known career as an avant-garde-loving and bizarre artist who loves things that are in bad taste. His interest in something as wholesome as Buddy Deane made him think about writing a more accessible film about a group of teen dancers/local TV stars who fight racism and oppression with their love of music and dance.

Given a modest budget of $2.8 million, the film was a box office hit, and the critics loved this new era of John Waters with even bigger hits in the 90s Cry-Baby & Serial Mom. Waters continues to write and direct his work and is very popular as an actor who appears in everything from Law & Order to The Marvelous Mrs. Maisles.

In 2002, the musical version premiered in Seattle with music and lyrics from Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman and the book by Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan. Hit is not a big enough word for this adaptation's success in the 2000s. It won eight Tony Awards (including Best Musical) in 2003 and broke all box office records in London’s West End in 2008.

The 2007 movie was directed by Adam Shankman and stars John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer, and a...

Book Vs. Movie: Hedwig and the Angry Inch
The 1999 Off-Broadway Musical Vs. the 2001 Movie“Musicals in March”

The Margos kick off “Musicals in March 2023” with one of the best rock musicals based on a gender-bending lead c character--Hedwig and the Angry Inch created by multi-hyphenates John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask.

Created in the late 1990s Off-Broadway, is the tale of misfit Hedwig Robinson who began life as Hansel Schmidt in Germany and became a famous-ish rocker in middle America.

On her way to stardom, she interacts with the audience, talking about her life and how she wound up with an “Angry Inch.”

The musical was a massive hit in 1998, starting with various music as its center and gradually becoming an original soundtrack--Hedwig was THE cool show to see on Jane Street in the late 90s.

Mitchell wrote and directed the film adaptation in 2001, and Hedwig remains a popular show with none other than Neil Patrick Harris filling her shoes on Broadway.
Between the original and the adaptation, which did we prefer? Have a listen to find out!
In this ep the Margos discuss:
The backstory of Hedwig and her creatorsMusicals on Broadway in the late 1990sDirector John Cameron MitchellThe cast: John Cameron Micthell (Hedwig,) Miriam Shor (Yitzhak,) Stephen Trask (Skszp,) Andrea Martin (Phillis Stein,) Michael Pitt (Tommy Speck) and Alberta Watson as Hedwig Schmidt.
Clips used:
Hedwig introduces “Wicked Little Town.”Hedwig and the Angry Inch 2001 trailer“Wig in a Box’Neil Patrick Harris in 2014Tommy and Hedwig drive in NYCMusic: Tear Me Down by Hedwig and the Angry Inch
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Book Vs. Movie:
BlacKkKlansman
The True Story Ron Stallworth

The Margos visit the world of nonfiction with the too-nutty-to-not-be-true story of retired police officer Ron Stallworth who in the late 1970s infiltrated the Kuy Klux Klan in Colorado Springs, Colorado. On his journey, he met racists throughout the region who were not precisely clever but had designs of terrorizing nonwhites and Jewish people. After his assignment, he transferred to work at the Utah Department of Safety--never speaking about the job until after retirement.

His 2014 book Black Klansman: A Memoir explains how and why he joined the Colorado “Organization” and how it felt to be the only person of color on the police force. We also learn how the KKK planned to bomb gay bars and cross-burnings throughout Colorado Springs. During his recruitment process, Stallworth spoke with the Grand Wizard, David Duke, and even took a photo with the noted racist creep.

Director & screenwriter Spike Lee and producer Jordan Peele adapted the memoir into a 2018 film starring John David Washington, Adam Driver, and Topher Grace that won wide praise was a box office hit and earned Lee an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. This is a case of taking real life and creating an audacious and funny story.
Between the memoir and the adaptation, which did we prefer? Have a listen to find out!


In this ep the Margos discuss:
The real story of Ron Stallworth and his police undercover activitiesDavid Duke and the KKK in the 70s & 80sDirector Spike Lee and his workThe cast: John David Washington (Ron Stallworth,) Adam Driver (Flip Zimmerman,) Laura Harrier (Patrice Dumas,) Corey Hawkins (Kwame Ture,) Topher Grace (David Duke,) Jasper Paakkonen (Felix Kendrickson,) Ryan Eggold (Walter Breachway,) Ashlie Atkinson (Connie Kendrickson,) and Corey Hawkins as Kwame Ture.
Clips used:
The KKK calls RonBlacKkKlansman trailerStokely Carmichael/Kwame Ture (played by Corey Hawkins)David Duke finally “meets” Ron over the phoneSidney Poitier as Jerome Truner“Ron” gets his picture...

Book Vs. Movie:
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
The August Wilson Play Vs. the 2021 Movie

Pittsburgh native August Wilson (1945-2005) is one of the most successful playwrights of the 20th Century; with a collection of works that came to be known as The Pittsburgh Cycle, he won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama twice in his career and was inducted into American Theater Hall of Fame in 2006. His 1984 work Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is the subject of today’s episode.

Gertrude Pridgett (Ma Rainey’s birth name) was dubbed the “Mother of the Blues” for her outrageous stage presence and ability to hold audiences in her trance. The Blues being one of America’s native art forms, the combination of the gospel with jazz music enticed the world with the earliest recordings featuring African American culture and is revered to this day. Rainey learned the ropes of show business through her husband “Pa Rainey” and was a mentor to a young Bessie Smith.

Wilson’s 1984 play is a fictional account of Rainey attending a recording of her work at a Chicago studio in 1927. By this time in her career, her known toughness and business acumen were legendary, and when she takes center stage in the story--it's hard to take your eyes off her. The studio musicians (Levee, Toledo, Cutler, and Slow Drag) watch her handle recording executives getting rich from her talent. The older group members want to warn young Levee of the harsh realities of the early 20th-century world.

The 2021 film is the final film for Chadwick Boseman, who plays Levee Green, and the Netflix production is dedicated to his memory. Viola Davis plays the role of Ma Rainey with a fierceness that emanates throughout the movie.
Between the original play and the adaptation, which did we prefer?
In this ep the Margos discuss:
August Wilson’s careerThe significance of “The Pittsburgh Cycle.”Denzel Washington taking the work of August Wilson to HBOThe cast: Viola Davis (Ma Rainey,) Maxayn Lewis (Ma Rainey singing voice,) Chadwick Boseman (Levee Green,) Glynn Turman (Toledo,) Colman Domingo (Cutler,) Michael Potts (Slow Drag,) Johnny Coyne (Mel Sturdyvant,) Taylour Paige (Dussie Mae,) Jeremy Shamos (Irvin,) and Dusan Brown as Sylvester.
Clips used:
Ma needs her...