With the (hopefully false) rumors circling the mill about Tarantino remaking Russ Myers’ extraordinarily stupendously sensational Faster Pussycat, Kill! Kill! I’ve revisited an idea I had several years ago – I want to create a staged, musical version of the film. Like most of my little projects I didn’t get very far, but when the remake rumors struck and I mentioned the idea to my various friend groups I was met with an overwhelmingly positive response (well, positive considering my usually blasé friends). So it’s back to the drawing board, and in an effort to keep myself focused I’ve chosen to keep track of my progress here.

Note: I did a pretty massive Google check, and can’t find anything similar existing, or in any kind of production. Part of following through on this project is the idea that it’s a novel idea, and part of keeping track of it on a public blog is an effort to prove I had the idea, though I obviously can’t copyright it or anything (considering it’s an adaptation), especially if I never finish.

So far I have the following:

My plan is to set everything up on the cheap. I’ll need only nine actors/singers maximum, and a three or four piece band
(guitar, bass, drums, that’s it) to back them up. The stage wouldn’t need any sets at all, but quick and dirty, 2D, almost Dr. Caligarian backdrops would work best. The chicken race will be a problem, but otherwise the stage could be tiny – the band could even set up off stage in a symphony pit fashion.

The music would need to be simple, and my main influences so far are punk rock and Go-Go, with a Southern Fried slant (though it’ll be hard not to just sound like The Cramps or any of the various rock-a-billy/psycho-billy groups already out there), and perhaps a bit of doo-wop as well. I’m using The Who’s Tommy as my inspiration, as every one of those songs can stand alone as easily as it can stand with the musical (verses and choruses are important to me). It isn’t a rock opera, it’s a rock musical, and there is a difference (or at least there should be). My biggest problem will be originality, but I think the whole thing has to feel period and raunchy, but not too heavy or fast.

I’ve got many friends with amazing, or at least interesting singing voices to help me out. I’ve got loads of ideas, and a bunch of unused riffs sitting on my computer, but I’ve always been pretty bad a writing lyrics. Fortunately I’ve got two things in my favor – the source material is practically sung anyway (in its own little way), and my friend David is the best songwriter I’ve ever met. He’s offered to help, and I’ve taken him up on it. He’s a pretty modest guy, and he probably wouldn’t like me talking him up like this, but he’s got a frickin’ degree in songwriting. Check out his Myspace music page (but don’t look at mine, please, it’s sad, and I haven’t done anything to it in forever).

I’ve also somehow come up with connections to local actors. If I can get a demo together (I’m thinking like a radio play version) then I can start showing it to the right people. I even know people that can work on costumes! So at this point it’s my job to get some songs together (minus lyrics for now) and a script. Does anyone out there have a digital copy of the original script? Adapting from that would be so much easier then stenographering the whole thing from the movie.

I’m working on setting up a website to stick the demos on, and will update this as soon as I get my shit together.

P.S.: If anyone finds any of this interesting feel free to bug me so I stay on task. I don’t think I can possibly explain the shortness of my attention span in human words.