re: Jim's Lost Projects | |
Posted by: |
steven_stuart 03:55 pm UTC 05/07/21 |
In reply to: | Jim's Lost Projects - rockfenris2005 03:08 pm UTC 05/07/21 |
Wow Ryan. You really are The Historian. Like JD said the other day, your work is important. I guess it is sad that The Dream Engine didn't become the big New York hit that Joe Papp said it would be but I don't really see it as lost because to me it is very famous. As long as people remember Jim, they will be checking it out. As for Whistle Down The Wind, I am really surprised that it never played Broadway (didn't it get great reviews in Washington?) and I didn't know that there were plans for Spielberg to direct a movie version until I read below. Yikes. What would that have been like? It really is a shame about the Batman musical. We need your site back. > From a write-up I did a while ago. I thought you might > find this interesting. I'm sure I'm overlooking > something. > > Quote: > > The Dream Engine, New York production: after Joe Papp from > the New York Shakespeare Festival saw "The Dream Engine" > and signed it up during the intermission, there were > several attempts at productions in New York that never > reached fruition. One version was going to open the Newman > Theater in 1971 with the artistic director Gerald Freedman > leading the show, but this never came about due to > artistic differences between Jim and Gerald, and the > Theater not being ready on time either. Next, it was going > to be a workshop and a full production at the Arena Stage > in Washington D.C. with Richard Pearlman directing, > Michael Kamen as the musical director and Richard Gere in > the role of Baal, which Jim had played at Amherst. The > production ended up being cancelled due to artistic > differences. For a time, Jim and the Robert Stigwood > Organization were negotiating with singer David Bowie to > play the role of Baal, but this never came about either. > In 1974, Jim wrote a new script which he called > "Neverland", and since "Neverland" was the basis of "Bat > out of Hell: The Musical", "The Dream Engine" sort of did > happen in a roundabout way. > > Skin Alley, New York Shakespeare Festival: Jim was > pitching a rock musical futuristic sci-fi version of the > Bertolt Brecht play "The Good Woman of Setzuan" but it > never worked out, since the Brecht estate didn't allow > permission to do this version. Jim had earlier provided > the score for a 1971 production of "The Good Woman of > Setzuan" performed in Massachusetts and directed by Barry > Keating, who had directed and starred as the Historian in > "The Dream Engine" and would work with Jim on various > other projects. > > Titus Andronicus & Arturo Ui: according to the theatre > program for the 1975 production of "Kid Champion", Jim was > working on a musical version of the Shakespeare play > "Titus Andronicus", the most violent Shakespeare play, and > an opera based on Brecht's "Arturo Ui" based on the rise > and fall of Adolf Hitler, but these projects never > eventuated. > > Kid Champion Rock Suite: Jim had written a twenty minute > instrumental rock suite for the 1975 production of "Kid > Champion", which at one point was going to be released as > a recording on Island Records. > > The Confidence Man, New York Shakespeare Festival: Jim's > musical with Ray Errol Fox based on the Herman Melville > novel had been written for the Shakespeare Festival, with > Billy Atherton and Andrea Marcovicci leading the cast and > Leon Russom directing, but this production never went > ahead after various talent kept being snapped up for other > productions at N.Y. Shakespeare Festival. A cabaret > version finally took place at the Manhattan Theatre Club > in 1977, gradually followed by a full production at Queens > College in 1986. > > Neverland, New York Shakespeare Festival: Jim had pitched > his musical "Neverland" to Joe Papp along with a demo tape > of songs but he opted not to produce it. A workshop > version was performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington > D.C. with hopes that it would be done Off-Broadway later > on, but these plans never materialized. > > Ragnarok, musical: Jim and Barry Keating were developing a > new version of their 1973/75 rock musical "Rhinegold" in > the late 1970s with none other than comic king Stan Lee > himself. A concert presentation called "Future Gold" also > took place around this time at the Manhattan Theatre Club > with Andre De Shields, Ellen Foley and Karla DeVito. > > Raiders of the Lost Ark, Score: it is mentioned in the > 1981 Sandy Robertson book "Meat Loaf, Jim Steinman and the > Phenomenology of Excess" that Jim at one point was going > to write the score for the Indiana Jones movie "Raiders of > the Lost Ark". > > Guitar & Stark Raving Love: around the release of Jim's > "Bad for Good" album and Meat's "Dead Ringer", Jim was > working on two films called "Guitar" about the life and > times of a Fender Stratocaster from the years 1954 to 1986 > which would be produced by Warner Brothers, and "Stark > Raving Love", but these films never surfaced. > > Neverland, Screenplay: Jim was developing a screenplay for > "Neverland" to be filmed by CBS Pictures, including songs > from both "Bat" and "Bad for Good". Jim and Meat often > talked about Meat playing the role of Tink, a warrior > deaf-mute version of Tinkerbell. > > Def Leppard, Hysteria album: Jim worked for several months > on the Def Leppard album "Hysteria" but was fired by the > band when the collaboration was not working out. Joe > Elliot from the band has said that he still has the > Steinman tapes. > > Phantom of the Paradise, Musical: in the mid-1980s, Jim > was writing music and lyrics for a musical version of the > Brian De Palma film "Phantom of the Paradise", but for > whatever reason this musical never ultimately went ahead. > A demo in the New York Public Library from 1988 surfaced > in the year 2010, a compilation of various hit Steinman > songs, demos and some new ones which would appear on > Pandora's Box "Original Sin". > > The Phantom of the Opera, Musical: in 1984, Andrew Lloyd > Webber and Jim Steinman spent two weeks working on "The > Phantom of the Opera" musical together, but in the end Jim > was unable to commit due to the next Bonnie Tyler album > "Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire". Jim regards this as > the biggest regret of his career, since "Phantom" became > one of the most successful musicals of all time. > > The Graduate, Musical: in 1988 it was announced that Jim > was writing music and lyrics for a musical version of the > 1960s film "The Graduate", which would be scripted and > directed by Martin Charnin who Jim had worked with on "The > National Lampoon Road Show" in 1975. This musical was > never produced. > > Electric Light Orchestra, Part Two: Jim was involved with > this project at an early stage. A demo version of "Kiss Me > Red" sung by Rory Dodd and produced by Jim has surfaced > from this project on YouTube. > > Paul Stanley, Chrome Heart: Paul Stanley from KISS has > mentioned that he and Jim had written a song together > called "Chrome Heart". > > Lorraine Crosby/Mrs. Loud, Album: around the time of "Bat > out of Hell II" and "I'd do Anything for Love", Jim was > working on an album for singer Lorraine Crosby aka Mrs. > Loud who had performed the female vocal on "Anything for > Love", but this album never surfaced. > > Bat Out Of Hell 2100, Screenplay and Stage Musical: Jim > was working on a new version of "Neverland" called "Bat > Out Of Hell 2100". A demo CD from June 1997 surfaced on > the internet, with songs like "It's All Coming Back To Me > Now", a new version of "All Revved Up With No Place To > Go", a demo of Ellen Foley singing "City Night/Midnight > Serenade" and a version of "Love Duet" from "Tanz der > Vampire" and more, along with a "Neverland Overture" suite > of songs Jim had composed, similar to "Pray Lewd" from > Pandora's Box "Original Sin". A draft of the screenplay > surfaced after the opening of the "Bat out of Hell" > musical, including previously unseen lyrics like "In the > Underbelly of the Beast" and "Designated Angel". This > project was in development as both a film and a stage > show, and the film would have been released by Miramax > Pictures. This time Meat Loaf would play Hook. > > Pandora's Box, Screenplay: Jim wrote a screenplay with > David Rimmer and Ellen Sandhaus called "Pandora's Box" > which was about the lives of a pop group. > > Whistle down the Wind, Screenplay: the Andrew Lloyd Webber > and Jim Steinman musical had begun as a screenplay by > Patricia Knop, which would have been directed by Steven > Spielberg and possibly starring Kirsten Dunst and Johnny > Depp. After Andrew's Sydmonton Festival in 1995, the > project became a stage musical with Harold Prince > directing. > > Total Eclipse of the Heart, Screenplay: Jim had written a > screenplay with Patricia Knop which was a contemporary > version of "Wuthering Heights". This project would > eventually surface in 2003 as the MTV movie "Wuthering > Heights". > > Metal Philharmonic, Orchestral Group: Jim and Andrew Lloyd > Webber were working on a rock orchestral group together > called Metal Philharmonic, which actually performed at the > Sydmonton Festival in 1997, but the only recording from > this project ever to surface is the demo version of "A > Kiss is a Terrible Thing to Waste" released on the 2001 > Andrew Lloyd Webber box set "Now and Forever". > > The Little Prince, American Television Network: Jim was > working in the late 1990s on a musical version of "The > Little Prince" for the American Television Network. > > Neverland and Lulu, Musicals: the theatre program for the > 1998 production of "Whistle down the Wind" mentions that > Jim is working on two musicals called "Neverland" and > "Lulu". "Lulu" is possibly based on the play from Frank > Wedekind which was the basis for the 1920s silent movie > classic "Pandora's Box". > > Batman, Musical: Jim was famously working on a musical > version of "Batman" in the late 1990s and early 2000s, > which at one point was going to be directed by Tim Burton > himself, returning to the franchise after the failure of > the movie "Batman & Robin". This musical never went ahead, > probably due to the collapse of Jim's "Dance of the > Vampires" on Broadway. In 2006, Jim released several demos > on his blog. The songs "In the Land of the Pig the Butcher > is King" and "Not Allowed to Love" were reused in "Bat out > of Hell: The Musical". > > Bat out of Nashville: Jim was planning to produce a > Nashville version of "Bat out of Hell" around the early > 2000s, which would also contain songs from the second "Bat > out of Hell". It would have been released on Restless > Records. > > Frank Wildhorn's The Romantics, CD collection: American > musical theatre composer Frank Wildhorn was developing a > series of mini-musicals on his Atlantic Theatre label > called "The Romantics". Each musical would contain about > three songs each. Jim would have written lyrics for one of > the installments, a version of the 1980s film > "Ladyhawke". > > Karine Hannah, Album: Jim had written and produced several > songs for a 2001 debut album from Canadian singer Karine > Hannah, among them the new song "Braver Than We Are" from > "Tanz der Vampire", but this project never surfaced. The > demos have since leaked. > > Dance of the Vampires, Broadway Cast Recording: the > Broadway cast recording was planned for release on > Interscope Records, but due to the failure of the musical > the recording never went ahead. > > Frenchie Davis: in the theatre program for the 2003 > Hamburg production of "Tanz der Vampire", it is mentioned > that Jim is working with artist Frenchie Davis, but no > such project materialized. > > Cry-Baby, Musical: Jim wrote and recorded several songs > for a musical version of "Cry-Baby", among them "Cry to > Heaven", "Speaking in Tongues" and "I Don't Have Enough > Middle Fingers for You". A "Cry-Baby" musical was > produced, but without Jim's involvement. > > Bat Out Of Hell III, Album: Meat Loaf and Jim would have > reunited a second time for a 2005 release of "Bat Out Of > Hell III: The Last At Bat", preceded by a single in 2004, > all of which would be announced at a press conference in > 2004. This project never went ahead with Jim's > involvement, probably due to a combination of things like > Jim's ill-health and Meat and Jim's managements being > unable to reach an agreement between them. According to > Jim on his blog in July 2006, his version would have > included songs like "We're Still the Children", "Braver > Than We Are", "Paradise Lost", "No Lips, Hands or Butts", > "God has Left the Building", "The Monster is Out of the > Cage", "Cry to Heaven", "The Powers of Darkness" and "What > Part of my Body Hurts the Most". > > Bat Out Of Hell: Conclusions and Climaxes, Album: after > the release of "Bat III", both Meat and Jim talked about a > special album for the 30th called "Conclusions and > Climaxes" which would contain various songs Jim had > intended for "Bat III". > > The Dream Engine, Album: following several live shows in > New York and Connecticut under the name "Over the Top: > Songs by Jim Steinman", this group was formed to record > and perform classic and new songs written by Jim. Several > demo recordings were released online but in the end no > album was released. > > Westlife, Mega Eclipse of the Heart: Jim produced a remix > version of the Westlife cover of "Total Eclipse of the > Heart", but it was never released. The recording leaked > online. > > Excalibur, Musical: Frank Wildhorn's bio in 2006 mentioned > that he was writing a musical called "Excalibur" with > lyrics by Jim and book by Gregory Boyd. This musical was > eventually performed in Switzerland in 2014 but with no > involvement from either Jim or Boyd. > > Nutz, Musical: Jim was working with Terry Jones for a > number on years on a new musical version of the > Tchaikovsky ballet Nutcracker. A reading directed by Terry > Jones took place in New York in 2014. | |
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