Did you know that the first plays were made as far back as the 5th Century, and musicals have been around for 2,500 years? There have been many plays and musicals throughout the many years of their existence. But what about movies based on plays? Today I will tell you about some plays that were turned into movies.

Cats is about a tribe of cats called the Jellicles at the yearly Jellicle ball to see who will ascend into the Heaviside Layer and be reborn into a new life. The play was made in 1981. And the movie was released in 2020. The main difference is that the play is mainly in one room while the movie is in many different locations in London.

The plot of Annie is that she is a little orphan girl that ends up in a luxurious life. The play was released in 1977, but the play was based on a comic strip that was made in 1924. The movie was released in 1982. The movie mainly follows the same plot except for a few little changes; the main difference being the end of the film where Annie does end up being kidnapped by Rooster and Lily instead of them being caught.

West Side Story is about the rivalry between two different teenage street gangs named the Jets and the Sharks. The play was released in 1957. While the most recent movie was released in 2021. The biggest difference between the two is that the character Doc isn’t in the 2021 version who is replaced by the character Valentina.

Chicago follows the story of Roxie Hart. She’s a wannabe vaudevillian star who murders her lover and gets arrested, while also trying to convince her husband to lie for her. The play was released in 1926, and the movie was released in 2002. There aren’t any big differences between the two, the movie sticks to the play and really doesn’t change much.

Some of these movies I didn’t realize were plays, like West Side Story. There are other plays that didn’t make the list like Romeo and Juliet, and The Crucible. If you are looking to watch some musicals for free, you can watch them on Youtube, or BroadwayHd for 12.99 per month.