Remember that time when Hasbro and Lionsgate partnered up and were in the process of trying to make a movie based on the board game MONOPOLY…? Oh, wait… That's still happening, isn't it? Geez… Some terrible ideas just will never die. But, if you were ready to pull out whatever hair you have left at the absurdity of that concept, you'd better save some for the current moment… 'cause things are about to get more WTF around here.
How WTF, you ask? MONOPOLY: THE MUSICAL on Broadway WTF…
That's right… MONOPOLY: THE MUSICAL is set to be the first of a series of stage projects emerging from the new tag team of Hasbro and the Araca Group, a producing and merchandising company. And while that may cause your face to meet your palm with the quickness, think about the fact that this is just the first. First means there's going to be a second, which means there are plans for more live theater centered around Hasbro properties. Oh yeah… They're really serious about this.
The new partnership between Hasbro and Araca will dig into Hasbro’s library for inspiration for stage fare across all theater markets, including Broadway, national tours, amusement parks and cruise ships, as well as licensed content created for use by high schools, colleges and community theaters.
Where's a table when I badly need to flip something?
Don't worry though… We'll all feel better about this when we realize that what they're doing sounds nothing like MONOPOLY at all and more like an open invitation to slap the brand name on whatever they hell they want in the hopes of suckering rubes into the Orchestra section to pay New York City prices.
'I can tell you this: It’s not going to be a musical about people sitting around playing Monopoly,' said Matthew Rego of the Araca Group. 'What turns us on is creating something that explores the world of Monopoly, kind of like the Lego movies have done with Legos.'
Why couldn't it have just been one bad movie that we would ultimately forget even existed? Who had to push the envelope to the next level?
Place your wagers on what might follow MONOPOLY… You know it's bound to be worse, unless the asteroid hits before then.