Cecil B. DaMusical

John Waters went mainstream in 1988 with Hairspray, a big PG-rated step from his last, the R-rated Polyester (which was itself a sizeable step from Desperate Living), in 1981.

In 2002, the Hairspray musical hit Broadway. A hit, it toured the country, won eight Tony awards out of thirteen nominations, and will open in England in October. On Friday, the movie of the musical of the movie opened well with $27.8 million. Helmed by choreographer-turned-director Adam Shankman (sequel work: Cheaper by the Dozen 2), reviews are generally positive. It should be clear where this is going.

Waters' second mainstream flick was Cry-Baby in 1990. After Hairspray's success as a musical, the conversion efforts began, and the musical will premiere in La Jolla in November. Presumably we can expect a movie of the musical a few years down the road.

Next to hit B'way, by pattern, should be Serial Mom, but a Pink Flamingos musical would be a bigger story and get much more press. All of this poses the two-pronged question: How well could Pink Flamingos clean up?