The Same Story New Again

       Humanity is keen on the comforts of the familiar. At the same time, we constantly strive to experience something new. This conundrum is especially evident is storytelling. The same themes, tropes, and plot structures are reused throughout history. The key is that the storyteller has to make these old elements fresh with something new for the audience.

     Consider the classic Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare beloved play has been re-imagined for hundreds of years. The star-crossed lovers inspired West Side Story among countless others. The story of the couple doomed by their circumstances has become embedded into our culture so deeply the very mention of the names Romeo and Juliet conjure emotions within us. It seems we never tire of the story.
      That being said, there is a point when the familiar becomes cliche and dull. Perhaps it has been revisited to recently and the appeal is gone or perhaps society at the time doesn't resonate with it. The tricky thing as a storyteller is to feel out the audience and strike when the irons hot, so to speak.
      There is a recent explosion of remakes being made in Hollywood. A new version of Stephan King's It, talk of a Clue remake, and a re-imagining of the cult classic Rocky Horror Picture Show on Fox (perhaps they are huge Tim Curry fans). Not everyone is happy to see these stories redone. Internet backlash aplenty. The Ghostbusters reboot hit theaters to mixed reviews and ultimately didn't live up to the profit demand of the studio who had hoped for an epic pop culture boom mirroring the one the original series created.
       Is Hollywood taking the audience's desire for familiar too far? It's a question worth thinking about. Most of these original titles aren't old enough to be forgotten by the modern audience and many cling to a purist view of the original version. To recreate the story exactly with different actors on a new set will be redundant and boring. Change too much, and the audience may claim the new version ruined the story. It seems a great risk for studios to make when there are hundreds of scripts and books waiting to be brought to the big screen.
       Personally, I think it would only be worth redoing an older classic if it can be revived in a manner that fits the current social climate. Of those I mentioned, I feel the new Rocky Horror may fit the bill. As much as I love the original (I spent many a midnight time warping at the theater), the recent attention to the LGBTQ community gives this particular story a new context. Having the talented Laverne Cox tackle the role of Frankenfurter provides on opportunity for the community to take what was once considered taboo out into the everyday. Or, it could be another remake flop. I guess we will have to wait and see.