Bad Ideas for Musicals, #223

An old feature here at Playgoer, now brought back by an eye-catching headline:

Elton John and Lee Hall Working on a New Musical Based on Orwell's "Animal Farm"

Yes, ever read Orwell and feel all that was missing was...well, a little Elton John?

I actually like Billy Elliott quite a bit--not so much for John's somewhat generic score, but for its vitality as modern-day labor musical. (Not the reason for its success, perhaps.)  But still John helps it along because of his pop sensibility for what is, in the best sense, a populist story.

So, please, Sir Elton, stay away from cold war political allegories of anthropomorphised barnyard critters.

Unless, of course, it's a commission for Rush Limbaugh's next wedding.