Why Steven Spielberg Killed The Hook Musical & Where You Can Hear The Lost Songs
When J.M. Barrie created "Peter Pan," he probably didn't anticipate his work inspiring more musicals than almost any other fairy tale ever written. Disney gave the Boy Who Won't Grow Up the animated treatment, and Moose Charlap and Carolyn Leigh (et al.) bolstered the leader of the Lost Boys with a trip to good ol' Broadway, but there's more! "Finding Neverland" (a musical adaptation of the film of the same name), "Peter Pan: A Musical Adventure," and even "Shrek the Musical" all take cues from Barrie's story. This list could have been even longer, too, if Steven Spielberg had committed to his original plan for "Hook." That's right — the 1991 live-action cult classic, starring Robin Williams as a version of Peter Pan who decided to embrace a mortal life, began its journey to the screen as a musical.
Joined by 50-year collaborator John Williams, the musical mind who scored "Jurassic Park" and "Indiana Jones," and Leslie Bricusse, a composer and lyricist whose credits include "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory," Spielberg set out to adapt a story that notably he adored. The team fashioned music that, according to NPR, Bricusse described as "vintage Williams" and Spielberg described as "a home run," so why did so little of it make the final cut? Spielberg and Williams agreed to abandon the musical aspect of "Hook" after witnessing the footage from a fully choreographed pirate number. The pair determined that the songs were simply too campy for what they had in mind.
The tunes vanished, leaving only Williams' score and "When You're Alone," a piece that nabbed an Oscar nomination for best original song, but they still exist, and now they're available to the public.
Hook – The Ultimate Edition showcases John Williams' lyrical music
Interested parties may now purchase a three-CD collection called "Hook – The Ultimate Edition" through La-La Land Records because record producer Mike Matessino made it his mission to round up and remaster every single John Williams score. The collection includes the standard score of "Hook" alongside everything else recorded and subsequently discarded. The only notable track missing from the collection is a demo of "Childhood," a ballad planned for Granny Wendy (Maggie Smith) performed by Julie Andrews. There is a demo of "Childhood" present on the third CD; it just isn't the version performed by Andrews. Other available songs include "Stick With Me," a villainous tune planned for Captain Hook (Dustin Hoffman), and "Below – Pirate Sequence," the aforementioned fully choreographed pirate number.
In a conversation with NPR, Matessino noted how attentive listeners may catch remnants of the musical in the final score, saying, "Even without the songs being sung, the score has a 'lyrical' quality. You don't really get themes in a film score that have what we call bridges in a song, sort of a center section. And that's a clue right there that a lot of these themes began life with the intention of having lyrics set to them."
It's no secret that "Hook" received as much criticism as it received love, so these additional tunes are unlikely to find purchase with the general public. But for those who still shout "bangarang" whenever the opportunity arises, "Hook – The Ultimate Edition" is better than a thimble.