A musical based on the crusades? What do you think?

I am thinking of writing a musical based on the crusades. What crusade do you think holds the greatest potential for the qualities needed to make a musical and what do think of the idea in general?

A musical based on the crusades? What do you think?theatre

I think you should go for it! I actually just finished writing a play on the Crusades and I learned a lot. Coincidence, huh?

-Charlotte

A musical based on the crusades? What do you think?opera music opera theater

If you write it in the style of Monty Python's "Spamalot" (similar time period), you will get a lot of laughs without being too offensive towards any one particular religion.
Could be interesting, and I can think of three ideas right off that might work--a segment of the life of Saladin; the capture and ransom of Richard the Lionhearted; the calling forth of the children for the Children's Crusade. A number of operas have used the Crusades as their base, including Verdi's IL LOMBARDI and Handel's RINALDO.
Omg as I read this I totally thought of Monty Python doing this, a la 'Holy Grail' or some such....

King Richard: "Open your gates! It is I, King Richard, here to vanquish you!"

Castle Knight: "Whaht ees thees? English pig dog! I fart in your general direction!"

King Richard: "Now, just wait one minute! You're French!"

Castle Knight: "And your mother was a hamster, and your father smelt of elderberries!"

Old Man from Scene 57: *cackle*!

Group of men enter stage right - "No one expects... The Spanish Inquisition!"

Oh, you get the idea. =)

Saul
It sounds like a great idea, but you have to be aware that the crusades were against the Muslims, so you might have trouble with the politically correct. The children's crusade could be a good one, although it failed miserably.

Hope this helps.
Too late. There is an oratorio called The Children's Crusades written by Gabriel Pierne in the 1860s. When I was a rent-a-kid (singer called in for professional performances when they needed kids who sang) I was in it - I had to be around 1963 or so. I still remember sections - it was pretty cloying stuff, and really bigoted - all Muslims were evil, etc. Rather touchy area for this current point in our history.