Actually, Shakespeare’s the man

THE new gender-bender teen comedy “She’s the Man,” which arrives in theaters Friday, is a remake of a famous comedy, one that was written centuries ago: William Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night.”

In this version, set in a prep boarding school, Amanda Bynes plays Viola Johnson, who disguises herself as her twin brother, Sebastian, so he can leave campus to break into London’s music scene. However, Viola ends up falling in love with his roommate, Duke, who in turn is smitten with another student, the beautiful Olivia. To make matters worse, Olivia is falling in love with Sebastian, who is actually Viola.

Re-imagining work of the Stratford-on-Avon playwright for the screen is nothing new. Over the years, Shakespeare’s plays have been turned into musicals, comedies, sci-fi adventures, spoofs and contemporary dramas.

Here’s a look at a few of the movies (and a TV show) that borrowed from the Bard.

“West Side Story”: Perhaps the best-known reworking of Shakespeare. Leonard Bernstein and a young Stephen Sondheim composed the sophisticated score for this touching update of the tragic romance “Romeo and Juliet” set in New York City in the 1950s. Romeo is now Tony, a member of a white gang; Juliet is Maria, a lovely, virginal Puerto Rican girl. The play opened on Broadway in 1957 and came to the big screen in 1961 under the helm of Robert Wise and choreographer-director Jerome Robbins. The movie won numerous Oscars including best film, director for Wise and Robbins and supporting actress and actor for Rita Moreno and George Chakiris. The score includes some of the best-loved songs of the last half-century including “Maria,” “Tonight” and “I Feel Pretty.”

“Moonlighting”: The ABC detective comedy series premiered one of its best-loved, most innovative episodes in 1986, “Atomic Shakespeare.” Penned by Jeff Reno and Ron Osborn, this wacky version of “The Taming of the Shrew” -- the romantic comedy about a man who agrees to woo a hot-tempered beauty for her large dowry -- finds series co-star Bruce Willis playing the super cool Petruchio (both he and his horse wear sunglasses), Cybill Shepherd as the fiery Katharina, Allyce Beasley as Bianca and Curtis Armstrong as Lucentio. Clever wordplay and stellar performances abound with Willis stealing the hourlong program with his rendition of the Young Rascal’s 1966 hit, “Good Lovin.’ ” The episode was nominated for eight Emmys, winning three; Will MacKenzie also won a Directors Guild of America award for his work.

“10 Things I Hate About You”: This 1999 spoof of “Shrew” stars Julia Stiles as Katarina, a stubborn, outspoken teen who turns off any boy who is interested in her, much to the chagrin of her younger sister (played by Larisa Oleynik). The problem is that their strict parents won’t allow her to date until Katarina does. A young Heath Ledger plays a sullen high school student with a mysterious past who is bribed to ask Katarina out.

“Hamlet”: One of the Bard’s most performed plays is transformed into a modern-day tragedy set in the high-tech world of New York in this lauded 2000 film. Ethan Hawke stars as the melancholy young man whose father recently died; his socialite mother, Gertrude (Diane Venora), has married her ambitious brother-in-law Claudius (Kyle McLachlan), now running his late brother’s company, Denmark Corp. Stiles plays Ophelia, Bill Murray is her father and Claudius’ chief consultant, and Sam Shepard is the ghost of Hamlet’s father.

“Kiss Me Kate”: Composer Cole Porter received the 1949 Tony Award for his delicious score of this rousing version of “The Taming of the Shrew.” The 1953 movie version was also well received -- it was even shot in 3-D. Kathryn Grayson and Howard Keel play a feuding divorced couple that decide to star in a musical version of “Shrew.” Ann Miller, Bobby Van, Tommy Rall and a young Bob Fosse supply the frenetic dance numbers. Songs include “So in Love,” “Wunderbar” and “Too Darn Hot.”

“Forbidden Planet”: Science fiction films came into their own in the 1950s, and this 1956 MGM release is one of the highpoints of the genre. Directed by Fred McLeod Wilcox, “Forbidden Planet” is a clever adaptation of “The Tempest.” Instead of being set on an island, the action takes place in outer space in 2200 with a space cruiser led by the handsome Commander Adams (Leslie Nielsen) and his all-male crew -- this was pre-women’s lib -- in deep space in search of survivors of the spaceship Bellerophon, which had landed 20 years earlier on the planet Altair-4. Walter Pidgeon plays the mysterious survivor Dr. Edward Morbius, who tries to block the ship from landing on the planet; Anne Francis is his daughter Altaira, who has never seen any human besides her father. The scene stealer, though, is Robby the Robot, who is Morbius’ servant and guard. Marvin Miller supplied Robby’s voice.

“The Boys From Syracuse”: In 1938, composers Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart and writer-director George Abbott scored success on Broadway with this sprightly musical version of “The Comedy of Errors.” Set in ancient Asia Minor, the action revolves around two boys from Syracuse -- a master and his servant -- looking for their long lost twin brothers. In 1940, “The Boys From Syracuse” was turned into a genial movie starring Allan Jones, Martha Raye and Rosemary Lane. Though the play is rarely revived, the score features several standards, including “Falling in Love With Love,” “This Can’t Be Love” and “Sing for Your Supper.”

“Tempest”: Paul Mazursky’s ambitious -- and lengthy -- 1982 take on “The Tempest.” John Cassavetes plays a New York architect who discovers his wife (Cassavetes’ real-life spouse, Gena Rowlands) is having an affair, so he decides to get away from it all by moving to a beautiful Greek island. Molly Ringwald plays his daughter; Susan Sarandon, the free-spirited young woman he falls for, and Raul Julia, a lecherous goat herder.

“King Lear”: Former Cannon Films head Menahem Golan signed a contract on a napkin with maverick French filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard to make this bizarre 1987 version of the Shakespeare tragedy, which revolved around an elderly king who decides to retire and divide his kingdom between his three daughters. Critics were underwhelmed. The confused plot finds theater director Peter Sellars playing a young American named Shakespeare Jr. the Fifth, who is trying to recover his famous relative’s works after the disaster at Chernobyl destroyed them. Burgess Meredith is on hand as an aging Mafia kingpin named Learo; Ringwald plays his youngest daughter, Cordelia. Godard even appears as someone named the Professor, and Woody Allen is briefly featured as a film editor called the Fool.

“Love’s Labour’s Lost”: Kenneth Branagh has directed and starred in several adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays, most notably 1989’s “Henry V,” for which he received Oscar nominations for best actor and director. However, his 2000 musical version of this Shakespeare comedy was a huge disappointment. Branagh attempts to turn the story about a young king and his three friends, who decide to swear off women, into a romantic comedy set in the art deco 1930s. Criticism aside, the cast is attractive and the songs include such popular standards as “I Get a Kick Out of You” and “Cheek to Cheek.”