@camden , why not just call the Rockwell production team themselves and ask? The phone number is listed above in the article. But make sure you're very clear about what you're asking. Just because a studio executive, a star from the movies, or the honored directors themselves attend, that does not mean that they legally have the right to do this. In order for this to be legitimate, Rockwell must purchase the rights to use the dialogue and character likenesses from EACH AND EVERY STUDIO that owns the rights to EACH AND EVERY FILM featured in EACH AND EVERY one of these shows. The cost of this would be literally in the HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS, possibly MILLIONS considering the breadth of material these shows incorporate. Most major TV networks can't afford the rights to use lines from other movies in their scripts. Many Broadway producers adapting films for stage opt for completely original books and scores because they can't afford the rights to the source material. Never be afraid to go straight to the source if you question something's legitimacy. But in all honesty, I think you already know the answer to your question.

Huh. I've seen these shows before and loved them. But I never thought about the rights issues before. I want to keep supporting great live theater in LA, which this is, but i don't like supporting shows that don't play by the rules. Does anyone know how to find out whether this show has the legal rights?

Calm down, folks. Getting into a tizzy on an internet comment board isn't going to do any good. If movie studios care enough about the profits of a little show in a restaurant, they will take legal action. In the mean time, if you don't want to support shows that engage in copyright theft, then just dont spend your money at this establishment. Simple as that.

Hi everyone. Excuse me, but  @LosFelizLivin, you're an idiot. I work for a studio legal department and I find this to be an outrage. Just because something doesn't "live in any movie long enough to call it a musical", doesn't make it legal to just rip off copyrighted dialogue and characters from a film and put it onstage for profit. You can't use ANY dialogue, scenes, character names, etc from a film whatsoever without paying for studio rights. And just because these hacks have gotten away with doing in this is some restaurant doesn't mean that above-board venues and producers elsewhere won't see the liabilities in this type of show immediately.

hey guys, so after first posting on here, I did a little bit o' research and it turns out that what my friend and Barbarick have said is right. I contacted my friend over at WB music and these shows are def not legit. And LosFeliz, as for ASCAP, the standard music venue license doesn't cover any shows that perform the same music over an extended period of time. They'd have to purchase the rights to all of the songs from all of the record labels that own them. So really these people are pirating not only movies, but music as well. Not cool.

I've seen these shows as well and think they are cool. But I definitely think there's something sketchy about using the material the way they do. Like in the Baz Luhrmann show, the entire second half was basically a shortened version of Moulin Rouge, complete with all the characters, scenes and songs. Seems like more than just an "homage" to me. It was more like Moulin Rouge: The Stage Version, IMO.

I've seen all of the shows and know this group very well. They produce concerts with short nods to many great moments in a directors cannon of work. The point of this show is to highlight storytelling through the soundtracks of these films. The shows don't live in any movie long enough to legitimately call something a musical. This is not Goodfellas the musical, it is a tribute to a great filmmaker and his impeccable taste and passion for music. Great performances by some of the most talented (and nicest) people in LA. The venue pays ASCAP and BMI for music and the creators are working on rights to package and tour these concerts around the country. This is something that Angelenos should be proud of. It is an homage to the movie music community. 

As the old saying goes: "It's so good, it should be illegal!" Congrats Rockwell! I'm a big supporter.  See you in a couple of weeks.

Actually, tiffanie, it still is illegal. There is a proper way to obtain legal permission to use copyrighted material. That way would be to contact the studios that OWN these movies and negotiate a contract that would allow For the Record to use scenes and characters from these movies for a fee. That fee, undoubtedly, would be VERY high, so it's no surprise that some people think it's just easier to put up a show like this and hope no one notices and make a profit off of other people's creative material.

It really doesn't matter if Martin Scorsese shows up and thinks it's cool. Scorsese likely does not maintain ownership of the screenplays and characters to movies he did not write, and which were sold to major movie studios, which control the copyright for all of those properties.

It's really no different than putting up your own production of Wicked or Book of Mormon without paying to get the rights for it first.

I don't know why people are getting so upset. I've seen these shows. They're really good. They don't deserve to get treated this way by people. A lot ofd the directors have come and liked the shows, so I don't think the people who do these shows are doing anything illegal.

this is a joke, right? do you KNOW how much money it would cost to get the rights to just do musical versions of scorsese's movies? LOTS AND LOTS OF $$$$$$$$$$. these people obviously don't have the rights, there just committing fraud and hoping noone notices. oh well, hope people enjoy this show until it gets shut down, cuz obvs there breaking the law. 

Oh jeez... that's not good. Thanks for responding tho. Don't wanna spend $$ on something that's "shady". ;)

Yeah, these shows are 100% illegal. You can't just rip off screenwriters' work and charge audience admission as if it were your own original thing. LA Weekly really shouldn't be giving this organization exposure cause it's an insult to the filmmakers whose works are getting stolen, not to mention other LA theater producers who play by the rules and actually get the rights to shows they want to do.

A friend of mine told me that these shows aren't actually legit because the don't legally have the rights to any of the movies the use... is that true?