Broadway, Snap Snap
Apparently 2010 is going to be the year of the cartoon comic strip on Broadway. From page to stage but in a whole new way.
First Spider-Man: The Musical Turn Off the Lights Dark was officially confirmed on Tuesday.
Now this has been confirmed. What's next? The Watchmen The Musical? (Plus there still are the rumours about Batman The Musical under development).
Dun dah duh dun, Snap Snap!
Yet another FOR REAL? Musical will begin previews on Broadway on March 5th 2010, with an official opening for April 8th 2010 after a pre-Broadway tryout from Nov. 13, 2009 to Jan. 10, 2010 at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre in Chicago.
I knew they were doing The Addams Family Musical, based on Charles Addams' cartoons he did for The New Yorker. Apparently the musical will be based on these original stories and not the TV series or movies. So no word if the snap snap song (that is now running in your head I'm sure) will be in the show, but I think I read somewhere that it will not be.
I'm quite intrigued. Especially since they are throwing in tons of talent behind this. (Then again, Dreamworks did that with Shrek and that turned out to be complete dreck). But I appreciate the effort to copy the artistic and commercial success of The Lion King after Disney struck gold with the very artsy Julie Taymor (who will be looking for the same brilliancy for Spider-Man).
The book will be by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice (Jersey Boys) and music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa (The Wild Party). It's being designed and directed by Phelim McDermott and Julian Crouch who did the very strange Shockheaded Peter (and both from London's Improbable Theatre).
Canadian Sergio Trujillo (Jersey Boys, Guys & Dolls will choreograph, Natasha Katz will do the lighting design (The Coast of Utopia, Aida) and Mary-Mitchell Campbell will musical direct (the incredibly complicated Company, Road Show).
The now infamous Jan. 27th workshop had Nathan Lane as Gomez, Bebe Neuwirth as Morticia, Kevin Chamberlin as Fester, Zachary James as Lurch, Marylouise Burke as Grandmama, and Terrence Mann and Jan Maxwell. If even half that cast returns for the actual run, it would be AMAZING.
Vance at http://tapeworthy.blogspot.com
2 comments:
Just once I'd like to see a story in Playbill that says someone wants to turn a movie, comic book, tv series, etc., into a play! But seriously, this one sounds like it could be fun. And wow, Catch Me If You Can should be in the mix for 2009-2010, too, right?
They did in 2007 with All About My Mother (in London) although it was so so. (Though I thought there was word it was coming to Broadway anyways?). Yah, I was about to mention CMIYC cause Nathan Lane was originally attached in the workshop but new news for a while now.
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