Get ready to sing along to your new favorite showtune: “Sweet Caroline.”
The 1969 Neil Diamond classic, along with a slew of his other hits, will score a new biographical Broadway-bound musical about the the Brooklyn-born singer-songwriter’s rise to the top and the setbacks he experienced along the way.
No theater or dates have been announced yet, but three-time Academy Award-nominated dramatist Anthony McCarten (Bohemian Rhapsody,Darkest Hour,The Theory of Everything) will pen the musical’s book, with Tony winner Michael Mayer (American Idiot,Head Over Heels) directing.
“I’ve always loved Broadway,” Diamond said in a statement. “The inspiration for many of my early songs came from shows likeWest Side Story, My Fair LadyandFiddler on the Roof,so it seems only fitting to bring my songs to The Great White Way. I’m honored and excited to be working with this great team.”
Said McCarten: “On the mantle-piece in my childhood home in New Zealand, there were always two pictures: one was of the Pope, the other of Neil Diamond. The epic musical catalogue of this Rock and Roll Hall of Famer flowed endlessly off our family record player. As a child you took it into yourself, and to this day I can recite the lyrics of his hits deep into their second or third verses. Imagine my excitement, then, when the opportunity arose to work with Neil on a musical based on his life and music. A very, very easy and so sweet ‘Yes!’ ”
Andreas Terlaak
Diamond has sold over 130 million records over the corse of his six-decade career. Songs in his catalog include “America,” “Song Sung Blue,” “I’ve Been This Way Before,” “Cracklin’ Rosie,” “Desiree,” “If You Know What I Mean,” “Love on the Rocks,” and “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers” (his duet with Barbra Streisand).
A musical about Tina Turner, aptly titledTina—The Tina Turner Musical, will transfer from London to Broadway this fall. The show will begin performances October 12 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, with opening night set for November 7.
source: people.com
