A new biographical musical telling the life story of singer-songwriter Neil Diamond, as yet untitled, is currently in development for Broadway. The announcement was made by producers Ken Davenport and Bob Gaudio. The musical will feature a score of Diamond’s greatest hits and a book by three-time Academy Award-nominated dramatist Anthony McCarten (Bohemian Rhapsody, Darkest Hour, The Theory of Everything). It will be directed by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer.
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About this new project, Diamond said, in a press release, “I’ve always loved Broadway. The inspiration for many of my early songs came from shows like West Side Story, My Fair Lady and Fiddler 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.”
In a statement, McCarten said, “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 catalog 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 op portunity arose to work with Neil on a musical based on his life and music. A very, very easy and so sweet ‘Yes!’”
Gaudio added, “Having been intimately associated with one very special biographical musical [Jersey Boys], I am clearly a fan of the form. And as a fellow member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame [as a member of the Four Seasons], I remain in awe of Neil Diamond’s contribution to American popular culture, music, and of his incredible life story.”
Additional details will be announced shortly.
Watch Neil Diamond sing “Sweet Caroline”
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