Steve Newport
2012-06-11 07:36:22 UTC
http://www.deadline.com/2012/06/next-up-for-broadway-gilligans-island/
Next Up For Broadway: 'Gilligan's Island?'
By MIKE FLEMING
Now that the Broadway season has ended with the Tony Awards, it's time
to think about what's next. Broadway has embraced movie stars who turn
shows into events in limited runs; how about taking a page from
Hollywood and going the brand route? Producer Dianne Fraser has
acquired the stage rights to Gilligan's Island: The Musical, and she
plans to launch the show on Broadway, banking on the idea that the
audience for the iconic TV show will want to see the characters
brought to the stage.
It's based on the classic 60s series with a book that was written by
series creator Sherwood Schwartz and his son Lloyd, with a score by
Schwartz' daughter Hope and her husband Laurence Juber, a
guitarist/composer. Schwartz, who also created The Brady Bunch, passed
away last year, but not before the show was road-tested in small
theaters across the country. It's very similar to the format of the
original show, with Gilligan, the Skipper, The Howells, Ginger,
Maryanne and the Professor stranded on an island. They've added
another character: an alien. Fraser, a longtime partner at Industry
who was a producer of the Chicago-based show Working last year, said
she was approached by the Schwartz clan and signed on with plans to
bring the show to Broadway for 2013 or 2014. That's all predicated on
getting investors to climb aboard.
"I've known the Schwartz family for many years, and for Sherwood, who
died last July, it was his lifelong dream to take the show to New
York," she told me. "It's not intentionally campy, it's funny in a
broad way and very true to the show. It's amazing how even kids know
about it because they've seen it on Nick at Night. It's still
Gilligan, the bumbling sidekick to the professor, saving the world.
And yes, it's all seven characters, plus an alien. The songs are very
commercial." She said they are working with Tony-nominated general
manager Tom Smedes and they are looking to next land a director. "It's
the type of show where you can stunt cast with movie stars to play the
Howells, Ginger, even the Professor," she said. "Maybe an American
Idol contestant to play Gilligan, to open up the show."
Next Up For Broadway: 'Gilligan's Island?'
By MIKE FLEMING
Now that the Broadway season has ended with the Tony Awards, it's time
to think about what's next. Broadway has embraced movie stars who turn
shows into events in limited runs; how about taking a page from
Hollywood and going the brand route? Producer Dianne Fraser has
acquired the stage rights to Gilligan's Island: The Musical, and she
plans to launch the show on Broadway, banking on the idea that the
audience for the iconic TV show will want to see the characters
brought to the stage.
It's based on the classic 60s series with a book that was written by
series creator Sherwood Schwartz and his son Lloyd, with a score by
Schwartz' daughter Hope and her husband Laurence Juber, a
guitarist/composer. Schwartz, who also created The Brady Bunch, passed
away last year, but not before the show was road-tested in small
theaters across the country. It's very similar to the format of the
original show, with Gilligan, the Skipper, The Howells, Ginger,
Maryanne and the Professor stranded on an island. They've added
another character: an alien. Fraser, a longtime partner at Industry
who was a producer of the Chicago-based show Working last year, said
she was approached by the Schwartz clan and signed on with plans to
bring the show to Broadway for 2013 or 2014. That's all predicated on
getting investors to climb aboard.
"I've known the Schwartz family for many years, and for Sherwood, who
died last July, it was his lifelong dream to take the show to New
York," she told me. "It's not intentionally campy, it's funny in a
broad way and very true to the show. It's amazing how even kids know
about it because they've seen it on Nick at Night. It's still
Gilligan, the bumbling sidekick to the professor, saving the world.
And yes, it's all seven characters, plus an alien. The songs are very
commercial." She said they are working with Tony-nominated general
manager Tom Smedes and they are looking to next land a director. "It's
the type of show where you can stunt cast with movie stars to play the
Howells, Ginger, even the Professor," she said. "Maybe an American
Idol contestant to play Gilligan, to open up the show."