IT’S ALL HAPPENING!
Producers Lia Vollack and Michael Cassel Group announced today that Almost Famous, the new musical with book and lyrics by Academy Award® and Grammy Award® winner Cameron Crowe, based on his iconic film, will open on Broadway this fall. Directed by Tony Award® and Olivier Award® nominee Jeremy Herrin, featuring original music and lyrics by Tony, Grammy, Emmy, and Pulitzer Prize Award® winner Tom Kitt, and choreography by Sarah O’Gleby, the production will begin previews on Tuesday, 13 September ahead of an official opening on Tuesday, 11 October at a Shubert theater to be announced.
The production will star Chris Wood, Tony Award® nominee Anika Larsen, Solea Pfeiffer, Drew Gehling, and introducing Casey Likes. The company will also include Rob Colletti, Matt Bittner, Chad Burris, Gerard Canonico, Julia Cassandra, Brandon Contreras, Jakeim Hart, Van Hughes, Jana Djenne Jackson, Katie Ladner, Danny Lindgren, Erica Mansfield, Alisa Melendez, Emily Schultheis, Daniel Sovich, Libby Winters, and Matthew C. Yee.
Sony Masterworks Broadway will release the Original Broadway Cast Album of Almost Famous this fall. Listen to the first track “Everybody’s Coming Together” HERE and stay tuned for further song releases in the coming months. An accompanying video created by Cameron Crowe can be found HERE.
In a statement, Cameron Crowe said, “Broadway fans and rock fans have so much in common. We obsess over the music, we pore over every possible recording we find, and we treasure those moments when an artist stands on a stage, opens their heart in that most personal way, and creates real magic. Suddenly everything seems possible. Almost Famous has always been about the power of that connection: hearing a piece of music for the first time, looking into a person’s eyes and feeling the electricity, finding your tribe. The line ‘it’s all happening’ has always been so key to the show, and now that we’re heading to Broadway, it’s finally come true. It actually is… all happening.”
The year is 1973 and it’s all happening. Led Zeppelin is king, Richard Nixon is President, and idealistic 15-year-old William Miller is an aspiring music journalist. When Rolling Stone magazine hires him to go on the road with an up-and-coming band, William is thrust into the rock-and-roll circus, where his love of music, his longing for friendship, and his integrity as a writer collide. Almost Famous is about a young man finding his place in the world and the indelible characters he meets along the way. It’s a celebration of community, family, fandom, and the power of music.
The design team for Almost Famous will include two-time Tony Award® and Emmy Award® winner Derek McLane (scenic design), two-time Tony Award® winner David Zinn (costume design), six-time Tony Award® winner Natasha Katz (lighting design), Tony Award® winner Peter Hylenski (sound design), Tom Kitt (orchestrations & arrangements), Bryan Perri (music direction), AnnMarie Milazzo (vocal design), Luc Verschueren (hair, wig, and makeup designer), Lorenzo Pisoni (physical movement coordinator), Jim Carnahan (casting director), Sue Wagner, John Johnson, Jillian Robbins, Devin Keudell (executive producers), and Bespoke Theatricals (general management). Due to scheduling conflicts, Lorin Latarro has departed the production and will be credited with Additional Choreography for her remaining contributions.
When Almost Famous had its world premiere in Crowe’s hometown of San Diego at The Old Globe where it set the record for the highest-grossing show in the theater’s 90-year history, Charles McNulty of the Los Angeles Times called the production, “A shimmering and mesmerizing musical that is destined to conquer Broadway. Cameron Crowe’s coming-of-age rock tale burns bright as Jeremy Herrin balances the thrill of performing in a rock band with the backstage rivalries and romances. Tom Kitt’s score, gorgeously sung by the top-notch cast, weaves an entrancing tapestry of sound that floats on a cloud of groovy rock.”
The San Diego Union-Tribune enthused, “Capturing a shining moment of youth, love, and music Almost Famous has one quality in particular that can boost a musical above the rest: an unabashedly big heart. Like the movie, it’s brimming with memorably off-kilter characters and unalloyed joy.”
Variety raved “A love letter to music… Almost Famous feels uniquely real. Which it is, because Crowe lived it, and perfected it by revisiting the memories countless times since.”