Casale to Direct Grumpy Old Men; Eyes a Spring '08 Opening

[NathanLaneStalker]

Posted: 2/28/07 at 11:40am

Director Glenn Casale will helm the Broadway-bound musical Grumpy Old Men.

Casale was last represented on Broadway with his Tony Award-nominated and Emmy Award-winning production of Peter Pan, starring Cathy Rigby. His production of Camelot for McCoy Rigby Productions, starring Michael York, recently commenced a major US tour, and his European production of Beauty and the Beast has been listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for breaking Box Office Records for Producer Joop van den Ende. Casale's most recent New York productions include The Property Known as Garland, starring Adrienne Barbeau, and Dragapella, which garnered nominations for both the Drama Desk and Lucille Lortel Awards for Best Production.

He has staged many shows on the West Coast, and other regional credits include: Into the Woods with Leslie Uggams; Fiddler on the Roof with Theodore Bikel; Sweet Charity with Donna McKechnie; Hello, Dolly! with Jo Anne Worley; Cabaret with Sam Harris and Lorna Patterson; and Strange Snow with Adrienne Barbeau. Casale also directs for television, and his work in that medium has included "The Wayans Brothers Show" for Warner Bros. TV, and "The Faculty," starring Meredith Baxter, for ABC.

Grumpy Old Men The Musical is a stage adaptation of the popular 1993 Warner Bros. motion picture. Staged readings are planned for Los Angeles and New York in May of this year. Producer Jeff Gardner has an eye toward a Broadway opening in the spring of 2008. As previously announced, the show will feature music by Neil Berg, lyrics by Nick Meglin and a book by Dan Remmes.


The 1993 film, which starred Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, and Ann-Margret, was presented by Warner Bros., and written by Mark Steven Johnson (Daredevil, Simon Birch, Ghostrider)

According to press materials, "Grumpy Old Men is the story of two aging men, Max and John, neighbors, who have been feuding for most of their lives. They are re-united in friendship through the love and compassion of their new neighbor across the street, the beautiful, eccentric, and charming Ariel."

Visit www.grumpyoldmenthemusical.com for more information and to track the progress of the creation of the show.

https://www.broadwayworld.com/viewcolumn.cfm?colid=16229

I'm excited about this!

[SeanMartin]

Posted: 2/28/07 at 11:56am

Why do I see Lane and Broderick in this? :)

[LuPonatic]

Posted: 2/28/07 at 12:10pm

not them, some older guys....can Dick Van Dyke be in this!?!?!?

Get him back on the stage, he is THE MAN!

[folkyboy]

Posted: 2/28/07 at 12:16pm

i see Tom Aldredge in this. (or someone similar)

[FOAnatic]

Posted: 2/28/07 at 12:25pm

Can John Mahoney sing?

I can completely see him as John.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 2/28/07 at 12:51pm

How about John Lithgow and John McMartin?

[FOAnatic]

Posted: 2/28/07 at 12:54pm

Neither of them are low-brow enough to play Max.

I love John and John but they're not the only two older male actors out there...but they get suggested for everything.

I think John Mahoney would be perfect for John, if he can sing. As for Max...not sure.

[PB ENT.]

Posted: 2/28/07 at 2:03pm

I'm as "pleased as a puppy with 2 tails" to see this progress. I first heard from Jeff that he had secured the rights last summer and I know he's very excited about the project. He's really putting together a fine creative team. What a fun film to stage! Casting this should be a free-for-all. So many great choices.

Break a leg, Jeff!

[MrBundles]

Posted: 2/28/07 at 2:14pm

I'm leaving in an hour for my class with Casale.

[theaterdude87]

Posted: 2/28/07 at 3:55pm

WAIT is it a play or musical?? I could not tell by "staged adaptation"

[TWSFan4Ever]

Posted: 2/28/07 at 5:13pm

It says "GRUMPY OLD MEN THE MUSICAL" in the article. So, it's a musical

[Unknown User]

Posted: 2/28/07 at 8:33pm

A crap movie that'll be turned into a crappier musical...

[Lance2]

Posted: 2/28/07 at 8:46pm

I'm really glad Casale left Europe, but I'm really sorry for you all that you have to watch his shows now.

For the rest I don't know exactly what to expect of this, I think it would work better as a play.