Menken, Benjamin, Kernochan, and Lapine developing a NANCY DREW musical

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 5/11/23 at 11:03am

https://www.playbill.com/article/all-star-nancy-drew-stage-musical-in-development

A musical adaptation of the beloved teen girl detective Nancy Drew is officially in the works, and with an all-star creative team.

Nancy Drew and the Mystery at Spotlight Manor is now in development, featuring music by Tony, Emmy, Grammy, and Oscar winner Alan Menken, lyrics by Tony nominee Nell Benjamin (Legally Blonde, Mean Girls), and a book by two-time Oscar winner Sarah Kernochan. Set to direct is three time Tony winner and Pulitzer Prize recipient James Lapine.

Says Lapine: “After 175 Nancy Drew mysteries that span from her small town of River Heights to exotic locales around the world, the teen detective is about to tackle perhaps the most exotic locale of all to her: a musical theatre camp, Spotlight Manor. Alan, Nell, Sarah and I have been having a ball letting Nancy and her pals take to the stage and sing for the first time.”

While this is the first time Nancy and co. will be taking to the stage themselves, one of the most successful computer games of the early 2000s was Nancy Drew: The Final Scene, which transported the team to the (fictional) Royal Palladium theatre in St. Louis where a movie star disappears from his dressing room three days before the theatre was set to be demolished. The game was loosely based on a 1989 Nancy Drew book of the same name.

First published in 1930, the Nancy Drew book series has sold more than 100 million units worldwide, making Nancy one of the most recognizable figures in adolescent literature.

Nancy Drew and the Spotlight Manor is executive produced by Daryl Roth, with Adam Hess and Grant A. Rice serving as general managers.

Visit NancyDrewMusical.com.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 5/11/23 at 11:51am

Well this is a delightful idea for a musical! And a good team.

[Tag]

Posted: 5/11/23 at 11:52am

They lost me at...it takes place at a musical theater camp.

[SomeOtherMe]

Posted: 5/11/23 at 11:55am

If this ends up being any good, I imagine it will probably become a staple in community theaters and high schools.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 5/11/23 at 12:05pm

SomeOtherMe said: "If this ends up being any good, I imagine it will probably become a staple in community theaters and high schools."

Oh it doesn't need to be good for schools to do it

[SomeOtherMe]

Posted: 5/11/23 at 12:32pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "SomeOtherMe said: "If this ends up being any good, I imagine it will probably become a staple in community theaters and high schools."

Oh it doesn't need to be good for schools to do it "

 

Baha, this is also true.

 

[Ke3]

Posted: 5/11/23 at 12:43pm

ughhh what happened to menken's animal farm adaption? that was exciting

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 5/11/23 at 2:29pm

It's exciting to see these creatives working with different collaborators but impossible to predict how it will turn out. 

[goodlead]

Posted: 5/12/23 at 2:57pm

In the late 1970s, a similar musical titled "Trixie True, Teen Detective" played  the Lortel..  I  think it ran for about two weeks.

[BETTY22]

Posted: 5/12/23 at 4:14pm

I believe Sarah Kernochan is married to James Lapine.