It’s all happening! The musical adaptation of Almost Famous is headed for the bright lights of Broadway.
Update – July 7th: Almost Famous will debut at Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre on November 3rd, with premieres beginning October. The Broadway production will star Chris Wood (Supergirl) as Russell Hammond, Anika Larsen (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical) as Elaine Miller, Solea Pfeiffer (Evita) as Penny Lane, Drew Gehling (Waitress) as Jeff Bebe, and and Casey Likes as William Miller. Tickets are now available via Telecharge.
Based on the 2000 film of the same name, the production subtly shared the news on social media, where it updated its Twitter profile to read, “It’s all happening…Broadway 2022 #AlmostFamous.”
The book and lyrics for the show were written by Cameron Crowe, who based the movie on his experiences as a teenage writer for Rolling Stone in the 1970s. Starring Billy Crudup, Patrick Fugit, and Kate Hudson, the film tells the story of 15-year-old William Miller as he follows fictional rock band Stillwater and attempts to land his very first cover story. Frances McDormand, Jason Lee, Zoey Zeschanel, Anna Paquin, and Philip Seymour Hoffman rounded out the cast.
Upon its release more than two decades ago, Almost Famous earned a wide swath of awards and nominations, including four Oscar nods, a Grammy Award for Best Compilations Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television, or Other Media and two Golden Globes for Best Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy and a Best Supporting Actress win for Hudson.
While the film version’s now-classic soundtrack featured a jukebox full of hits such as Led Zeppelin’s “That’s The Way,” The Beach Boys’ “Feel Flows,” “Tiny Dancer” by Elton John, and David Bowie’s version of “I’m Waiting for the Man,” Broadway composer Tom Kitt — who won a Tony Award and a Pulitzer Prize for 2008’s Next to Normal — has collaborated with Crowe on original music and lyrics for the stage version. Jeremy Herrin will direct.
Previously, Almost Famous made its out-of-town debut in Crowe’s former stomping grounds of San Diego, opening the 2019-20 season at the Old Globe Theatre, where much of the show’s plot happens to take place.
