After teasing the news last month, Tom Kitt and Cameron Crowe's stage musical adaptation of Almost Famous has confirmed a 2022 Broadway bow. Performances are set to begin September 13 ahead of an October 11 opening night at a Shubert Organization-owned theatre to be announced.
The production has also announced that a Broadway cast album will be released this fall. Get a first listen to "Everybody's Coming Together," the musical's opening number, above.
The production will star Chris Wood, Tony Award nominee Anika Larsen, Solea Pfeiffer, Drew Gehling, and newcomer Casey Likes. Also featured in the company will be 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.
Based on the 2000 film of the same name, the musical features a score by Tony and Pulitzer winner Kitt and a book and lyrics by Crowe, who earned an Oscar for penning the original film based on his own teenage experience. The coming-of-age story tracks a 15-year-old music fan named William who lands a Rolling Stone assignment following the emerging band Stillwater on tour. The musical had its world premiere at San Diego's Old Globe in 2019 with much of the same cast that will bring the work to Broadway. Read reviews from the California run here.
“Broadway fans and rock fans have so much in common," says Crowe in a statement. "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.”
Almost Famous will be directed by Jeremy Herrin, leading a creative team that also includes choreographer Sarah O'Gleby, music supervisor Bryan Perri, scenic designer Derek McLane, costume designer David Zinn, lighting designer Natasha Katz, sound designer Peter Hylenski, hair and makeup designer Luc Verschueren, and physical movement coordinator Lorenzo Pisoni. Kitt has penned arrangements and orchestrations, and vocal design will be by AnnMarie Milazzo. The production is cast by Jim Carnahan.
The musical is produced by Lia Vollack and Michael Cassel Group, with executive producers Sue Wagner, John Johnson, Jillian Robbins, and Devin Keudell. Bespoke Theatricals provides general management.
