The trend in bringing pop star biographies to the Broadway stage continues. A biographical musical based on the life and career of Neil Diamond is being developed for Broadway by producer Ken Davenport and Four Seasons singing star Bob Guadio (think Jersey Boys). The musical will feature a book by Anthony McCarten, screenwriter of the films Bohemian Rhapsody and The Theory of Everything. Michael Mayer, director of Spring Awakening has come on board to direct.
Diamond, born on January 24, 1941, has had 38 songs in the Top 10 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary charts and has sold more than 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling musicians of all time. On the Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary charts, he has had ten No. 1 singles, including “Cracklin’ Rosie,” “Song Sung Blue,” “Longfellow Serenade,” “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers,” “America” and more. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1984 and into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011. Diamond has also received the Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000, was an honoree at the Kennedy Center in 2011 and received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Said Diamond, “I’ve always loved Broadway. The inspiration for many of my early songs came from shows like West Side Story, My Fair Lady and Fiddler on the Roof, so it seems only fitting to bring my songs to The Great White Way. I’m honored and excited to be working with this great team.”
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