The bright lights of Broadway always have harkened to those longing to express themselves through music and dance. But now it seems not only theater majors are being called to “the great white way,” but recording artists as well.
Artists from Ozzy Osbourne to Boy George to John Lennon are having their songs showcased to choreographed dances onstage.
Recently Yoko Ono gave the approval to create a Broadway musical based on John Lennon’s solo music. “The Lennon Project” will be based on themes from thirty of Lennon’s songs to tell a story set in the 1960s and early 1970s.
Edgar Lansbury will produce the musical. He also produced the movie version of the Broadway show “Godspell.”
“The Lennon Project” will be a twelve person show, with each character portraying a different aspect of Lennon’s personality.
Ono plans to use the musical as a catalyst to restore some of the inspiration and hope Lennon’s music instilled in his fans.
“What we present on stage should again give people insight, encouragement, inspiration and fun, so they can go on with their lives with some assurance and hope,” Ono said.
Lennon is just one of many musicians to have his songs turned into numbers for musicals.
“Mamma Mia” and “Movin’ Out” have both won Tonys. The shows showcased songs from ABBA and Billy Joel.
These musicals do not just deal with the musicians and their lives, but instead use the songs to tell a story. The songs speak of a time period, and the theatrics add to the feeling.
Artists are taking musicals even further.
Some musicians even are writing the musicals themselves.
The “Prince of Darkness” Ozzy Osbourne is hard at work writing a musical based on the life of the Russian monk, Rasputin. Osbourne plans to record songs for a soundtrack and release them independently.
Osbourne most likely will not burst into choreographed dance anytime soon, but his musical surely will be stamped with his own style.
And Osbourne is not the only one.
In November, Boy George will open his own musical.
“Taboo” is based on Boy George’s own experiences in the early ’80s. The musical explores the flamboyant nightlife and wild lifestyle of George in his rise to fame.
George will star in the show, but not as himself. Instead he will play Leigh Bowery, the performance artist and designer who helped bring him to fame.
But this isn’t the first band of recording artists to take on theater.
Musical artists have been using Broadway as a means for escape for a while now, starring in shows between recording hit records.
Elton John seemingly pioneered the field of musicians writing musicals.
John of course worked with Disney to make the classic songs for “The Lion King” movie that later became a musical.
Then Elton John paired with Tim Rice to create the Tony-award winning “Aida.”
Artists such as Debbie Gibson, Vanessa Williams and Sebastian Bach of Skid Row have taken a shot at starring in musicals to escape the hectic recording industry.
Some of these artists certainly do not seem like the Broadway type, but the face of Broadway seems to be changing.
With the recent success of “Chicago,” the face of musicals appears to be evolving.
At the current rate, it seems that many more musicians will be giving their regards to Broadway than ever before.