There’s no better way to revive a cinematic masterpiece than having someone spin it into a Broadway show. Because the only way to really enjoy your media is by having a preppy New Yorker sing it at you from a vastly expensive movable stage. (I say this genuinely, I really do.)
The latest? None other than cult classic Empire Records, which is getting a rewrite courtesy of original screenwriter Carol Heikkinen, with music and lyrics being handled by up-and-coming star Zoe Sarnak – who won plaudits for her musical Afterwords.
Producer Bill Weiner told Rolling Stone that Empire Records still has salience, despite the fact you might think otherwise considering the youth of today probably don’t even know what a record store is:
The film has developed a cult audience over the years, and addresses issues that people of all ages can identify with. It also evokes an interesting period in time, the Nineties, where the music business was changing – and a lot of people remember that as part of their youth. I knew we had something when I would tell people about the show and consistently see faces light up – everyone has a story, whether it’s that they saw the movie 10 times, stole the video cassette from an older sibling or the soundtrack was the first CD they ever purchased.
The original film came out in 1995, and featured an ensemble cast including a very young Renée Zellweger and Liv Tyler.
It’s pretty likely – considering the achingly 90s soundtrack of the original – that this won’t be a traditional Broadway score. But many Broadway plays are toying with more contemporary styles, and this will probably be no exception.
Or maybe it’ll just be this song. That is also fine.
The musical is aiming for a 2020 debut.
