The Almost Famous Musical Is Headed To Broadway In Fall 2022 [UPDATE]
Update: Per Variety, the "Almost Famous" musical has now set dates for its Broadway debut. Previews will begin on September 13, 2022, followed by an official opening night on October 11.
It was only a matter of time before Cameron Crowe's rock and roll coming-of-age film "Almost Famous" joined the ranks of "High Fidelity" and "School of Rock" in getting a Broadway musical treatment, and that time is now. The musical adaptation of the Academy Award winning film is heading to Broadway sometime later this year after its San Diego premiere at The Old Globe back in 2019. The show was slated to head to the bright lights of the big city back in 2020, but the pandemic obviously had different plans. An exact date has yet to be announced, but it's safe to assume "Almost Famous" will hit sometime in the fall.
Just as the film it is based on, the "Almost Famous" musical is set in 1973 and centers on an idealistic fifteen-year-old named William Miller with big dreams of becoming a music journalist. William is given the opportunity of a lifetime when Rolling Stone Magazine hires him to go on tour with an up-and-coming band, throwing him into the chaotic world of playing music, traveling the country, and dealing with rockstar behavior. William spends the story trying to find his identity, while seeing an entirely different way of the world for the very first time.
Don't expect this to be a jukebox musical filled with the iconic sounds of the film's soundtrack, though, as the "Almost Famous" musical features all new songs in the style of the source material.
Cameron Crowe wrote a musical, y'all
The musical version of "Almost Famous" features a book (that's the musical theater term for script) by Crowe, based on his original screenplay. Music comes from Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner Tom Kitt, who helped craft the music for the shows "If/Then," "SpongeBob SquarePants," and "Jagged Little Pill." Kitt and Crowe collaborated together on the lyrics, and Jeremy Herrin served as the show's original director.
Family forever. 💜 pic.twitter.com/FQ7BAgF1ce
— Almost Famous The Musical (@AlmostFamousBwy) October 5, 2021
Cast and crew names for the Broadway production have yet to be announced, but the original San Diego cast featured Casey Likes as William Miller, Solea Pfeiffer as Penny Lane, and Colin Donnell as Russell Hammond.
The fall Broadway schedule is already jam-packed due to the pandemic closures, making "Almost Famous" one of the few premieres of the 2022-2023 season. If the show does well, given Crowe's connection to the Broadway production, maybe we'll get lucky and "Almost Famous" will pull a "Little Shop of Horrors" or "The Producers" and put out a movie musical based on the Broadway musical based on a movie of the same name.