The company of “Almost Famous” (Photo: Neal Preston)
Almost Famous, the new musical with book and lyrics by Cameron Crowe based on his own own iconic film, will begin previews on Broadway on Monday, October 3 ahead of an official opening on Thursday, November 3.
Previously announced to begin previews on September 13 at an unnamed Shubert theater, the hotly anticipated adaptation has now shifted dates and makes its official home at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre.
Almost Famous has music and lyrics by Tom Kitt (Next To Normal), direction by Tony and Olivier Award nominee Jeremy Herrin (Wolf Hall), and choreography by Sarah O’Gleby. Previous choreographer Lorin Lattaro departs due to scheduling conflicts. The musical had its world premiere in 2019 at The Old Globe in San Diego.
The year is 1973, and it’s all happening. Led Zeppelin is king, Richard Nixon is President, and idealistic 15-year-old William Miller is an aspiring music journalist. When Rolling Stone magazine hires him to go on the road with an up-and-coming band, William is thrust into the rock-and-roll circus, where his love of music, his longing for friendship, and his integrity as a writer collide. Almost Famous is about a young man finding his place in the world and the indelible characters he meets along the way.
The production will star Chris Wood, Anika Larsen, Solea Pfeiffer, Drew Gehling, Rob Colletti, and introduces young star Casey Likes as William. The company also includes 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.
Also newly announced for the 22/23 Broadway Season is Anthony McCarten’s The Collaboration, which transfers to Manhattan Theatre Club’s Samuel J. Friedman Theatre following an acclaimed world premiere at London’s Young Vic Theatre this spring. Jeremy Pope and Paul Bettany star in the new work, which follows Andy Warhol (Bettany) and then-newcomer artist Jean-Michel Basquiat (Pope) as they begin an unlikely collaboration on a modern art exhibition in New York.