Don’t forget to pick up your Hawaiian shirts from the cleaners because a “Weird Al” Yankovic musical is officially in the works! According to multiple reports, the legendary comedic musician is joining forces with the creatives behind Moulin Rouge! and Beetlejuice to develop a musical stage show featuring songs from his iconic catalog.
Tony winner Alex Timbers (Moulin Rouge! The Musical; Oh, Hello) will direct the musical, which features an original story by Tony-nominated writing duo Scott Brown and Anthony King (Gutenberg! The Musical!; Beetlejuice) and Yankovic. Additionally, Tony-winning film and theater production company Seaview is on board to produce.
What songs are included in the upcoming musical?
What songs can you expect to hear during this brilliant adaptation of Yankovic’s work? Ready your eardrums for “White & Nerdy” (a parody of Chamillionaire’s “Ridin'”), “Amish Paradise” (a parody of Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise”), “Eat It” (a parody of Michael Jackson’s “Beat It”), “Smells Like Nirvana” (a parody of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit”), and “Like a Surgeon” (a parody of Madonna’s “Like a Virgin”).
Yankovic on making it to Broadway
“Ever since I was a middle-aged man, I’ve always wanted to be a part of the New York theater community,” Yankovic said. “Plus, the one thing people always say about Broadway is that it’s ‘severely lacking in Weird Al-based entertainment,’ and I think this musical should fix that problem immediately.”
“I first fell in love with Al’s music with the release of ‘Dare to Be Stupid’ and have remained an avid fan ever since,” added Timbers. “Now, it’s a dream come true to work with one of my comedy heroes bringing an original story set to his beloved songbook to the stage. What Al, Anthony and Scott are creating is unexpected, subversive, meta, and hilarious and I can’t wait for the world to experience it.”
Don’t miss your chance to see “Weird Al” live
For the past two decades, I’ve been saying that “Weird Al” and Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas need Broadway adaptations. I’m glad that at least one of my prayers is getting answered. I’ve seen “Weird Al” live three times, most recently last summer at the RBC Amphitheater in Toronto, Canada. Puddles Pity Party opened, and the whole performance was a riot from start to finish. I met so many amazing, friendly people that day, and Al had as much energy as ever before. He’s a true showman who deserves to see his work represented on the Broadway stage. I can’t wait to check this out!
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