Woody Allen is best known for his cinematic output, but inbetween annual film efforts he also works on theatre projects. While it’s been a few years since he brought a full-length piece to the stage (he produced a one-act last year), he’s looking to come back with a bang by getting Bullets Over Broadway to the Great White Way at last.
Why “at last”? Well, this is not exactly a new project. A musical version of the 1994 film was first mooted back in 2003, which means that when it finally lights the lights in 2013, it’ll be 10 years in development.
Bullets followed struggling playwright David Shayne (John Cusack), who finds himself in a tricky spot when his producer finally digs up the funding for his latest project from a gangster. Nick Valenti (Joe Viterelli) is happy to cough up the loot, provided his talentless bimbo girlfriend Olive (Jennifer Tilly) gets a prime role. Then there are the real stars: compulsive-eater leading man Walter Purcell (Jim Broadbent) and grand dame Helen Sinclair (Dianne Wiest, who scored an Oscar for her scene-stealing role). There is one bright spark – Olive’s mob bodyguard Cheech (Chazz Palminteri) turns out to have some real writing talent…
Allen has written the book for the musical, adapting the script he wrote with Douglas McGrath. The songs will apparently be a blend of 1920s standards and freshly written material. There’s no word yet on any other creative team, but producers Julian Schlossberg and Letty Arnonson (also known as Allen’s sister) are marshalling the troops.
In related Woody news, his next film, Nero Fiddled, has been set for a June 22 release date across the pond. Given the **Midnight In Paris **release plan, that might mean we have to wait a while before we see it in the UK…