The Really Useful Group, Warner Music Group and Access Industries, The Shubert Organization and The Nederlander Organization announced Dec. 18 that the musical — featuring music from the movie as well as new music written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyricist Glenn Slater — will open Dec. 6, 2015. The book is by Julian Fellowes.
Laurence Connor, currently represented on Broadway with the re-imagined revival of Les Misérables, will direct.
In School of Rock — The Musical, according to producers, "down-on-his-luck wannabe rock star Dewey Finn poses as a substitute teacher at a prestigious prep school to make ends meet. When he discovers his students' musical talents, he enlists his fifth-graders to form a rock group and conquer the Battle of the Bands."
Produced by Paramount Pictures, the 2003 film was directed by Richard Linklater and starred Black in a career-defining performance. The film received universal critical acclaim and went on to gross more than $130 million worldwide.
Three-time Grammy Award winner Rob Cavallo also joins the creative team. Cavallo is one of the top-selling record producers in the world, has been involved in albums that have sold more than 150 million units and has worked with Green Day, My Chemical Romance, Paramore, Goo Goo Dolls, Phil Collins and Cary Clark Jr., among others. Cavallo said in a statement, "School of Rock is a wonderful film, a rock and roll story that transcends the genre with passion and heart. To be able to creatively collaborate with Andrew Lloyd Webber, Glenn Slater, Julian Fellowes and the rest of the team is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I can't wait to see School of Rock take on a whole new life."
Lloyd Webber added, "I am excited to be working on bringing Jack Black and Mike White's iconic movie to the stage. It is a joy for me to return to my Jesus Christ Superstar roots – when Deep Purple's Ian Gillan was recording Jesus for Tim Rice and me at London's Olympic Studios, Led Zeppelin was recording next door and a glimpse of a Stone or two was routine! School Of Rock is hugely about how music can empower kids. Tim Rice and my first performed piece, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, was written for a school. Ever since then I and my Art Foundation have been actively involved in music education back home in Britain. It will be a joy to discover and work with talented musical kids in the USA and, who knows, maybe discover a rock star or three of the next generation."
School of Rock will feature choreography by JoAnn M. Hunter, scenic and costume design by Anna Louizos, lighting design by Natasha Katz and sound design by Mick Potter. Nina Lannan serves as executive producer.
Casting for the show will begin in January in cities across the country, including New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.
Additional information, including performance schedule and ticketing information, will be announced in January.
