Avenue Q's Whitty and Moore Teaming on Tales of the City Musical for Broadway

By Andrew Gans
and Ernio Hernandez
13 Mar 2008

Jason Moore and Jeff Whitty
Jason Moore and Jeff Whitty
photo by Aubrey Reuben

Avenue Q's Tony-winning book writer, Jeff Whitty, and its Tony-nominated director, Jason Moore, have found their next musical project: Armistead Maupin's "Tales of the City."

According to a press statement, Moore (as librettist) and Whitty (as director) are currently at work on a musical version of Maupin's 1978 novel, which concerns the fictional Mary Ann Singleton — a naive young woman from Cleveland, OH, who moves to an apartment in San Francisco's Russian Hill — and the lives of the other tenants of 28 Barbary Lane.

Whitty's book will cover the first "Tales of the City" novel and also touch on story lines that were continued in the sequel, "More Tales of the City."

The score for Tales of the City — which is aiming for a bow on Broadway during the 2009-2010 season — is being penned by Jason Sellards (composer/lyricist) and John Garden (composer) of the rock band Scissor Sisters.

Avenue Q producers Jeffrey Seller, Robyn Goodman and Kevin McCollum are also attached to the project.

Jeff Whitty earned his Tony for his book to the 2004 Tony Award winner for Best Musical, Avenue Q. His The Further Adventures of Hedda Gabler enjoyed a world premiere at South Coast Repertory in California. He is also the author of The Hiding Place, Suicide Weather, Balls and The Plank Project.

Jason Moore directed the Tony Award-winning musical Avenue Q, the Carnegie Hall Jerry Springer — The Opera, the recent Broadway staging of Steel Magnolias, Off-Broadway's Speech & Debate and The Crumple Zone as well as episodes of TV's "Everwood," "One Tree Hill" and "Dawson's Creek." Moore will also direct the Broadway-bound musical Shrek.