By Kenneth Jones
19 May 2008
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| Bartlett Sher |
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| photo by Team Photogenic |
Bartlett Sher, a Tony Award nominee for his direction of South Pacific, will direct the new David Yazbek-David Henry Hwang musical Bruce Lee: Journey to the West, to be produced on Broadway by Elephant Eye Theatrical.
Tony nominee Yazbek (The Full Monty, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) will pen music and lyrics for the bio musical about the martial arts movie star, and Tony winner Hwang (M Butterfly, Yellow Face) will write the book.
Choreography will be created by Dou Dou Huang, the artistic director of the Shanghai Song and Dance Ensemble.
Elephant Eye (which is also attached to the Off-Broadway musical Saved) announced May 19 that Bruce Lee "is targeted for the 2010-2011 Broadway season." It "tells of the martial arts legend's difficult road to success, as figures from Chinese mythology follow his quest and The Monkey King, a beloved warrior god, becomes his heavenly ally. In a show fusing sources as diverse as martial arts, Chinese Opera, modern dance, and pop music, Bruce struggles to master his skills, purify his spirit and forge a link to unite East and West."
Sher's production of South Pacific at Lincoln Center Theater received 11 Tony Award nominations, including Best Director of a Musical. He won a Drama Desk Award for his direction. He received a 2006 Tony nomination for his direction of Awake and Sing! by Clifford Odets and 2005 Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critic Circle nominations for his direction of The Light in the Piazza.
