There is no official announcement of the developing work's full creative team. Sleepless in Seattle is announced for a June 2013 world premiere at Pasadena Playhouse in California. Additional members of the creative team — including who'll write the songs — have not been revealed by producer David H. Shor of David Shor Productions. The book is by the previously announced Jeff Arch, who co-wrote the screenplay of the hit 1993 film comedy on which the musical is based.
Price is a Tony Award nominee for co-writing the book of A Class Act. He's a respected director of plays, Broadway musicals (110 in the Shade) and concert productions of musicals (Sweeney Todd, Candide, Passion).
Stern — whose Broadway conducting and musical director credits include Rags, 1989's Gypsy, The Will Rogers Follies, 1996's Once Upon a Mattress, 1997's Candide, Parade, Xanadu and more — was music director for a 2010 Manhattan reading of Sleepless in Seattle when it had Michelle Citrin, Michael Garin and Josh Nelson sharing music and lyric credit. Those songwriters are no longer named as being on the creative team.
On Feb. 17, Pasadena Playhouse announced that it was postponing Sleepless in Seattle — The Musical from June 2012 to June 2013, to allow time for further development.
Here's how Pasadena Playhouse bills the show: "The Pasadena Playhouse presents the long-awaited world premiere based on Nora Ephron's beloved motion picture, with a book by 'Sleepless' screenwriter Jeff Arch. Inspired by the classic film 'An Affair to Remember' starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr, Sleepless in Seattle tells the story of Sam and his young son Jonah. Still grieving his wife's untimely death, Sam's heart is given a second chance at romance when his son calls a talk radio show to help him find new love. Our audiences will be the first to enjoy this hotly-anticipated musical premiere." Book writer Arch, Shor's longtime business partner, wrote the film's original story and co-wrote the screenplay, sharing 1994 Oscar, BAFTA and WGA nominations with Nora Ephron and David Ward.
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The American Film Institute (AFI) lists "Sleepless in Seattle" among the Top 10 Best Romantic Comedies of all time and the film grossed over $227 million dollars worldwide. The film was nominated for two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, four MTV Movie Awards, one Writers Guild of America Award, and won an American Comedy Award and a Casting Society of America Award.
"Sleepless in Seattle" draws inspiration from the 1957 film "An Affair to Remember" starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr.
Visit PasadenaPlayhouse.org.
