Frank Rich's novelistic memoir, "Ghost Light," will become a TV movie produced by Storyline Entertainment, which developed telepics of "Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella," "Anne" and "Life With Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows."

Variety first reported the plan. Rich is the former theatre critic of The New York Times. His 2000 memoir, now in paperback, explores his childhood in the Washington, DC, area, and how he used theatre as an escape from a household bruised by divorce. Storyline Entertainment's Craig Zadan and Neil Meron acquired the screen rights and will develop the pic for ABC and Disney.

"It has the potential to be for theatre what 'Cinema Paradiso' was for movies," Zadan told Variety. Rich references specific shows of the 1950s and '60s in his book, and Meron said they would explore getting rights to sequences from period musicals Rich saw as a boy.

A writer for the project has not been announced.

Zadan and Meron are executive producing the film musical, "Chicago," and have "The Music Man," "Fiddler on the Roof," "Mame" and "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" on their TV producing schedule. — By Kenneth Jones