Star Wars Director Lucas Broadway Bound?

Hold on to your seats. The Broadway rumor mill keeps on churning. This time, Star Wars director and producer George Lucas is at the heart of the story. Is the rumor that a new Broadway musical is in the works based on Star Wars? Could an Indiana Jones Broadway tuner be on the way this season? No, not quite. The story is a bit more plausible and actually a lot more interesting than a Star Wars musical.

The New York Daily News Rush & Malloy column has broken the story that George Lucas is in discussions to be a part of the new Whoopi Goldberg produced musical called Bricktop: Queen of the Night. The production has been in the works on the way to Broadway, and Whoopi told Broadway.tv about the production this Spring, while she was preparing for the Tony Awards. According to the report, Lucas is in negotiations to collaborate on the production. Specifically, Goldberg is “talking to Lucas’ motion picture and visual effects company Industrial Light and Magic about a collaboration on the musical Bricktop—Queen of the Night.”

"Bricktop" is about Ada "Bricktop" Smith who lived in Paris at about the same time as Josephine Baker. Smith was an African-American vaudevillian ran the "Chez Bricktop" nightclub in Paris during the 1920s. Featuring such figures as, Duke Ellington, Mabel Mercer, Cole Porter, and F. Scott Fitzgerald the musical is intriguing. For those who doubt that technology can enhance a Broadway musical more than distract, you need look no further than the hit revival of “Sunday In The Park With George.” Some may argue that it was technology more than anything else that set the revival apart.

The thought that a jazz-age musical could employ cutting-edge technology to tell its story is exciting. According to the newspaper, "They're talking about playing with Cubist images and jazz from the (1920's)," adding that Lucas "could do things Broadway has never seen before." Could be electrifying. No date yet for "Bricktop" opening.

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Tags:
Star Wars, George Lucas, Broadway, Indiana Jones, The New York Daily News, Rush Molloy, Whoopi Goldberg, Bricktop Queen of the Night, Tony Awards, Light and Magic, Ada Bricktop Smith, Josephine Baker, Duke Ellington, Mabel Mercer, Cole Porter, F Scott Fitzgerald, Sunday in the Park with George, Cubist