Anne Rice heads to Broadway via Elton John

Date: Thu, 08 May 2003 05:21:36 GMT
Newsgroups: alt.horror
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May 6: Elton John takes LESTAT to Broadway
You'd think that after DANCE OF THE VAMPIRES (the stage version of
Roman Polanski's THE FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS) failed and made its
backers eat a $12-million loss, Broadway would be pretty gun shy about
all things fanged and bloodthirsty, but think again. CNN is reporting
that Anne Rice's THE VAMPIRE LESTAT is heading to Broadway now with
longtime collaborators Elton John (that's SIR Elton John to you) and
Bernie Taupin in the driver's seat. John, no stranger to Broadway as
his LION KING and AIDA shows have been monster successes, is
apparently a big fan of the Anne Rice novels and is looking to be done
with everything by September so they can "have a read-through in
November."
The musical will be called THE VAMPIRE LESTAT, but will be based on
the first three novels of the VAMPIRE CHRONICLES—INTERVIEW WITH THE
VAMPIRE, THE VAMPIRE LESTAT and QUEEN OF THE DAMNED. Linda Woolverton,
who adapted BEAUTY AND THE BEAST for the stage, will adapt the books,
and the show will be helmed by BEAUTY'S director, Robert Jess Roth.
Warner Bros., the studio behind the two film versions of the books,
will produce the project in hopes of mirroring the success that Disney
has had on the Great White Way. This production looks to steer clear
of the typical vampire clichés and be "free of gothic excess."
(Should I, Scottie? I think I did ask you early on about horror
theater....)