Musical about Neil Diamond heading to Broadway
an upcoming Broadway musical based on the life of neil diamond will feature a score by the iconic singer-songwriter and a book by Bohemian Rhapsody writer anthony mcCarten, according to deadline.com.
the untitled project is being produced by Ken davenport and Bob Gaudio, while michael mayer (Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Spring Awakening) will direct.
diamond – who wrote and performed such classics as “Sweet Caroline,” “Song Sung Blue” and so many others – said in a statement, “I’ve always loved Broadway. the inspiration for many of my early songs came from shows like West Side Story, My Fair Lady and Fiddler on the Roof, so it seems only fitting to bring my songs to the Great White Way. I’m honored and excited to be working with this great team.”
diamond was born to jewish immigrant parents from eastern europe and grew up in Brooklyn. he a classmate of Barbra Streisand at erasmus hall high School, and together they later recorded the hit, “you don’t Bring me Flowers anymore.” diamond started writing songs and poems to charm girls in high school, and got requests from other guys to write for them for their girlfriends as well.
at the beginning of his career, he wrote songs for other artists, notably the monkees’ “I’m a Believer,” but began recording his own work in the mid-60s. diamond had his first big hit at a solo artist in 1966 with “Solitary man.”
he won multiple Grammy awards, including a lifetime achievement award. he was inducted into the rock & roll hall of Fame and was a Kennedy Center honoree in 2011. his records have sold more than 100 million copies worldwide.
there have been similar hit Broadway shows based on the lives of famous musicians in recent years, including Beautiful, about Carole King, and Jersey Boys, the story of the Four Seasons.