Thom Yorke goes Broadway

Radiohead’s Thom Yorke has written original music for the Broadway revival of the play Old Times by Harold Pinter, in what its director calls the combination of “a beautiful piece of theatre and a true rock star.”

Director Douglas Hodge, who won a Tony Award as a drag queen in the 2010 revival of La Cage Aux Folles, said Wednesday that Yorke has contributed shards of keyboard-based instrumental music for the beginning and ending of the 90-minute piece, as well as scene transitions.

The play about love and memory will be produced by the Roundabout Theatre Company and star Clive Owen, Eve Best and Kelly Reilly. Previews begin Sept. 17.

“People who love Radiohead might come and get turned on to Pinter. You’ve got two great geniuses there talking to each other about similar themes,” said Hodge.

Hodge reached out and coaxed Yorke to the project as a huge fan. Yorke fell in love with the play and the two emailed, with the director explaining what kind of music he was anticipating and the musician sending “thrilling” compositions.

Because the play is set in1971, Yorke recorded on synthesizers from 1971 and some of the passages of music are inverted, looped and played backward. Although there is no singing or lyrics, there are shards of songs featuring Yorke’s falsetto. Hodge must now match the pieces of music to his staging.