Bob Martin’s The Prom opens on Broadway this month – but that new musical is only one of a dizzying number of high-profile projects the Tony-winning co-creator of The Drowsy Chaperone has on the go.
Indeed, Martin already had two other potentially Broadway-bound musicals premiere earlier this year in New Jersey: The Sting, an adaptation of the 1973 movie, starring Harry Connick Jr.; and Half Time, a musical about a basketball dance troupe comprised of senior citizens.
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“My philosophy is to keep a lot of balls in the air, so I have, like, seven shows in various stages of development right now,” says the Canadian librettist and screenwriter.
1. The Drowsy Chaperone: The Sequel
The Canadian team behind Drowsy – Martin, Lisa Lambert, Don McKellar and Greg Morrison – are all working on a top-secret project that began with talks with Broadway producer Kevin McCollum about a revival of their hit 2006 musical.
“We have a very specific thing that we’re planning to do to follow up Drowsy,” says Martin, who was inspired after recently reprising the role of ultimate musical-theatre fan Man in Chair to host a revue in New York. “I think Man in Chair will be back, but it will probably be a different show."
2. The Princess Bride: The Musical
There have been reports of Disney developing a stage show based on the cult 1987 family film since 2006 – but not much in recent years. Martin confirms it’s still in the works – and that he’s been working on it for “a few years now.”
“It’s a really beloved property, so people are very protective of the material,” he says. "But the way I look at these adaptations, you have to create a product that exists alongside the original."
3. Slings and Arrows: The Prequel
Martin writes for television (Michael: Every Day, Sensitive Skin) in addition to theatre, but his two fan bases overlap on Slings and Arrows (2003-06), a series about the behind-the-scenes drama at a fictional theatre company inspired by the Stratford Festival.
He confirms that work on a prequel series is under way with co-creators Susan Coyne and Mark McKinney, that a number of scripts have been written and new producers are on board. “It’s loosely based on the origins of the Stratford Festival,” Martin says. “It’s still early stages.”
J. Kelly Nestruck