Fran Drescher and Rachel Bloom are Doing "The Nanny" Broadway Musical

[JamesG]

Fran Drescher and Rachel Bloom Announce "The Nanny" Broadway Musical
by Kimberly Roots
Jan. 8, 2019


The New York Times has reported that "The Nanny" is being adapted as a Broadway musical.

Fran Drescher, who starred in the CBS sitcom for the entirety of its run, is developing the production. The Emmy-winning team of "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend‘s" Rachel Bloom and Adam Schlesinger, "Crazy Ex‘s" executive music producer, will write the stage show’s music and lyrics.



Drescher and Peter Marc Jacobson, who created the television show with her, will write the musical’s book.

Scott and Brian Zeilinger, the team behind the musicals Mean Girls and Dear Evan Hansen, will produce.

The casting has not been announced, though it was revealed that Drescher will not be reprising her role for the stage.

https://tvline.com/2020/01/08/the-na...cher-broadway/

[TMC]

Presenting sitcoms that should and shouldn't become Broadway musicals

In the wake of The Nanny's Broadway musical news, Stuart Heritage offers some suggestions for other potential sitcom musicals, like Cheers and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. On the other hand, he says sitcoms like Friends, Saved by the Bell and 30 Rock should never become Broadway musicals.

[JL82]

Originally Posted by JamesG

Fran Drescher and Rachel Bloom Announce "The Nanny" Broadway Musical
by Kimberly Roots
Jan. 8, 2019


The New York Times has reported that "The Nanny" is being adapted as a Broadway musical.

Fran Drescher, who starred in the CBS sitcom for the entirety of its run, is developing the production. The Emmy-winning team of "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend‘s" Rachel Bloom and Adam Schlesinger, "Crazy Ex‘s" executive music producer, will write the stage show’s music and lyrics.

Drescher and Peter Marc Jacobson, who created the television show with her, will write the musical’s book.

Scott and Brian Zeilinger, the team behind the musicals Mean Girls and Dear Evan Hansen, will produce.

The casting has not been announced, though it was revealed that Drescher will not be reprising her role for the stage.

https://tvline.com/2020/01/08/the-na...cher-broadway/

As you know from my posts here, I think there are some flaws in the show...but I can totally see it as a musical. It has many plot elements of The Sound of Music, and of course, there were a lot of Broadway-like numbers in the TV show The Nanny to begin with, because of Max of CC's business. (Ironic - Fran, who was not a producer on the show and who as a character is the least good at business, is the one who is a producer in real life - not Lane or Shaughnessy.)


I can see a really anthemic "Let It Go" - type song when CC becomes Disney-princess like following officially becoming a couple with Niles. And a tortured, "If I Can't Love Her" type number for Max. ("If I Can't Love Her" is the Beast's song in Beauty and the Beast.)

And I can imagine Niles and CC singing something very like the Wicked song "What Is This Feeling." In case you don't know, the lyrics say the feeling is "loathing" but the rest of the lyrics sound like it could be describing lust!

But something tells me they will do something with the theme song lyrics except as a big Broadway number. I kind of hope they give Daniel Davis some kind of role...he seems to be best singer and dancer. He might still be able to play Niles because that's the kind of character that can be a range of ages.

[JL82]

Between this and the new Nanny-like sit-com, it begins to look like there won't be a reboot of the actual show?

[JamesG]

Fran Drescher on "The Nanny" Musical
by Jean Bentley
Feb. 6, 2020


Fran Drescher has been quietly working on "The Nanny" musical for a while, but it wasn't announced until the deals closed for the entire creative team.

While details are scarce, the actress reveals that it will take place in the '90s and feature a new star — "someone spectacular who'll make it her own event" — with a story that's "not really been done before."

"There's a difference between doing a sitcom that lasts for six years and doing a finite story that's over in two and a half hours. So that was what Peter [Marc Jacobson] and I really had to crack the code on," she explains.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/li...adcast-1276808

[JL82]

Originally Posted by JamesG

Fran Drescher on "The Nanny" Musical
by Jean Bentley
Feb. 6, 2020


Fran Drescher has been quietly working on "The Nanny" musical for a while, but it wasn't announced until the deals closed for the entire creative team.

While details are scarce, the actress reveals that it will take place in the '90s and feature a new star — "someone spectacular who'll make it her own event" — with a story that's "not really been done before."

"There's a difference between doing a sitcom that lasts for six years and doing a finite story that's over in two and a half hours. So that was what Peter [Marc Jacobson] and I really had to crack the code on," she explains.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/li...adcast-1276808

That sounds like the musical could correct some of the flaws in the show that I posted about...and maybe not have either "will they won't they" story go on quite as long?

But it will likely lead to "the thing" where different incarnations of something iconic are completely different canons. Think Superman - comics vs movie vs Lois and Clark - or Sherlock Holmes - original stories, vs Basil Rathbone movies, vs Jeremy Brett series, etc.

I am curious about how far along this is in development - how long it will be until rehearsals / performances, etc.

I always gripe about how, in the episode Yetta's Letter's, they say six weeks go by between their getting the letters back from Weber, and the play opening. And that's not nearly enough time if the play wasn't even written. And, then, in the next episode, Fran says it has been a week since she found out about Niles and CC....making me almost feel like Yetta's Letters was someone's dream.

But there are different indications here about how long Fran and her team have been working on this. Here it says she has been working on it for a while, but other articles say she "will write" the book and Rachel Bloom "will do" the music. As if it's in early stages.

[JamesG]