Rock on, Broadway!

Last Thursday, Dec. 18, the Really Useful Group, Access Industries, The Shubert Organization and the Nederlander Organization announced their release date for their latest project, School of Rock-The Musical.

The new musical, based on the 2003 hit film, School of Rock, starring Jack Black, is scheduled to have its world premiere on Dec. 6, 2015 at the Winter Garden Theatre on Broadway with previews beginning on Nov. 2, 2015.

The project is also being personally pioneered with new music, as well as keeping the original music from the film by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber. Lyrics for the new music will be penned by Glenn Slater, who also covered lyrics for Alan Menken’s music in the production of The Little Mermaid, the film Tangled and also provided lyrics for Webber’s recent musical called Love Never Dies.

A book for the musical is being written by Julian Fellowes, who wrote the book for the musical Mary Poppins and is still writing the immensely successful miniseries Downton Abbey.

The musical will also be directed by Laurence Connor, who is currently represented in the Broadway revival of Les Miserables.

To top it off, three-time Grammy Award-winner and one of the top record producers in the world, Rob Cavallo has also joined the “School of Rock” Musical creative team. Cavallo has been involved with albums that sold over one hundred-fifty million units, and has worked with Green Day, Paramore, My Chemical Romance, Phil Collins and others.

For those who may not know the story, the plot focuses on a wannabe rock star, Dewey Finn, who poses as a fake substitute teacher at a prep school to make ends meet. When he discovers the musical talents of the kids, Finn enlists the class to form a band and compete in a Battle of the Bands competition.

“I am excited to be working on bringing Jack Black and Mike White’s iconic film to the stage,” said Andrew Lloyd Webber in a statement. “…School Of Rock is hugely about how music can empower kids. Tim Rice and my first performed piece, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, was written for a school. Ever since then my art foundation and I have been actively involved in music education back home in Britain. It will be a joy to discover and work with talented musical kids in the USA and, who knows, maybe discover a rock star or three of the next generation.”

Casting for the show will begin in January across various cities in the country such as New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. Additional information, such as performance scheduling and ticket information will also be announced in January.

Till then, keep it up with them rock n’ roll vibes before class is in session for the School of Rock!