Recently, Hollywood has been making several forays into the world of the Broadway and the movie musical. There have been some successes (Chicago, Hairspray), some flops (Nine, Phantom of the Opera), and some hopefuls (Les Miserables). However, what Broadway rarely does is take Hollywood’s musicals and turn them into stage productions. In some cases it’s been successful, (case in point Mary Poppins). At the end of this year, another of Hollywood’s most beloved musicals will be making it’s way to Broadway.
Flashdance, one of the dance movies of the 1980’s, was transformed for the stage in 2008, premiering on the West End in London. After a successful national tour run in the United Kingdom from late 2008 to mid-2009. Today, producers are aiming for a Broadway premiere in fall 2012, and a national tour in 2013.
For those of you who haven’t seen the 80’s classic, the plot is fairly simple: steel mill worker girl in Pittsburgh dreams of becoming a professional dancer. She works as a ‘flashdancer’ at night at a bar – the closest she can get to her dream at the time. Yada, yada, you know the rest.
The tour will kick off in the city of the show’s setting, Pittsburgh, premiering on New Year’s Day (January 1st if you don’t know…which I would hope you do) in 2013.
For more information on the show, it’s Broadway premiere and it’s national tour, check out www.flashdancethemusical.com.
-Diana Pearl
