David Bowie has announced that he is co-writing, along with Enda Walsh, an extension of his 1976 sci-fi film, The Man Who Fell to Earth, to musical theater.
The new musical, Lazarus, will focus on Bowie’s character Thomas Newton, an alien who travels to earth in the original film to obtain a source of water for his dehydrated planet.
Lazarus will not be a rehash of the same story told in the original film but will tell a different story and feature some of the same characters. Lazarus will feature some classic Bowie songs as well as introduce new songs to the production. Bowie will not be starring in the play himself. Avant-garde director Ivo van Hove will helm the project which is set to premiere at the New York Theatre Workshop. Hove used some of Bowie’s older songs in the past for his Dutch version of Angels in America.
James C. Nicola, artistic director at the New York Theater Workshop, told the Times,
“It’s going to be a play with characters and songs — I’m calling it music theater, but I don’t really know what it’s going to be like, I just have incredible trust in their creative vision.” He states, “I’m really excited about it. These are three very different sensibilities to be colliding.”
The musical will take place as part of the 2015-2016 season.
The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976) trailer:
Leave a Comment