"Nutty Professor" Coming to Broadway
The recycling goes on with news of a musical based on this Jerry Lewis lark, directed by… Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis Enterprises/Paramount Pictures
The Nutty Professor comes to Broadway. Finally!
As tepid re-dos of proven Broadway fare get the hook (et tu, "Guys & Dolls"?), producers continue to scramble through the pop culture annals for something – anything – that they could maybe-possibly-why not turn into something someone would pay $90 to see set to music. (And ideally, buy the t-shirt afterward.)
So the "Nutty Professor" is an obvious choice, right? Jerry Lewis’ 1963 story of a nerdy, cross-eyed, bucktoothed scientist who turns into a handsome Lothario screams “dance sequence.” And! If you factor in the Eddie Murphy 1996 remake (and its inevitable sequel), you know that means just one thing: Fat suits. Dancing in fat suits.
But wait, there’s more! Says Playbill, the show will by directed by Jerry Lewis (perfect choice, save for the fact that he’s never directed theatrically), with music composed by schmaltz-meisters Rupert Holmes and Marvin Hamlisch. It'll be just like "A Chorus Line," but with buck teeth. Or fat suits. Got your credit card ready yet? Better book seats before the French hear about a Jerry Lewis musical. Vite!
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Posted Friday, Jul 17, 2009 - 11:54 AM PST
