In a new interview with USA Today, Alex Brightman and Andrew Lloyd Webber discuss the highly anticipated new stage adaptation of School of Rock, heading to Broadway this fall.
Brightman, who will take on the role of Dewey Finn in the project, reveals he is a "huge fan" of
Jack Black, the actor who played the role in 2003's hit film, but shares that his own take on the character will be "a little more sardonic, a little edgier," and will feature some improvisation. "It starts high, energy-wise and note-wise, and doesn't let up," he says.
Lloyd Webber, who also admits he was a big fan of the movie, shares that he sees the project as an opportunity to return to his roots as a rock music composer. He also believes the show features, "an empowering story" for today's youth, noting that his own charitable organization, the
Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation "does a lot of work with kids, and I believe strongly that music can have a huge effect on them." He explains that all the kids in the cast play their own instruments and "the fundamental thing is how every character's life changes for the better, through music."
SCHOOL OF ROCK librettist, Downtown Abbey's
Julian Fellowes, also explained his interest in the story. "I've spent a lot of time in America," he comments. "[I] grew up in the '60s, which was really the age of rock. I remember how extraordinary it was, the shock of it -- how it cut through everything. That's, in a way, what the show's about."
Adds 28-year-old Brightman, "the goal is to get kids in (to see the show), and get them to want to play. That would be a really cool thing."
Read the interview in full here
Sierra Boggess, who's worked with Lloyd Webber previously in THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA and LOVE NEVER DIES, will play the role of 'Rosalie Mullins' the school principal, recently portrayed by Sara Chase in the workshops at The Gramercy Theatre.
Previews are set to begin Monday, November 9, 2015 at the Winter Garden Theatre, with an opening night set for Sunday, December 6, 2015.
Based on the Paramount movie written by Mike White, School of Rock has a book by Julian Fellowes, lyrics by Glenn Slater, and new music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. School of Rock -The Musical will be directed by Laurence Connor (currently represented on Broadway by Les Miserables) -- he also helmed the Gramercy concerts.
Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos
