James Taylor Musical FIRE & RAIN Is In Development

BroadwayWorld has just learned that the music of Grammy Award Winner James Taylor will be featured in a new stage musical titled FIRE & RAIN, featuring an original story written by Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winner Tracy Letts and directed by Tony Award-winner David Cromer. 

The production is currently in early development and produced by Gail Berman, Sam Feldman, Michael Gorfaine and Jimmy Nederlander, in association with Frank Marshall and Jere Harris. General Management by Bespoke Theatricals. 

James Taylor's legacy is one of profound influence on American music, particularly in the genres of folk, pop, and singer-songwriter traditions. His career spans over five decades, and his impact can be felt in both the personal nature of his songs and his stylistic innovations.  His deeply personal, introspective lyrics and soulful delivery helped define the era's musical landscape.  

"Fire and Rain" is one of James Taylor's most iconic songs, released in 1970 on his second album Sweet Baby James. When "Fire and Rain" was released, it became a major hit, reaching No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.  It helped solidify James Taylor's career and introduce him to a wider audience. The song's vulnerability and honesty made it resonate with listeners and became one of the defining songs of his career.

Bios:

Tracy Letts is a distinguished American playwright, actor, and screenwriter.  He’s renowned for his work in theater, particularly for his Pulitzer Prize-winning play August: Osage County (2007), which won both the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play. The play has been widely acclaimed for its sharp writing and complex characters.  Other notable plays, including Bug (1996), Killer Joe (1993), Superior Donuts (2008), and The Minutes (2022). Letts’ plays often blend dark humor with moments of profound emotional depth.  His work as both a playwright and actor has established him as one of the most versatile and accomplished figures in contemporary American theater and is an active member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company.

David Cromer is a theater director and actor known for his work in both the New York theater scene and across the country. He has directed two of Tracy Letts’ plays including Bug (2020) and Man from Nebraska (2017).  Cromer is celebrated for his innovative and intimate productions that often emphasize emotional connection and authenticity. He made a significant impact with his off-Broadway productions, including Our Town by Thornton Wilder, which he directed in 2009 to much acclaim and won the 2018 Tony Award (Best Direction) for The Band’s Visit.  Cromer has directed for a number of prestigious theaters, including Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago, where he was instrumental in bringing new works to the stage. He is currently represented on Broadway this season with the critically acclaimed new musical Dead Outlaw and the play Good Night, and Good Luck.

As a recording and touring artist, James Taylor has touched people with his warm baritone voice and distinctive style of guitar-playing for more than 50 years, while setting a precedent to which countless young musicians have aspired. Over the course of his celebrated songwriting and performing career, he has sold more than 100 million albums, earning gold, platinum and multi-platinum awards since the release of his self-titled debut album in 1968. In 2015, he released Before This World, the first-ever #1 album of his illustrious career. James has won multiple GRAMMY Awards, has been inducted into both the Rock and Roll and the prestigious Songwriters Halls of Fame and in February 2006, The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences selected him its MUSICARES Person of the Year. He was also awarded the distinguished Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French government and the National Medal of Arts by President Barack Obama in 2012. In November of 2015, James was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Nation's highest civilian honor and in December of 2016 he received the Kennedy Center Honors, which are presented annually to individuals who have enriched American culture by distinguished achievement in the performing arts.  In early 2020 he released Break Shot, a deeply personal and authentic audio-only memoir detailing his first 21years. He also released his newest album, American Standard, his 19th studio album, which earned him the 2021 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album and gave him the honor of being the first artist to have a Billboard Top 10 album in each of the past six decades.

 Photo Credit: Norman Seeff