Rocker Todd Rundgren Hopes to Combine New & Old Music into New Broadway Musical

Multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and record producer Todd Rundgren is known for his eclectic range of musical recordings, including his 1972 album 'Something/Anything?', his work as a member of the band Utopia, and the music he has produced for many notable acts of the 70's and 80's. Earlier this year, the rocker released a new full-length album, 'White Knight', featuring collaborations with Robyn, Hall & Oates' Daryl Hall, Steely Dan's Donald Fagen, The Eagles' Joe Walsh, and Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor.

In a new interview with The Hype Magazine, Rundgren reveals that he hopes to bring his music, spanning five decades, to the Broadway stage. "We have been trying to get a Broadway musical project going for several years now", says the singer, "and the hang-up isn't the music, because there is plenty of that to draw on. It is trying to come up with a story that aligns with the kind of thing people want to mount on a Broadway stage. So it is surprisingly difficult considering that where things can possibly go, you know?"

Describing his vision for the show, he shares that he has been influenced by some of the biggest recent hits on the Great White Way. "I'm hoping to be able to accomplish something like that in a musical way, The Book of Mormon or Hamilton brings in a new audience," he explains. "People who aren't used to going to a Broadway show and so that had made the possibilities a lot more interesting and something that we would like to try and take advantage of."

Rundgren makes it clear that he is not looking to put up a simple jukebox-style musical. "The basis of it would be catalog songs, but we expect it that there is going to have to be new music written to fill out the story, whatever that happens to be. So it would be a combination of both, new and old material."

Rundgren is currently on tour in support of his new album 'White Knight.' Tour dates include stops in New York, New Jersey, and Chicago.

Read the interview in full here

Watch Todd Rundgren perform his classic song 'Hello, It's Me'

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