Ron Shelton On BULL DURHAM: From Movie To Musical

The real-life baseball-turned-director star who hit a home run with his memorable 1988 film BULL DURHAM opens up about the new screen to stage adaptation of the property as part of a new interview.

Earlier this week, BULL DURHAM: THE MUSICAL was announced for a world premiere at Atlanta's ALLIANCE THEATRE in September 2014, featuring a production with direction by Kip Fagan, music and lyrics by Susan Werner and a book by Shelton himself.

Shelton says of his inexperience with the medium and his enthusiasm for the project, "I said that I have to of course do it, but about three hours before going to the airport, I realized I had never seen a book; I didn't know what one looked like, much less read one. So I ran over to Samuel French bookstore and was calling all of my theatre friends - they're all recommending different ones. So I bought five of them and only managed to get through one on the plane, and probably I've still only read one cover to cover and that's GYPSY."

Shelton concludes, "But Jack held my hand and Laura held my other hand and for me it's easy to spin stories with this group of characters and this world because it's in me."

Furthermore, Shelton adds of the potential audience for the property, "You don't have to know a lot about baseball to get it," before adding, "And the songs are fabulous."

The official description of BULL DURHAM: THE MUSICAL is as follows: "BULL DURHAM, loosely based on Ron Shelton's experiences on and off the field with a Minor League Baseball team, tells the story of three lives brought together by America's two favorite pastimes. Veteran catcher "Crash" Davis has been brought to the Durham Bulls to prepare rookie Ebby Calvin "Nuke" LaLoosh, a hot rod pitcher with a "million dollar arm and a five cent head," for the majors. Annie Savoy, self-appointed high priestess and muse of the Bulls, has a hard decision to make - every season she transforms one lucky player from an also-ran to an all-star by sharing with them her wisdom, experience and bed. The love triangle heats up quickly as each character struggles with their own desires and hopes for what the future holds. A pitch perfect blend of comedy, drama, and steamy romance, BULL DURHAM will leave you cheering from the stands."

Check out the original article on the matter here.