Tom Stoppard to Adapt SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE for the Stage; UK Premiere Expected

Variety reports today that the latest Disney Theatrical undertaking will be a stage adaptation of Shakespeare In Love by original film scribe Tom Stoppard. The media giant will be partnering with Sonia Friedman productions on the production, which will be directed by Jack O'Brien and designed by Bob Crowley. The play is expected to premiere in London. No dates or production timeline has been announced.

This news comes on the heels of the announcement that another one of Disney's productions, Peter and the Starcatcher, will premiere on Broadway this spring after a successful off-Broadway run last season at the New York Theatre Workshop. Newsies, also under their banner and recently completed a run at the Paper Mill Playhouse, has been generating Broadway buzz, as well.

To read the full report in Variety, click here.

The 1998 film of Shakespeare In Love was directed by John Madden and written by Marc Norman and playwright Tom Stoppard.  It centers on playwright William Shakespeare's involvement in a love affair at the time that he was writing the play Romeo and Juliet. The film won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actress (for Gwyneth Paltrow), and Best Supporting Actress (for Judi Dench).