Bernhardt/Hamlet, Dead Accounts, and Mauritius playwright Theresa Rebeck, who created the NBC series Smash, will pen the book for the Broadway-aimed musical Working Girl, which will feature a score by Tony-winning composer-lyricist Cyndi Lauper (Kinky Boots) with Tony winner Christopher Ashley (Come From Away) attached as director.
Rebeck replaces the previously announced Bridget Carpenter (11.22.63, Friday Night Lights), who had replaced New Girl writer and Tigers Be Still playwright Kim Rosenstock.
Producer Robyn Goodman says, “Since producing Theresa’s early hit play Spike Heels in 1990 at Second Stage, I have remained a true fan. Her humor, intelligence, and commitment to feminism, make her the perfect playwright for this story. She and Cyndi Lauper are our dream team of modern-day passionate and talented working women."
“Smash ignited my love of musical theatre, and I’ve been eager to find the right musical project since then,” Rebeck adds. “I couldn’t have dreamed up a better fit than Working Girl, or better collaborators than Cyndi, Chris, and this team. I can’t wait for audiences to discover how we’ve reimagined this beloved classic.”
“I’ve been a fan of Theresa’s for a long time, and I’m so excited to be working with her on this project,” Lauper says. “It was really important to me and the rest of the team to have a female book writer, to really get in the heads of our characters, and Theresa is the perfect person for the job.”
Working Girl is based on the 1988 Twentieth Century Fox motion picture written by Kevin Wade and is presented by special arrangement with Buena Vista Theatrical.
Directed by Mike Nichols, Working Girl received the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture—Musical or Comedy and earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture. The film follows an ambitious secretary from Staten Island who facilitates a large-scale merger in the absence of her boss—by posing as her.
The cast of the movie included Melanie Griffith, Harrison Ford, Sigourney Weaver, Alec Baldwin, Joan Cusack, Oliver Platt, Kevin Spacey, Jeffrey Nordling, Olympia Dukakis, and David Duchovny.
Producers include Goodman and Josh Fiedler of Aged In Wood Productions and Kumiko Yoshii.
