A musical based on the life of the late US singer Frank Sinatra is set to open in Birmingham in September, producers have confirmed.
The singer, who died in 1998, was best known for hits such as Come Fly with Me, My Way and New York, New York.
Sinatra: The Musical will receive its world premiere at the Birmingham Rep Theatre on 23 September.
It will mark the 70th anniversary of Sinatra’s visit to the city, where he performed during his 1953 UK tour.
Tina Sinatra, the singer’s daughter, believes the musical will shed fresh light on her father’s life.
“I am very proud of our new musical production and I’m especially delighted that, for the first time, we’re going to give you a perspective on my father that you’ve never seen before,” she said in a statement.
The production sees writer Joe DiPietro (known for What’s New Pussycat? and Memphis) join forces with fellow Tony-Award-winning director Kathleen Marshall (Anything Goes and The Pajama Game).
Speaking about the influence of Ol’ Blue Eyes, DiPietro, said: “Growing up, there were two pictures hanging in my grandmother’s kitchen – the Pope and Frank Sinatra.
“So to sit down with Tina Sinatra and hear stories of her father which no one else knows, and then to be able to put those stories on stage – well I think it’ll make for an unexpected and thrilling new musical.”
Marshall added that they were aiming to “create an evening of theatre that is as stylish, sophisticated and elegant as Mr Sinatra, with glorious music from the American Songbook”.
Jukebox musicals
The team behind Sinatra: The Musical will be hoping to replicate the success of other stage musicals based on the lives and careers of famous musicians. Some of the most popular ones include:
- Jersey Boys – The Tony and Laurence Olivier Award-winning musical, which premiered in California in 2004, tells the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, from four different perspectives. One of the top 10 highest grossing musicals of all-time, Jersey Boys has travelled from Broadway to the West End to the world. It includes renditions of the band’s hit song such as Big Girls Don’t Cry, Sherry and December 1963 (Oh What a Night).
- Thriller – Live: This one celebrates the music of The Jackson 5 and the solo work and life of their most famous member, Michael. Conceived by family friend and author Adrian Grant, the show, which opened in London in 2009, features tracks like I Want You Back, Beat It and, well, of course… Thriller.
- Beautiful: The Carole King Musical: The show, which also premiered in California, in 2013, chronicles the early life and career of Brill Building hitmaker Carole King, who, with the help of her first husband Gerry Goffin, wrote and performed some of the most acclaimed songs of the 1960s. It includes classics like One Fine Day, You’ve Got a Friend and Will You Love Me Tomorrow, while Jessie Mueller’s portrayal of the title star won her a Tony Award for best actress in a musical.
- Tina: The Tina Turner Musical depicts the life of the US singer from her humble beginnings in Nutbush, Tennessee, to rock stardom. It first opened in London in 2018 before heading to Broadway the following year, so more fans could sing along to tracks like Nutbush City Limits, Private Dancer and The Best. Coronavirus brought Tina, like everyone else, to a halt in early 2020; but the show must go on… and did so from late the following year.
Frank Sinatra: The Musical will show “how the man became the legend”, according to DiPietro. It takes up his story on New Year’s Eve, 1942; with the then-27-year-old about to step out on to the stage at New York’s Paramount Theatre to give a career-changing performance.
As his career starts to set sail, Sinatra is seen struggling to balance life with his wife Nancy, with “the demands and temptations of being the most popular singer in America”, according to press material.
After an affair with the movie star Ava Gardner, Sinatra’s records stop selling and the press turn against him; requiring the star to launch what the show’s producers describe as the “greatest comeback in showbiz history”.
The new show – which will premiere at the West Midlands venue on 23 September, and run until 28 October 2023 – is the first ever official musical based on Sinatra’s life and career.
In 2015, a West End show about the star, who died aged 82 in 1998, helped to bring him “back to life” for theatre-goers. And the same year, his son Frank Sinatra Junior marked what would’ve been his 100th birthday by performing a series of UK concerts.
Sean Foley, the Olivier Award-winning artistic director of The Rep, said the theatre is “thrilled to be co-producing this world premiere production” about the “legendary artist”.
“His was an extraordinary life, and this promises to be an unmissable show about that life.”