It has been announced that the hilarious rock comedy School of Rock will be making its stage debut in fall 2015.
School of Rock: The Musical is based on the hit 2003 film staring Jack Black as a failed rock star who poses as a substitute teacher at a prestigious prep school and attempts to form a rock band out of his class. The Paramount film was directed by Richard Linklater and written by Mike White, who starred alongside Black in the movie.
The musical's creative team is just as surprising as the production itself. Andrew Lloyd Webber, Glenn Slater and Downton Abbey creator Julian Followes have all signed on to the project. The show will feature tunes from the movie, as well as new music by Lloyd Webber with lyrics by Slater, known for his work on such films as Disney's Tangled as well as Broadway musicals including The Little Mermaid and Sister Act. The book for School of Rock is being written by Fellowes, who wrote the stage version of Mary Poppins for Disney and producer Cameron Mackintosh.
"It is a joy for me to return to my Jesus Christ Superstar roots," said Lloyd Webber. "When Deep Purple's Ian Gillan was recording Jesus for Tim Rice and me at London's Olympic Studios, Led Zeppelin was recording next door and a glimpse of a Stone or two was routine! School of Rock is hugely about how music can empower kids."
Laurence Connor, known for his revival of Les Miserables will direct the show and Grammy-winning music producer Rob Cavallo, whose work with Green Day on the American Idiot album yielded a 2010 Broadway musical of the same name, has also signed on to the team.
School of Rock is scheduled to begin previews Nov. 2, 2015, and the official opening date is Dec. 6 at the Winter Garden Theatre.
