Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, the executive producers behind NBC’s live musical franchise, return. “The deal is still to be closed”, says Greenblatt.
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It’s looking like it will soon be mashed potato time on NBC: The peacock network is planning to tackle “Hairspray” as its next live musical production.
The network used its platform Wednesday at the Television Critics Association’s winter press tour to announce its follow-up to critical success The Wiz and its predecessors, Peter Pan and The Sound of Music. “We don’t want to go back to the way we did Peter Pan or The Sound of Music; we want to keep moving forward”. Asked if Mr. Meyers is also an heir apparent for “Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon, Mr. Greenblatt said, “Jimmy’s going to be fine for many years to come”.
“We had a couple businesses that we were doing with him [and] we got out of both of those businesses”, Mr Greenblatt said.
The story focuses around Tracy Turnblad, an overweight teen in 1962 Baltimore and her desire to appear on The Corny Collins Show and dance.
NBC chief Bob Greenblatt said he would be open to having John Travolta, who played Tracy Turnblad’s mother Edna in the 2007 version of “Hairspray“, reprise his role in the TV version.
First a movie in 1988, Hairspray became a Broadway musical in 2002, winning eight Tony awards during a seven-year run.
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NBC is coming off a victory lap for The Wiz Live!, which aired in December to solid reviews and ratings, a yellow brick road filled with gay-inclusive themes, and a musical number by Mary J. Blige that redefined camp for a new generation.
