'The Rose' Broadway Musical In The Works From The Jackal Group

by Patrick Hipes via Deadline on 1/22/18

The Rose, the 1979 Fox film that scored four Oscar nominations including Best Actress Bette Midler, is eyeing Broadway. Gail Berman’s The Jackal Group said today it will produce a Broadway stage musical adaptation. Glen Ballard is already set to compose the music for the project. Berman and Joe Earley will produce with Michael Gorfaine and Sam Schwartz.

The producers say the adaptation will be a contemporary telling of the story of Rose, a talented singer coping with the stress, loneliness and demands of super stardom through substance abuse and tumultuous relationships. Seeking to reconcile her sordid past with her successful present, Rose is determined to return home and claim the respect that fame should afford her.

Berman of course started out on Broadway, co-producing her first Broadway show, the original Broadway production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, at age 23. Her other Broadway productions include the Tony-nominated Hurlyburly (1984), Blood Knot (1985) and The Nerd (1987).

“Bringing The Rose to Broadway was a true labor of love. The story lends itself perfectly to a live musical production: it’s a roller-coaster journey through the life of a volatile star, a celebration of music, and a visual homage to the dazzling culture of rock and roll,” Berman said in announcing the project. “We are so excited to bring a modern-day take on this project to the stage, and beyond thrilled to have Glen, a true musical vanguard at the helm.”

Ballard, whose stage musical credits include Ghost The Musical, has worked with the biggest names in music from Barbra Streisand and Aerosmith to Dave Matthews and Katy Perry, and has written and produced songs for Quincy Jones, Aretha Franklin, Shakira, Idina Menzel, George Benson, Alanis Morissette, George Straight, Wilson Phillips, Van Halen, Chaka Khan, Patti Austin, Al Jarreau, Andrea Bocelli and others.