James Brown The Musical is officially on its way to Broadway.
The announcement comes just as we mark what would have been James Brown’s 93rd birthday and twenty years since his passing.
After more than a decade of family-driven work, this will be the first time the Godfather of Soul’s story is told from the inside out, in a Broadway production created and overseen by those who knew him best.
Deanna Brown-Thomas, James Brown’s daughter and President of the James Brown Family Foundation, co-wrote and is co-producing the show with director and producer Jeremy E. Cormier.
Deanna shared: “It’s not just about the man who changed music – it’s about his struggles, his brilliance, being a father and the fire that fueled his message in those lyrics.
“My father lived with purpose and power, and this musical will reflect all as I witnessed being with him throughout the years.”
With the 20th anniversary of James Brown’s passing coming up this Christmas, the musical arrives as a new generation rediscovers Brown’s influence in hip-hop, R&B, and beyond.
James Brown The Musical originated from the family-led workshop project Papa Didn’t Take No Mess: A James Brown Musical and has been quietly in development for years.
The show promises to track Brown’s life journey from South Carolina dirt roads to global stages like the Apollo, the White House, and everywhere in between.
Expect crowd-pleasers like Please, Please, Please, Cold Sweat, It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World, Get Up (I Feel Like Being) Sex Machine, The Payback, Living in America and more.
Cormier said: “We are not adapting a Wikipedia page. We are staging a life.
“Deanna Brown-Thomas has trusted me to help carry this story – not as an outsider hired in, but as someone who sat at the table with the family, learned the truth behind the headlines, and committed to honoring it.
“Broadway audiences are about to meet James Brown the way only his family could introduce him: human, complicated, and unstoppable.”
Details about casting and a theater aren’t out yet, but updates are promised soon.
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