‘Girls Just Want to Have Fun’ Musical in the Works Based on Sarah Jessica Parker’s 1985 Teen Comedy (EXCLUSIVE)
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A musical adaptation of “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” the 1985 teen comedy starring Sarah Jessica Parker and Helen Hunt, is in the works.
The stage show is based on the film’s screenplay by Amy Spies and features a score of 1980s chart-toppers, including the Cyndi Lauper hit that inspired the title. “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” tells the story of Janey, a high school gymnast whose strict Army colonel father instructs her to stay out of the spotlight. But when she moves to a new town and meets the bold and supportive Lynne, she disobeys her dad for the first time to enter a TV dance competition. Although the movie wasn’t a box office hit, it eventually became a cult favorite.
This musical marks the first project in the previously announced collaboration between theater development company Lively McCabe Entertainment (“Clue On Stage” and “Mystic Pizza: The New Musical”) and music publishing company Primary Wave Music.
Jennifer Werner, who worked on “The Book of Mormon,” has signed on to direct. M. Dickson (“How I Met Your Father” and “Superstore”) is teaming with Lauren Marcus (“Tick, Tick… Boom”) to co-write the musical’s book, with music and lyrics expected to be mainly sourced from Primary Wave’s catalog of pop favorites.
“This is a dream project that our team has been working on securing for quite some time, so we’re immensely grateful to Amy Spies for entrusting us with her iconic story and characters and for her collaboration on bringing them to the stage,” says Lively McCabe’s CEO Michael Barra. “And to be able to partner with this brilliant trio of creators as well as our friends at Primary Wave with their incredible catalog of 80s chart-toppers, is just icing on the cake.”
Executive producer Michael Barra and associate producer Allison Bressi will oversee for Lively McCabe, alongside Primary Wave’s Natalia Nastaskin and Ramon Villa. They will work closely with Spies to bring her story to the stage.
“I am excited that this great team is bringing to the stage my story of empowering female friendships and young women coming into their own,” Spies said.