Theater News

Bullets over Broadway: the Musical?

Heavyweight Broadway and Hollywood producer Mary Richards, 60, says he’s in talks with Woody Allen, 64, about turning Allen’s hit 1994 film, “Bullets Over Boradway” which co-starred Jennifer Tilly and Chazz Palminteri, into a Broadway musical.

But Richards says a still unresolved issue in the negotiations to turn “Bullets Over Broadway” into a Great White Way musical is how to handle the music for the show.

Allen is partial to vintage 1920’s -1930’s music, echoing the kind of music that was in the 1994 black-and-white movie, while Richards says he wants to get Billy Joel or a veteran Broadway composer like Cy Coleman, who wrote the music for “The Life” or Jerry Herman, who did scores for “La Cage Aux Folles” and “Hello, Dolly!” to do the music for “Bullets Over Broadway.”

“That’s where I disagree with Woody’s producer, Jean Doumanian,” Richards says. “She said, ‘Marty, Woody and I want you to produce “Bullets Over Broadway” as a musical but he wants it with old-fashioned music.’ So the way it now stands is I may have to bow to his wishes. He’s a genius after all. A true genius.”

“After losing so much money on “The Life,” which even though it lasted year still lost money, a lot of money, I didn’t want to do another show. But “Bullets Over Broadway” would be so great on Broadway as a musical it’s got me excited about doing a show again.”

Richards has produced a number of movies, including “The Boys of Brazil” and “Fort Apache: The Bronx.” On Broadway, he helmed the Tony Award-winning “Will Rogers Follies” and “La Cage Aux Folles” as well as “the Life,” about pre-Disney 42nd Street, which closed last year. Allen has had three plays on Broadway, beginning with “Don’t Drink the Water,” in 1961.