Rupert Holmes Promises a Bright Future For The Nutty Professor

Those who worried that the untimely death of composer, Marvin Hamlisch in August also spelled the demise of the Broadway-bound musical The Nutty Professor can breathe a sigh of relief.

The show’s librettist, Rupert Holmes, has told TheaterMania that the new musical based on the classic 1963 film comedy — which debuted at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center — is likely to live on.

“Producers are collecting the funds and it seems like we have substantial backers,” he said. “I can’t tell you a date and I cannot tell you a theater, but I can tell you is that it’s the intention of all of us to move forward, and based on the kind of response we had from the audiences, we think that there is a bright future for The Nutty Professor.”

“It turned out to be an extremely touching musical,” Holmes says. “Marvin’s score is among his best, with heart-tearing ballads and music where his sense of humor is in every bar. The score is really where it needs to be.”

Check back with TheaterMania later this month for an in-depth interview with Holmes about the current Roundabout Theatre Company revival of his 1985 musical The Mystery of Edwin Drood.