Beaches Musical Back in Development, With Score by Mike Stoller and Iris Rainer Dart
(© Tristan Fuge)
A new production of Beaches the Musical will take the stage at Theatre Calgary, as the final show of its 2023-24 season. Performances run May 18-June 16.
Based on the novel by Iris Rainer Dart, Beaches follows the 30-year friendship of Cee Cee and Bertie, from their childhood to adulthood. The story is perhaps best known from its 1988 film adaptation, which starred Bette Midler and Barbara Hershey.
Beaches the Musical has music by Mike Stoller, lyrics by Dart, and book by Dart and Thom Thomas. Lonny Price will direct, with Matt Cowart codirecting. Full casting will be announced in the coming months. It was originally developed with David Austin as composer.
Stoller is the legendary cowriter of hit songs like “Hound Dog” and “Jailhouse Rock.” He and Dart collaborated on the Broadway musical The People in the Picture.
The musical version of Beaches has had previous runs with different casts and creative teams at Signature Theatre (2014, with Mara Davi and Alysha Umphress) and the Drury Lane Theatre (2015, with Shoshana Bean and Whitney Bashor). A New York City reading will take place in October 2023.
