Mark Mothersbaugh and Kyle Jarrow to Adapt Nick Hornby's Slam for the Stage
(© David Gordon)
Producers Anita Greenspan and Tony Hawk, with executive producer Adam Zotovich, have announced that a new musical adaptation of Nick Hornby's 2007 novel Slam is being developed. Mark Mothersbaugh (Devo cofounder and prolific film composer) will be the composer and lyricist, with Tony Award nominee Kyle Jarrow (SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical) writing the book. The pro skater Hawk, who is featured as a character in the novel, will also develop skate choreography.
The rest of the creative team will be announced later. Slam is aiming for the 2020-21 Broadway season.
Slam is described as "a funny, heartfelt coming-of-age story about 17-year-old Sam, a kid from a troubled background who finds refuge and hope in the world of skateboarding. When he falls in love for the first time, with a girl named Alicia, it seems like everything's looking up – until she gets unexpectedly pregnant. Suddenly Sam has to grow up fast. Along the way, he finds guidance through imagined conversations with Tony Hawk, his idol. Nick Hornby's witty novel is an exploration of young adulthood and what it means to wrestle with dreams and disappointments. The musical will reset the story in the U.S."
