Two River Theater Commissions New Musical About the All-Girl Rock Band Fanny
Two River Theater has announced the commission of Play Like a Girl: The Amazing Life & Times of a Band Named Fanny, a new musical based on the 1970s all-female rock band that featured June Millington (guitar, vocals), Jean Millington (bass, vocals), Alice de Buhr (drums, vocals), and Nickey Barclay (keyboards, vocals). Based on an original idea by David Crommett, the musical will be written by Jessica Hagedorn.
Two River Theater made the following statement about the project: "[Fanny] is considered by many to be the greatest all-female rock band of all time. Its members were pioneers — all four composed, sang, and played their own instruments, in the face of a music business determined to exploit them, and in a time and a world incapable of accepting them. The band lasted four years, from 1970-1974, but has never received the recognition it deserved."
Hagedorn is the author of Toxicology, Dream Jungle, The Gangster of Love, Danger and Beauty, and Dogeaters, which won the American Book Award and was a finalist for the National Book Award in fiction. An alumna of the Sundance Theatre Lab and the Sundance Screenwriters Lab, her theater work includes the stage adaptations of Dogeaters and The Gangster of Love, as well as collaborations with composer Fabian Obispo (Felix Starro), composer Mark Bennett (Most Wanted), and many more.
