\'Hands on a Hardbody\' Sets Broadway Opening Date

October 2, 2012, 11:00 am

By PATRICK HEALY

Another new movie-turned-musical has confirmed its opening for the 2012-13 Broadway season: “Hands on a Hardbody,” about a group of Texans in an endurance contest to win a brand new truck, will begin preview performances on Feb. 23, 2013, at the Brooks Atkinson Theater and open on Mar. 21, the producers announced on Tuesday. The Broadway cast will be the same performers from last spring's production of “Hardbody” at La Jolla Playhouse, including Keith Carradine (a Tony nominee for the title role in “The Will Rogers Follies”), Hunter Foster (“Urinetown”), Mary Gordon Murray (a Tony nominee in 1982 for “Little Me”) and Connie Ray (“Next Fall”).

Based on a 1997 documentary by S.R. Bin dler and Kevin Morris, the musical has a book by the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Doug Wright (“I Am My Own Wife”), music by Trey Anastasio of the band Phish and Amanda Green (the new musical “Bring It On”), and lyrics by Ms. Green. The musical staging in La Jolla was by Benjamin Millepied, best known for his choreography in the movie “Black Swan”; due to a scheduling conflict, he has been replaced by Broadway choreographer Sergio Trujillo (“Jersey Boys”). The director is Neil Pepe, artistic director of Off Broadway's Atlantic Theater Company.

Among the other new musicals with confirmed plans to open on Broadway this season are two more based on movies, “Kinky Boots” and “A Christmas Story,” as well as “Matilda the Musical,” which is based on the Roald Dahl book (which was made earlier into a movie). Another movie-to-musical, “Diner,” is expected to open on Broadway in April but no theater or casting has been announced.

Those four shows as well as “Hands on a Hardbody” are expected to be eligible for the Tony Award for best musical in 2013, as are “Bring It On” (also based on a movie) and “Chaplin,” inspired by the life of the moviemaker. Another new musical that had been scheduled for the 2012-13 season, “Rebecca,” was canceled on Sunday due to problems with its financing.

A closed-door developmental lab for “Hands on a Hardbody,” to prepare for the spring opening, is now underway in New York City.