A Head for Broadway, and a Bod for Singing
Wednesday, June 7, 2017 at 1:07PM 
Working gal Robert here! Broadway has been absolutely inundated with musicals based on famous movies in the past few years, to the point where a friend told me he was going to see Groundhog's Day: The Musical and I thought it was a sick joke.
That being said, there is an upcoming production that has turned my opinion right around on that subject: a musical version of the 1988 Melanie Griffith vehicle Working Girl with music by pop-genius Cyndi Lauper and book by renowned playwright Kim Rosenstock. Let the river run after the jump!
If you are on this website I'm assuming you already worship at the altar of Mike Nichol's workplace comedy about a Staten Island girl named Tess whose drive leads her to impersonate her delightfully horrid boss (Sigourney Weaver in one of her all-time great roles) to land a business deal she knows she can pull off if she could just get the opportunity. Oh and she also falls in love with Harrison Ford at his absolute hunkiest. Oh and she has a bawdy best friend with crazy eyeshadow played by Joan Cusak. Oh and a lousy boyfriend played by Alec Baldwin. The film is big and broad with lots of triumph and humor. In some ways it already feels like a Broadway musical just sans the music.
Lauper seems like an ideal choice for the score. She cut her teeth with the kind of unapologetically inspirational, feminist '80s anthems that she show calls for. Theater fans will also note that she already has a Tony for Best Score for the mega-popular Kinky Boots. I do hope that Carly Simon's Oscar winning "Let the River Run" from the original film starts the show off. I'm already getting goosebumps at the thought of hearing those drums while a giant replica of the Staten Island Ferry cruises onto stage.
Before I sign off I would be remiss, however, to not point out that Bob's Burgers did it first.
Any Broadway fans have casting wishes? Will you be buying a ticket?
Reader Comments (11)
I really don't know what to think about this, but if it must happen, then PLEASE GOD let Laura Benanti play the Sigourney Weaver role!
Just try and top Sigourney,it's my fave supporting performance ever and that's saying a lot.I won't go into the 88 daylight robbery,it's been discussed but just so people know Weaver is the ultimate Oscar loser.
Then when this musical production inevitably becomes a movie, hopefully Ms. Lauper will pen a new tune and she can finally EGOT! I've been waiting for it since her Mad About You days.
Cyndi Lauper remains an underappreciated treasure in entertainment. I hope she does get her EGOT and why is she not in the WWE Hall of Fame? She helped bring people to watch their program which is now become shit.
This feels tailor-made for Annaleigh Ashford. Dan - I love the Benanti idea.
The story does lend itself for a feel good musical
OMG
Annaleigh Asford and Laura Benanti would actually be a perfect duo for this!
if they leave out the LET THE RIVER RUN NUMBER count me out! They did this with SISTER ACT and the COLOR PURPLE leaving out incredibly good songs, If you cant secure the rights to LET THE RIVER RUN then dont do it!!!
katherine parker better have a show stopping "and i am [after all] me" number
Cyndi already said Let The River Run won't appear in the show. She said she couldn't find a way to work it in.
OMG, that Bob's Burgers episode with the dueling Working Girl/Die Hard musicals is GENIUS.