Cue glamor, love, and romance with a side of mahjong and dumplings because Crazy Rich Asians is coming to Broadway.
According to Playbill, Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures announced that they are developing a musical adaptation of the 2018 hit romantic comedy Crazy Rich Asians. Jon M. Chu, who directed the film, will also make his Broadway debut directing the musical.
Like the movie, based on the book by Kevin Kwan, the musical will follow a Chinese American professor named Rachel who travels to Singapore with her boyfriend Nick. The story unravels with surprises, disappointments, and understanding in what can be described as young love colliding with old money, reported Variety.
The original movie starred a fabulous line up of Asian American talent including Constance Wu, Henry Golding, and Michelle Yeoh. According to People, the full cast and production dates for the musical have not been announced yet, but from what we know, the creative leads behind the musical will feature a line-up of award winning talent and Asian American representation.
The musical’s book will be written by playwright Leah Nanako Winkler, from Kamakura, Japan, and Lexington, Kentucky, who is currently the co-executive producer and writer on Elsbeth, according to Deadline.
People reported that the musical’s score will be written by KPOP’s Tony Award nominated composer Helen Park, who was the first ever Asian female composer to be produced on Broadway, as well as Tony-nominated lyrics and composer Amanda Green, and Tat Tong, a Singaporean record producer and songwriter.
In addition to the musical, the highly anticipated sequel to the original movie has also been in the works for several years. Deadline reported in 2022 that both a sequel and a spinoff are in early development and will follow Kwan’s second book of the trilogy, China Rich Girlfriend.
Although not much else has been heard about the movie’s follow up, People reported that Awkwafina, who stars in the original movie, expressed her enthusiasm about working on a sequel alongside her costars.
“It would be so meaningful [to make a sequel],” Awkwafina said. “They’re like my family, and at this point it’s been so long. We would love to all get back together.”
Registration is closed for Common Ground: Building Together conference and gala award banquet in San Francisco on January 24. A shoutout to our planning committee: Jane Chin, Frank Mah, Jeannie Young, Akemi Tamanaha, Nathan Soohoo, Mark Young, Dave Liu, and Yiming Fu.
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