A Bruce Lee Musical… What?

Posted by Kevin Carr (kevin@filmschoolrejects.com) on May 23, 2008

Now I’ve heard it all. A Bruce Lee musical? If this were April 1st, I’d be sure this is a joke. But it’s late May, and not a fool in sight.

Earlier this week, Variety reported that David Henry Hwang will write the book for a new musical about martial arts legend Bruce Lee. Show tunes and Jeet Kune Do… how could this go wrong?

The production will include music by Dirty Rotten Scoundrels songwriter David Yazbek and choreography from Dou Dou Huang. Bartlett Sher will direct the show. The story will be taken from Hwang’s biography “Bruce Lee: Journey to the West,” which includes aspects of Lee’s life as well as the mythical tale of the Monkey King.

The upcoming Bruce Lee musical is set to debut on Broadway for the 2010-11 season.

Nothing against Bruce Lee, but I never considered this action movie legend the stuff of Broadway shows. It seems like this might be the most awkward adaptation to come down the pike since Carrie: The Musical. But if it’s a hit, can we expect more martial arts musicals to arrive on the Great White Way?

Sound off: What subject matter would make a stranger musical than Bruce Lee’s life?

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