By Mark Kennedy
Alicia Keys, Dolly Parton and Neil Diamond — step aside. The next musical icon to turn their songs into a stage musical will be James Taylor.
Taylor’s songs will fuel “Fire & Rain,” a musical announced Monday, in development with a story by playwright and actor Tracy Letts and direction by Tony Award winner David Cromer.
“Fire and Rain” is one of Taylor’s most iconic songs, released in 1970 on his second album, “Sweet Baby James.” It reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Other hits include “You’ve Got a Friend” and “How Sweet It Is.”
No timeline was revealed on when “Fire & Rain” will be first staged.
Taylor has won six Grammys and is a member of both the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Halls of Fame. He is the first artist to have a Billboard Top 10 album in each of the past six decades.
Letts won a Pulitzer Prize and a Tony Award for writing “August: Osage County” and his other plays include “Bug,” “Killer Joe,” “Superior Donuts” and “The Minutes.” Cromer has directed two of Letts’ works — “Bug” and “Man from Nebraska.”
Taylor joins a growing list of musical artists who have turned to the stage.
Parton is writing new songs to go along with some of her past hits and co-writing a stage story inspired by her life for a stage musical that she hopes to land on Broadway in 2026. Diamond, Keys, Michael Jackson, Carole King and Gloria and Emilio Estefan all got biographical musicals on Broadway.
Taylor will join such pop and rock luminaries as Elton John, Cyndi Lauper, The Go-Gos, Sting,Alanis Morissette, Dave Stewart, Edie Brickell, Trey Anastasio, David Byrne and Fatboy Slim and Bono and The Edge with Broadway scores.
AP
