DIAMOND'S LIFE HEADED FOR THE MUSICAL STAGE

Neil Diamond’s life story is getting the Broadway treatment from a team that includes the writer of Bohemian Rhapsody, the Four Seasons’ songwriter-producer and the producer of Spring Awakening.

Ken Davenport (Spring Awakening, Once on This Island) and Bob Gaudio (Jersey Boys) are developing a musical featuring Diamond’s hits that will chronicle his life story. Anthony McCarten is writing the book; Tony Award winner Michael Mayer (American Idiot, Spring Awakening) is the director.

Diamond said, “The inspiration for many of my early songs came from shows like West Side Story, My Fair Lady and Fiddler on the Roof, so it seems only fitting to bring my songs to The Great White Way. I’m honored and excited to be working with this great team.”

The musical does not yet have a title and there is no timeline for the project yet.

Gaudio approached Davenport about a year ago to work on the project. Davenport wrote on his blog “this one will probably come together quicker than most musicals. Because we’ve already got a score. And it’s pretty effin’ great.”

A half-century of Diamond’s music was featured on a six-CD 50th Anniversary Collector’s Edition that came out in November on Capitol/UMe. Its release followed Diamond receiving lifetime achievement awards last year from the Recording Academy and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.