As reported by Playbill, it seems Tony Award nominee Kenny Leon is directing a new musical based on Tupac Shakur's body of work. The musical will be called "Holler If Ya Hear Me," the title taken from a track on 'Pac's 1993 album Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z.
It's billed as follows: "An original story set in the present day on the inner-city streets of a Midwestern industrial city, the musical tells the story of two childhood friends and their extended families as they struggle to reconcile the challenges and realities of their daily lives with their hopes, dreams and ambitions."
The show is currently being developed in a New York City workshop. Those involved are looking to premiere it on Broadway during the 2013-14 season, although this apparently depends on the availability of a theatre. It will feature choreography from Tony Award winner Wayne Cilento, musical supervision by Daryl Waters, costumes by Reggie Ray, lighting by Mike Baldassari and set and video by Tony Award winner David Gallo.
Tupac's mother, Afeni Shakur, is producing the show alongside Eric L. Gold, Chunsoo Shin and Jessica Green. It has been described as non-biographical, and will be accompanied by a book by Todd Kreidler.
[UPDATE: The Tupac Shakur-Inspired Musical "Holler If You Hear Me" Will Hit Broadway In June]
As we reported this past summer, Tupac is getting his own Broadway musical, "Holler If You Hear Me." At the time, there was no set date for when this musical would arrive in theatres, as it depended on the availability of New York theatres.
Entertainment Weekly reports that "Annie" has finished its run at Broadway’s Palace Theatre, and so there is now a space for "Holler If You Hear Me." The Tupac musical is slated to debut on June 19th.
While the musical will incorporate a lot of Pac's music, it is not actually about the legendary emcee. Written by Todd Kreidler, it's an "original, non-biographical story about two friends in the inner-city in the Midwest." The Broadway show will use 2Pac's music in order to offer "a window into the realities of the streets still relevant today."
If you're wondering how Pac's family feels about this, his mother, Afeni Shakur, is one of the show's producers.
Would you go? Check out the flyer in the gallery above.
