“Holler If Ya Hear Me,” a jukebox musical inspired by rap icon Tupac Shakur, and “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,” a stage version of the best-selling mystery book, will hit Broadway this year.
The shows could not be more different — one is a beloved U.K. production, the other a gritty slice of urban life. Guess which one is which?
“Holler” will be the first out of the gate, when it begins performances on May 26, 2014, before officially opening at the Palace Theatre on June 19, 2014.
“Curious Incident,” will open at an unspecified date in the fall of 2014 at the Barrymore Theatre. It arrives more battle-tested. A West End production received seven Olivier Awards (the U.K. equivalent of the Tonys) this year, including Best New Play.
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The play will be produced on Broadway by The National Theatre. It follows Mark Haddon’s acclaimed novel about a math-genius with a social disability who unravels a mystery. Bunny Christie (“The White Guard”) will direct, having previously overseen the London production.
“Holler” will lean heavily on Shakur’s music and lyrics, but the show will not be a biography about the late rapper’s rise to the top of the charts. Instead it will tell a different story about street-life, producers said. Shakur died in 1996 from multiple gunshot wounds he received in a Las Vegas drive-by-shooting.
Kenny Leon (“A Raisin in the Sun”) will direct the show, while Todd Kreidler (“Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner“) will write the book. The rapper’s mother, Afeni Shakur, is one of the show’s producers.
Casting for both productions will be announced at a later date.