Mitski is headed to Broadway. According to Deadline, the Oscar-nominated singer/songwriter is attached to write the music and lyrics for a stage musical adaptation of The Queen’s Gambit, the 2020 hit Netflix series starring Anya Taylor-Joy as fictional 1960s chess prodigy Beth Harmon.
The series, based on the 1983 novel of the same name by Walter Tevis about the chess whiz who struggles with drug and alcohol use, will be re-imagined for the stage by playwright Eboni Booth (Primary Trust), with Obie Award-winner Whitney White (Jaja’s African Hair Braiding) signed on to direct.
“Before [producers] Level Forward even brought the idea of making a musical of The Queen’s Gambit, I was a fan of the Netflix show, and an even greater fan of the original novel,” Mitski said in a statement. “So I was already determined to be a member of this team. And then I met Eboni and Whitney, and my determination grew tenfold! I absolutely had to be a part of this! I am ecstatic to get to work with all of these amazing creatives, who’ve each built beautiful and unique repertoires of their own.”
In addition to seven studio albums — including this year’s The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We — Mitski co-wrote “This Is a Life” for the Oscar-winning film Everything Everywhere All at Once, which scored an Oscar nomination for best original song.
“The Queen’s Gambit connects us all in the universal pursuit of becoming the person we are meant to be,” the show’s producers said in a joint statement. “Part of our journey is to bring this beloved story to the musical stage, and provide three revelatory artists – Mitski, Eboni Booth, and Whitney White, all at the top of their craft – with a chance to share the captivating world of Beth Harmon with live audiences.”
At press time casting and a timetable for the show’s opening had not yet been announced.
Read more
