Musical Featuring Britney Spears Songs Coming to Broadway

Following in the tradition of acts like ABBA and Billy Joel, a musical featuring songs by Britney Spears is in development and on its way to Broadway, the New York Times reports.

The musical is being produced by James L. Nederlander and will be a musical comedy featuring songs from Spears’ extensive catalogue. The show won’t chronicle the star’s life, but will use her songs as a backdrop for a story about some of fairy tales’ classic princesses.

“I’m so excited to have a musical with my songs—especially one that takes place in such a magical world filled with characters that I grew up on, who I love and adore,” Spears said in a statement via Entertainment Tonight. “This is a dream come true for me!”

Titled Once Upon a One More Time in a play on Spear’s debut single “…Baby One More Time,” the musical will follow characters including Snow White, Cinderella, Rapunzel and Sleeping Beauty during their fortnightly book club, during which they read their only book, a collection of the Grimms’ fairy tales. When the princesses wish for new reading material, their fairy godmother presents them with Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique, which brings about some serious changes in their lives.

“Cinderella is having an existential crisis, and she has a posse of famous princesses, and her stepmother is the main antagonist, and there’s also Prince Charming and a dwarf we’ve never met — the eighth dwarf — and a narrator who is unhappy his system is being dismantled before his eyes,” bookwriter Jon Hartmere (The Upside, Bare) explained of the show.

“These women have been in this hermetically sealed world, and then they start to get deeper into modern ideas — second and third-wave feminism — and also explore how stories are passed down to us, and where we get our norms from. But it’s also superfun and funny.”

The musical will begin in Chicago at the James M. Nederlander Theater, with previews beginning Oct. 29 before running from Nov. 13 until Dec. 1. Several readings of the show have already taken place, one of which was attended by Spears, and will have a developmental workshop next month. After its run in Chicago, the musical will attempt to transfer to Broadway.

Once Upon a One More Time will be directed by Kristin Hanggi (Rock of Ages) and choreographed by Keone & Mari Madrid. Hartmere (World of Dance) shared that the musical currently includes 23 of Spears’ songs, including many of her famous hits and “a couple of deep album cuts,” which will be sure to please diehard fans.

“Throughout her career, Britney has captivated fans across the globe with her singular brand of energy and resilience,” Nederlander said. “For three years, we have been working closely with her to develop a concept that perfectly encapsulates her unique spirit, and are so thrilled to finally bring this joyous and electrifying show to the stage.”

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