Movie star Antonio Banderas and Wicked composer Stephen Schwartz are working together on a brand new musical about Picasso.
The Pablo Picasso biographical musical will see Antonio Banderas play the famous Spanish artist, with Gordon Greenberg directing the show. Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Pippin, Godspell, Enchanted) will write the songs, and playwright Caridad Svich is doing the book.
The collaboration is between Antonio’s Malaga based theatre company Teatro del Soho Caixabank, and West End theatre owners and producers Trafalgar Entertainment, who own the Trafalgar Theatre amongst others. Trafalgar is led by former ATG heads Howard Panter and Rosemary Squire.
According to press reports, Schwartz, Greenberg, and Svich all travelled to Malaga recently, hometown to Antonio Banderas and Picasso, to do some research.
Banderas also appeared in the 2017 Nat Geo film Genius: Picasso about the artist’s life. He is also no stranger to musical theatre, including starring alongside Madonna in the movie version of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s Evita.
In June it was announced that Banderas has teamed up with Andrew Lloyd Webber to launch musicals, stage plays and live entertainment aimed at Spanish-speaking audiences around the world.
Trafalgar Entertainment produces Jersey Boys at their Trafalgar Theatre in London. Other recent productions include the revival of Anything Goes at the Barbican Theatre.
It is not yet clear if the new Picasso musical will premiere in London.
