Olivier Award winning playwright James Graham and 8-time Academy Award winner Alan Menken will adapt George Orwell’s Animal Farm into a new stage musical.
Graham, whose credits include This House, Ink and musical Finding Neverland, will write the book with Menken writing the music with lyrics by Glen Slater.
Menken and Slater have previously collaborated on The Little Mermaid, Sister Act The Musical, Home on the Range and Tangled.
The production will have a series of workshops in 2021 ahead of a world premiere in London’s West End with dates to be determined.
Graham said: “To be working on Animal Farm, one of the greatest political fables of the 20th century, with this team of Alan and Glenn, one of the greatest in musical theatre, is both a sheer delight, and also a real responsibility.
“Orwell’s themes of power and misinformation, corruption and ideological divides resonate strongly today. We want this gothic fairytale to open them up to a wide audience in a boldly theatrical way.”
Glen Slater added: “Animal Farm could not be more relevant to the world we’re living in today.
“I’m wildly excited to thrill, provoke, and perturb audiences with a new of-the-moment musical version of this timeless tale — and especially to do so in tandem with two certified geniuses like Alan Menken and James Graham.”
Graham will have his work cut out for him as he is reportedly also working on a new musical with Elton John and Jake Shears from the Scissor Sisters called Tammy Faye; the musical is based on the American evangelist Tammy Faye Messner.
