Director Liesl Tommy is bringing a new adaptation of Imitation of Life to Broadway.

Universal Theatrical Group announced that it will produce the new Broadway musical adaptation alongside John Legend‘s Get Lifted Film Co. with Wagner Johnson Productions serving as General Manager. Lynn Nottage is writing the musical’s book.

“When I met with Universal Theatrical Group to talk about a possible collaboration, the only title I wanted to discuss was Imitation of Life. I’d long been a fan of the book and I knew there was a passionate, contemporary, and newly relevant adaptation of this story uniquely suited to musical theater,” said Tommy. “To my mind the only collaborators for this beautifully complex, wholly American story are Lynn Nottage and John Legend; thankfully, they agreed to join me immediately in bringing their creativity and immense talents to this re-telling. We are thrilled to partner with UTG as we turn a whole new lens on Imitation of Life, using this great American art form to illuminate and uplift Black life.”

Imitation of Life was written by Fannie Hurst and published as a novel in 1933. Universal Pictures brought the book to the big screen in 1934 in a film adaptation directed by John Stahl and starring Claudette Colbert and Louise Beavers. The film was remade in 1959 with Lana Turner and Juanita Moore and directed by Douglas Sirk. The 1934 version was nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards and has been inducted into the U.S. National Film Registry of The Library of Congress. The 1959 version was nominated for two Academy Awards, with Juanita Moore nominated for Best Actress.

The story follows a young woman who feels she must deny her Black heritage in order to survive in a racially-obsessed society. According to the official description:

Imitation of Life confronts the complexities and contradictions of racial identity, economic exploitation, and the limits of the American dream. The story centers on Delilah Johnston, a black mother in 1920s Atlantic City, and her daughter Peola who “passes” as white. Delilah must navigate her friendship and business partnership with Bea Pullman while trying to hold on to Peola, who is determined to build a bold and dangerous new life.

Universal Theatrical Group

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