Announcing Our 1st International New Play Pipeline
And a look ahead to 2024 global producing trends
Good afternoon (or morning) world!
Can’t believe it’s already been two years being your bespoke news spot for all things international producing and licensing trends. Thank you for staying informed and getting globally inspired!
Interested in supporting new works go global?
A QUICK LOOK AHEAD TO 2024 PRODUCING & LICENSING TRENDS…
LICENSING
For those following along from last time we talked (about problematic Western journalism among other things), “Dear Evan Hansen” will have a busy year: Korean premiere in March, German premiere in March, Czech premiere in September, Australian premiere in October… probably more to come.
2024 Korean season includes remounts of “Hadestown,” “Great Comet,” “Kinky Boots,” “Next to Normal,” and “Once.” Between upcoming US commercial tours/revivals and this season’s regional licenses, these are interestingly aligned with current US interests as well.
There’s also the upcoming Korean premiere of “Aladdin,” part of a 2023 agreement between Disney Theatrical and Korean production companies S&Co, Clip Service, and Lotte Cultureworks to premiere DTG productions that have not yet been introduced in Korea. This will be the first Korean local language foray for DTG, who has traditionally relied on Michael Cassel’s international English-out-of-Australia tours to serve the market.
The first Korean local language production since 2018 of my personal favorite French musical “Notre Dame de Paris” picks up this month. The themes of corruption, alienation, and asylum remain relevant worldwide…
Toho will produce “The King & I” in Japan in April for the first time in 24 years; they first produced the Japanese premiere in 1965.
“Kinky Boots” will add another country to its international resume with a Czech premiere in June.
Poland’s musical theater scene continues to expand with the 2024 premieres of “Rock of Ages” at Teatr Muzyczny Adria (“Waitress,” “In the Heights”) and “Heathers” at Teatr Syrena (“Six,” “Matilda”) (and a “Beetlejuice” premiere in 2025).
In July, the Thunerseespiele will show the Swiss premiere of the Disney musical “Mary Poppins” in a new production on its (stunningly gorgeous) open-air stage.
“Thoroughly Modern Millie” to be remounted in Japan; Toho‘s production, first cancelled in 2020 then performed in September 2022, will be performed again in July 2024.
Brazil adds a sexy youthful spin to “Cabaret” at the 033 Rooftop (“Great Comet”) in March. The work reunites producer Marilia Toledo and director Kleber Montanheiro, starring Fabi Bang fresh off her role as Glinda in the Brazilian non-replica “Wicked.”
A casting call reveals the next European and German-language premiere at Austria’s Landestheater Linz: Frank Wildhorn's “Wonderland” is on the schedule for the 2024/25 season.
NEW SHOWS TO KNOW: NATALIE’S PICKS
After four years of triumphant success, The City Theatre of Reykjavík’s “Níu líf (Nine Lives)” will be performed for the last time on January 12, 2024.
My 2022 review of the Bubbi Morthens jukebox musical praised the “rambunctious, infectious, and ambitious energy and design.”
Sold out since premiering in March 2020, the popularity of the show has no precedent in Iceland having broken all attendance records (233 performances, over 100,000 attendees aka 1/3 of the country’s population) and receiving 10 Grímunni Awards nominations in 2022 including winning Play of the Year, Actress of the Year, and Singer of the Year.
Korean production company EMK to premiere original musical “Benjamin Button” in May. Written by Cho Gwang-Hwa and Lee Nao, the work originally premiered as part of CJ Cultural Foundation’s Stage Up showcase in 2021.
Besides their hotly anticipated original musical “La Rose de Versailles” this season, EMK is also producing the first international license and Korean premiere of Frank Wildhorn’s “Your Lie in April” in June.
“ZAUBERFLÖTE (Magic Flute)” Munich World Premiere in April — The award-winning German composer Frank Nimsgern (“POE,” “Snowhite”), together with Aino Laos and director Benjamin Sahler, have adapted Mozart’s famous opera for the musical theater stage.
If you watch any of those linked videos, you’ll see the Bibleman meets Berlin aesthetic (if you get it you get it) and understand why I’m lowkey obsessed with Nimsgern’s (translated) quote:
“The basis is the original, from which my cinematic, kaleidoscopically expanded mental cinema develops. I gave every scene and every archaic character in this composition a new musical color and its own musical style spectrum. And when I quote Mozart every now and then, it is with a deep bow.”
From Our Friends:
U.S PREMIERE | CONCERT
PROTOTYPE, Stichting WENDE and the Royal Court Theatre London Present
THE PROMISE
Created & Performed by Wende
January 10, 11, 13 at 9pm | January 13 & 14 at 4pm @ NYC
“The Promise” is a captivating modern song cycle that explores profound themes of identity, origin, motherhood, and the complexities of human relationships in our modern era. Created by the internationally acclaimed Dutch singer-songwriter Wende in collaboration with the Royal Court Theatre and composed together with renowned English composer Isobel Waller-Bridge, this one woman musical creates a rich and diverse musical landscape that seamlessly blends various genres and showcases Wende’s incredibly versatile vocal range.
The Song Project is a co-production of Stichting WENDE, the Royal Court Theatre London and International Theater Amsterdam.
Have a show or idea you want to expand abroad? Consider working with Natalie at Broadway DNA, just reply to this email and let’s chat!