A musical about Amy Winehouse is officially in development for the West End, with Broadway producer Catherine Schreiber understood to be involved and casting said to be underway, according to Variety.
One source called it "the worst kept secret in theater." Casting is "underway." Mitch Winehouse, the singer's father and the man who runs the estate, is understood to be involved, which means the songbook will be there, because the estate is the reason the songbook is there. The project has been floated since at least 2017, which is about how long a jukebox musical takes to walk between the grave and the West End.
The recipe is the one that made Mamma Mia money: dead icon, famous producer, songbook everyone already knows, and a matinee audience that has decided to sing "Valerie" at a volume the theater did not ask for. The 2024 biopic Back to Black got mixed reviews, but a jukebox musical cannot fail the same way. Worst case is a slightly damp curtain and 1,200 strangers in windbreakers. Best case is a second estate credit on the playbill.
Amy was 27 when she died, and most of her songs were about how fast a room goes quiet. The West End's answer is to fill the room, sell out the intermission, and put the quiet in a two-hour package with a concession stand.
YOUR TURN: what song does the curtain rise on?
PAPER TRAIL
- The exclusive: Variety
- The 2008 stage photo: Getty via Variety
- The biopic that almost did it: Back to Black (2024)
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