We weren't too surprised when Green Day and Queen got their own Broadway musicals, but Tupac? The West Coast gangsta rapper is about the last artist we'd ever expect to get the Broadway treatment, but nonetheless, the production will begin casting this Sunday (March 4).
The musical is called Holler If Ya Hear Me, and AllHipHop points to an open casting call that was posted on Playbill.com. It notes that the production is to be helmed by Tony Award-winning Broadway director Kenny Leon, and that it will be "Inspired by and featuring the music of Tupac Amaru Shakur."
The casting directors are seeking African-American rappers aged 18 to 35, plus one caucasian actor aged 20 to 25 "with a strong facility for rap and terrific guitar skills."
In a 2011 interview with PBS, Leon said this about the planned musical: "A long time ago, maybe eight or nine years ago, I've been talking about that with Tupac's mother, Afeni, and so we've become fans of each other and she sort of entrusted me with her son's music. The idea was always to make a musical inspired by his music and not to do an autobiographical approach to his life or anything like that. And because I always thought that Tupac was a prophet and I thought if everybody could hear his words and hear his stories, they would see what I see."
We've got to admit that we'd probably rather see that long-rumoured biopic than a musical, but it looks as if this will have to do for now.
The musical is called Holler If Ya Hear Me, and AllHipHop points to an open casting call that was posted on Playbill.com. It notes that the production is to be helmed by Tony Award-winning Broadway director Kenny Leon, and that it will be "Inspired by and featuring the music of Tupac Amaru Shakur."
The casting directors are seeking African-American rappers aged 18 to 35, plus one caucasian actor aged 20 to 25 "with a strong facility for rap and terrific guitar skills."
In a 2011 interview with PBS, Leon said this about the planned musical: "A long time ago, maybe eight or nine years ago, I've been talking about that with Tupac's mother, Afeni, and so we've become fans of each other and she sort of entrusted me with her son's music. The idea was always to make a musical inspired by his music and not to do an autobiographical approach to his life or anything like that. And because I always thought that Tupac was a prophet and I thought if everybody could hear his words and hear his stories, they would see what I see."
We've got to admit that we'd probably rather see that long-rumoured biopic than a musical, but it looks as if this will have to do for now.
