The Old Globe Theater in San Diego has announced what will be filling its stage for the next year or so. Almost every year, it includes one new musical that is being developed for eventual Broadway status…and this time, it's Robin and the 7 Hoods, based on the 1964 Rat Pack movie. Casey Nicholaw, who directed The Drowsy Chaperone and choreographed Spamalot will direct. Rupert Holmes is writing the book and the songs will be some of those penned by Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen for the movie, plus other Cahn-Van Heusen tunes from other venues.
This strikes me as a very good, promising venture. It'll be there July 14 through August 22 next year and I may make time in or around my busy Comic-Con schedule to go see it. The Comic-Con is July 22-25.
Absent from the Old Globe schedule — and everywhere else, insofar as I can tell — is the long-heralded musical version of The Nutty Professor, to be directed by Jerry Lewis. It was/is to have a book and lyrics by the aforementioned Mr. Holmes and music by Marvin Hamlisch, and not long ago, Jerry was telling reporters it would debut at the Old Globe, then go directly to Broadway without passing Go or collecting $200. If it's happening, it ain't happening there.
Also: A Broadway revival of the Neil Simon play Brighton Beach Memoirs — though well-reviewed — closed in one week. A companion play by Simon, Broadway Bound, was to have debuted later and played in repertory but of course, that's off, as well. James C. Taylor of the L.A. Times explains what he thinks caused this and it sure sounds like he's right. It's been a while since Mr. Simon had a hit on Broadway without someone like Nathan Lane to draw in the masses. Presumably, the forthcoming revival of Promises, Promises has a stellar-enough cast to give it a fighting chance.