11 hours ago
There Will Be 10 Things to Love about This Lena Dunham and Carly Rae Jepsen Collab
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 1 MIN.
"Girls" creator Lena Dunham and "Call Me Maybe" singer Carly Rae Jepsen are joining forces to bring the Gil Junger-directed 1999 rom-com "10 Things I Hate About You" to the stage as a musical.
"Jepsen is co-writing the score with producer Ethan Gruska, with whom she worked on her most recent album 'The Loveliest Time,'" Variety reported, "and Dunham is set to co-write the book with acclaimed playwright Jessica Huang."
A release about the project recalls that "'10 Things I Hate About You,' a retelling of William Shakespeare's 1594 play 'The Taming of the Shrew,' launched the careers of Heath Ledger, Julia Stiles and Joseph Gordon-Levitt and showcased a breakout performance by Alison Janney," Variety relayed.
In the film, Cameron (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) hires Patrick (Heath Ledger) to romance Kat (Julia Stiles), the older sister of Bianca (Larisa Oleynik). His motive is simple: Bianca will not be allowed to date until Kat has a boyfriend.
"The film was a box office hit and gained cult status thanks to its keen and witty examination of teenage life in a 1990s Seattle suburb and the nuanced portrayal of sisters Kat and Bianca Stratford," the release adds.
"The adaptation's creative team also includes the two-time Tony-winning director and choreographer Christopher Wheeldon; music supervisor, arranger and orchestrator Tom Kitt, who is also a two-time Tony winner; and 'Shucked' and 'Beautiful – The Carole King Musical' producer Mike Bosner by special arrangement with Buena Vista Theatrical," Variety noted.
Revisit the 1999 film with the trailer below.
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.