Black Orpheus Musical In The Works
Stephen C. Byrd, who was responsible for this summer’s black adaptation of A Streetcar Named Desire that starred Blair Underwood, is set to produce a new show. A musical called Black Orpheus, based on the Greek tale of Orpheus (a musician who could charm beasts with the music he played on his lyre), is in the works.
The musical will be based on a film of the same title that won an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1960.  In mythology, Orpheus traveled to the underworld to face Hades after the death of his lover. The film was an afro-brazilian modernized adaptation of this tale.
According to NYTIMES, there are no directors or cast attached to the project yet. Byrd has a wish list in mind which includes Tony Award winners. He also said he wants to keep the musical as authentically Brazilian as possible like the original film. The musical will include samba and bossa nova songs in the style of the film.
The concept of this musical sounds incredibly unique. Unique concepts make the best musicals, right?
