True Blood Is Becoming A Musical

Hey, if Legally Blonde, Shrek, SpongeBob Squarepants, and even Hasbro’s popular board game Monopoly can all be turned into musicals, it should not surprise anyone that a True Blood musical is in the works.

According to the NY Post, the True Blood: The Musical is being directed by Pam MacKinnon (Broadway’s China Doll), who recently staged a (not-so) secret workshop for it in the Big Apple. The cast included Ellen Foley (of TV’s Night Court), Claybourne Elder (Broadway’s Bonnie & Clyde) and Ann Harada (Avenue Q). Two-time Emmy nominated composer Nathan Barr, who wrote the original score for the HBO series, is composing music for the play. Living Dead Girl author, Elizabeth Scott, is writing the book and lyrics.

I hear Alan Ball, who created the TV show, is keeping an eye on the stage version.

These are early days, but sources say the musical needs cutting: Act 1 was almost 132 pages.

Like the TV show, “True Blood: The Musical” is set in the fictional town of Bon Temps, La., where vampires live among humans. The town also boasts witches, fairies, shape-shifters and werewolves. If a full production ever materializes, there will be plenty of special effects.

My spies liked the music and thought the book, despite its length, was fun. – NY Post

HBO’s True Blood synopsis:

Thanks to a Japanese scientist’s invention of synthetic blood, vampires have progressed from legendary monsters to fellow citizens overnight. And while humans have been safely removed from the menu, many remain apprehensive about these creatures “coming out of the coffin.” Religious leaders and government officials around the world have chosen their sides, but in the small Louisiana town of Bon Temps, the jury is still out.

Local waitress Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), however, knows how it feels to be an outcast. “Cursed” with the ability to listen in on people’s thoughts, she’s also open-minded about the integration of vampires — particularly when it comes to Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer), a handsome 173-year-old living up the road. But at the service of Bill’s less virtuous vampire associates, Sookie is drawn into a series of catastrophes that will put their love to the test.