Will Eisner's A Contract With God Becoming a Broadway Show

Vivek Tiwary, who wrote the best-selling graphic novel The Fifth Beatle, is set to produce a stage adaptation of Will Eisner's 1978 graphic novel A Contract With God. TEG+ has acquired the rights to adapt the graphic novel for Broadway, part of a broader slate of adaptations they're developing including Harold and the Purple Crayon. The A Contract With God play will be a musical, with original songs from Sam Hollander, Lisa Loeb, Matisyahu, Ryan Miller and Jill Sobule, according to a report at Variety, who first broke the news.

A Contract With God, is generally referred to as the first true graphic novel, with Eisner being a trailblazer in American publishing. Obviously, long-form sequential art storytelling has existed for generations, but somebody has to be the first modern version, and Eisner earned his place. The story centers on an interweaving series of stories all set in a New York tenement house. Eisner used the book to give audiences a snapshot of the Jewish immigrant experience in New York at that time. It spawned two sequels, which are generally sold as a collection now.

"When Vivek [Tiwary] sent me Will Eisner's A Contract With God, I was instantly floored," Hollander said in a statement. "Getting the chance to bring this seminal graphic novel to the stage in collaboration with an iconic crew of my talented Jewish pals is just the greatest thrill ever. It's an amazing way for us all to honor our heritage while bringing this story of the 1930's New York immigrant struggle to a new audience."

TEG+, which is overseen by Tiwary, is currently looking for a writer for the musical's "book" (the non-musical parts). The project was optioned for film in 2017, but nothing seems to hvae happened with it.

"For me, A Contract With God was a formative ground zero for all my creative work," Tiwary said. "I never met Will Eisner, and still he is one of the great mentors of my life. Like Will, I was born in New York City, a child of immigrants who grew up surrounded by immigrant dreams, both beautiful and frustrating. A Contract with God helped me understand both New York City and myself. I'm thrilled to now work alongside this group of top-notch inspiring Jewish musicians to bring a stage production of 'A Contract with God' to both fans of the graphic novel and to inspire new audiences."

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