Across London’s theater epicenter, the West End, a musical centered on Amy Winehouse (1983-2011) is in the works. That’s the word from the U.S. industry trade publication Variety. The project is still in its early stages, but casting is already underway. Tony Award-winning producer Catherine Schreiber is attached to the project, the producer behind Broadway runs of shows like Cabaret and Rent.
Also involved is Mitch Winehouse, the singer’s father, who manages her estate and thus the rights to her songs. For him, a West End musical would fulfill an old wish he has spoken about previously; in 2017 he told The Sun that he hoped to see something realized on stage.
“We want to do something that honors Amy for who she was. There’s so much more to her than the drugs and the alcohol,” he said then. Whether the show will be a straight retelling of Winehouse’s life or a fictional story that uses her songs remains to be seen.
20 Years of “Back to Black”
Amy Winehouse died in July 2011 at the age of 27 in her London home from an alcohol-related overdose. Throughout her career she released only two studio albums, yet hits like “Rehab” and “Back to Black” propelled her to worldwide fame.
On Wednesday evening, London’s Roundhouse in the Camden district hosted a tribute concert marking the 20th anniversary of “Back to Black.” Producer Mark Ronson, who co-produced the Grammy-winning album with Salaam Remi, performed there with the Amy Winehouse Band and featured vocalists such as Jorja Smith and Lianne La Havas.
This Friday, an expanded reissue of “Back to Black” will also hit shelves (TheColu.mn reported). It includes, among other things, four previously unreleased demos by the singer and a live track recorded at Amsterdam’s Paradiso in 2007. (spot)
