A new musical featuring the songs of “Weird Al” Yankovic is now in development for the stage. Alex Timbers is set to direct “Dare to Be Stupid: The Weird Al Musical” and will team up once again with writers Scott Brown and Anthony King, his collaborators on Broadway’s “Beetlejuice” and “Gutenberg! The Musical!” Brown, King and Yankovic will pen an original story for “Dare to Be Stupid,” which will feature numerous songs from Yankovic’s decades-long career as a parody songwriter, including “White and Nerdy,” “Amish Paradise,” “Eat It,” “Smells Like Nirvana” and “Like a Surgeon.” The musical shares a name with Yankovic’s 1985 album.
“Ever since I was a middle-aged man, I’ve always wanted to be a part of the New York theater community,” said Yankovic in a statement. “Plus, the one thing people always say about Broadway is that it’s ‘severely lacking in Weird Al-based entertainment,’ and I think this musical should fix that problem immediately.”
“I first fell in love with Al’s music with the release of ‘Dare to Be Stupid’ and have remained an avid fan ever since,” added Timbers. “Now, it’s a dream come true to work with one of my comedy heroes bringing an original story set to his beloved songbook to the stage. What Al, Anthony and Scott are creating is unexpected, subversive, meta, and hilarious and I can’t wait for the world to experience it.”
In addition to helming “Beetlejuice” and “Gutenberg!,” Timbers is the Tony Award-winning director of “Moulin Rouge!” on Broadway; he also directed the Bobby Darin bio-musical “Just in Time,” as well as “The Pee-wee Herman Show.” Brown and King have previously partnered to write the book of “Beetlejuice,” and the book, music and lyrics of “Gutenberg!”
“Dare to Be Stupid” will be produced by Greg Nobile, CEO of Seaview, who said in a statement, “‘Dare to Be Stupid’ feels like the kind of musical that only comes around once in a while — wildly original, deeply funny, and powered by the unmistakable heart that has made ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic a singular voice in American culture. Beneath the absurdity and the joy, is a show about creativity, individuality, and the freedom to be unapologetically yourself. We couldn’t be more thrilled to be working with Al, Alex, Scott and Anthony to bring Weird Al’s singular world to the stage.”
Additional creative team members and a production timeline will be announced.
