A new musical about influential singer, songwriter and music producer James Brown is now in development for Broadway. “James Brown The Musical” is co-written and produced by Deanna Brown-Thomas — James Brown’s daughter and president of the James Brown Family Foundation — and playwright, director and lead producer Jeremy E. Cormier.
Cormier began volunteering with the James Brown Family Foundation in 2007. He is a company manager and associate producer with Dominion Entertainment Group, through which he has worked on regional productions of “Dreamgirls,” “A Raisin in the Sun,” “Black Nativity,” “Mahalia,” “Crowns” and “Chicken and Biscuits.” He is also CEO and executive producer of Jeremy Cormier Presents LLC, which produces original musicals and live events for artists, civic organizations and cultural institutions across Atlanta.
The musical will follow Brown from his humble beginnings in South Carolina and Georgia to the height of his fame and influence. Brown wrote and performed such hits as “I Got You (I Feel Good),” “It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World” and “Get Up Offa That Thing,” and his music has been sampled endlessly in hip-hop and pop music in the decades since. However, his life was marred by frequent controversies, including substance abuse and numerous legal troubles.
“We are not adapting a Wikipedia page,” said Cormier in a statement, “We are staging a life. Deanna Brown-Thomas has trusted me to help carry this story — not as an outsider hired in, but as someone who sat at the table with the family, learned the truth behind the headlines, and committed to honoring it. Broadway audiences are about to meet James Brown the way only his family could introduce him: human, complicated, and unstoppable.”
“This is an authentic story that’s been waiting to be told on the stage through the eyes of family,” added Brown-Thomas. “I traveled with my father on tour, I did his hair and was Vice-President of The New James Brown Enterprises. It’s not just about the man who changed music — it’s about his struggles, his brilliance, being a father and the fire that fueled his message in those lyrics. My father lived with purpose and power, and this musical will reflect all as I witnessed being with him throughout the years.”
“We are proud to support the Brown family as they bring the Godfather of Soul’s story to the stage with the integrity, scale and soul it demands,” added Primary Wave, a music publishing and administration company and a stakeholder in Brown’s publishing, master recording and name and likeness rights. “James Brown didn’t just shape the sound of the 20th century — he is the rhythmic backbone of nearly every genre that has come since, and being a part of his legacy is one of the great honors of our company’s history.”
The new musical is being developed based on the workshop production “Papa Didn’t Take No Mess,” which was performed at Decatur, Georgia’s Porter Sanford III Performing Arts and Community Center in 2024. Full casting, creative and venue announcements will follow.
