New York, NY (Top40 Charts) The musical adaptation of The Nutty Professor, composed by the late Marvin Hamlisch (A Chorus Line) with lyrics by Rupert Holmes (The Mystery of Edwin Drood), is getting a studio cast recording through TBIC
Music Group.
The musical is based on the iconic 1963 film by the late Jerry Lewis. This album signifies the last musical written by Hamlisch before his untimely passing.
The Nutty Professor the Musical is a comedic and heartwarming tale of self-discovery and transformation, following the story of Professor Julius Kelp, a brilliant but socially awkward scientist who creates a potion to transform into the suave and charismatic
Buddy Love. Jerry Lewis directed the musical's premiere in Nashville in 2012 with plans for a future Broadway run.
The development and transfer were temporarily paused due to Hamlisch and Lewis' passing. The upcoming studio album follows a recent restaging of the production at Ogunquit Playhouse, pictured above, which received rave reviews. The album will memorialize the legendary Jerry Lewis and Marvin Hamlisch's final work and collaboration.
"To say that I'm honored with the task of producing this album is an understatement," says Executive Producer Jason Turchin, Esq., founder of TBIC
Music Group. Turchin adds, "I grew up watching Jerry Lewis movies, listening to Rupert Holmes' numerous hit songs, and watching my children sing and dance to the songs from A Chorus Line."
In addition to Turchin, the production team consists of Artistic Producer
Peter H. Gistelinck (Belgian/Dutch/German productions of Jesus Christ Superstar, Grease, My Fair Lady,
Little Shop of Horrors, Playmate), with music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Rupert Holmes, and
Music Director/Conductor Todd Ellison (An American in Paris, Annie, La Cage, Spamalot, 42nd Street), in association with Terre Blair-Hamlisch and Jerry Lewis Films, Inc. The cast will be announced at a later date, along with the album's release expected for early 2024, which is also the 80th birthday celebration year of Marvin Hamlisch.
Executive Producer Jason Turchin is the visionary behind The Broadway Investor's Club and TBIC
Music Group, and an investor in many Broadway and Off-Broadway shows, including Sweeney Todd, 8-time Tony Award winning musical Hadestown, The Wiz, Merrily We Roll Along, The
Neil Diamond Musical: A Beautiful Noise, Stranger Sings! The Parody Musical, and Anthony Rapp's Without You.
For more information on The Nutty Professor the Musical and the upcoming album release, visit here or follow TBIC
Music Group and The Broadway Investor's Club on social media.
A prolific and revered composer, Marvin Hamlisch (1944-2012) won nearly every major award: three Oscars, four Grammys, four Emmys, a Tony, and three Golden
Globe awards, as well as a shared Pulitzer Prize for his music for A Chorus Line (awarded to the show's writing and production team) making him a "PEGOT" winner (EGOT + Pulitzer).
Mr. Hamlisch's contributions to the world of music are extraordinary: he created music for more than forty films and received Oscars for his remarkable adaptation of Scott Joplin's music in The
Sting and his classic score and song for The Way We Were and is best known for his musical hits like A Chorus Line, They're Playing Our Song, The Goodbye Girl, Sweet Smell of Success amongst many others including his very last musical The Nutty Professor.
He created scores for renowned filmmakers Woody Allen, Robert Redford and Steven Soderbergh, and he even wrote a classic
James Bond theme ("
Nobody Does It Better" from 1977's The Spy Who Loved Me). Mr. Hamlisch also served as the
Music Director and arranger for Barbra Streisand's 1994 concert tour and its television special, Barbra Streisand: The Concert.
He also held the position of principal pops conductor for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Pasadena Symphony and Pops, Seattle Symphony, San
Diego Symphony, The Buffalo Philharmonic and The
National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C.
At the time of his passing in 2012, he was preparing to assume responsibilities as Principal Pops Conductor for The Philadelphia Orchestra. Mr. Hamlisch was a graduate of the Juilliard School of
Music and Queens College.
Playwright, composer, lyricist, orchestrator, conductor, New York Times best-selling novelist, Billboard #1 platinum singer-songwriter, Rupert Holmes was the first person in theatrical history to singly win Tony® awards for Best Book,
Music and Lyrics. His creation The Mystery of Edwin Drood also won the Tony® award for Best Musical and the identical awards from the New York
Drama Desk.
He teamed with Broadway legends Kander and Ebb, winning the
Drama Desk for Best Book for the musical Curtains. His Broadway dramedy Say Goodnight, Gracie received a Tony nomination for Best Play and won the
National Broadway Theatre Award. He has two Edgar Awards from The Mystery Writers of
America and his first novel Where the Truth Lies was made into a motion picture starring Colin Firth.
In 2023, his third mystery novel Murder Your Employer reached #6 on the New York Times Bestseller List as well as the L.A. Times, Washington Post, and Associated Press Top Ten. He recorded his first album of story songs in 1974 and soon was, like Marvin, writing, arranging, and conducting recordings for Barbra Streisand, including Lazy Afternoon and songs for A Star is Born.
Barry Manilow, Dionne Warwick, Dolly Parton, Judy Collins, The Jets, Britney Spears, Renée Fleming, and countless others have recorded his music and lyrics; his own iconic hit "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)" was a Billboard #1 record in both 1979 and 1980 and has been heard in over 50 films. He created and wrote all 56 episodes of the critically acclaimed AMC series Remember WENN.
In 2022 his alma mater The Manhattan School of
Music awarded Holmes an honorary doctorate of music. He is most grateful to have had the privilege and joy of writing book and lyrics for the great Marvin Hamlisch's last complete musical, The Nutty Professor.
As a consummate entertainer, world-renowned humanitarian, Nobel Prize nominee and cultural icon, Newsweek called Jerry Lewis one of "The Most Recognized Personalities on the Planet." The top earning box office star in the world from 1952-56 with Dean Martin, then solo from 1957-64, his movies grossed over $800 Million leading him to receive global acclaim for his groundbreaking comedy and inspiring future performers and film-makers.
Jerry was also one of the only 2 film stars of his time to write, produce, direct and star in his own movies. Throughout the course of his career he appeared in 50+ films, directed 12+ movies, produced 13 television specials, 3 television series, NBC radio shows, recorded numerous songs, starred in his own comic book series, authored 4 books, wowed the Broadway stage and appeared in thousands of venues all over the world.
As most know, for over 60 years he had long been a tirelessly dedicated philanthropist, leading the fight against Muscular Dystrophy as the national chairman of the MDA. Jerry raised more than $2 billion for patient care and research and made the term "Jerry's Kids" a part of the modern American lexicon.
By creating the MDA Labor Day Telethon he taught the world about charitable giving. Some of the many awards he received included the U.S. Defense Department's Medal for Distinguished Public Service. The American Medical Association's Lifetime Achievement Award, The Oscar's notable Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award and the prestigious Legion d'Honneur from the President of France.
His familiar motto exemplified his love for humanity: "I shall pass through this world but once. Any good, therefore, that I can do or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again!"