Lionsgate TV revealed on its official Instagram page that the hit television series Nashville is headed to Broadway as a musical. The show originally started its run on ABC in 2002 before being canceled in 2016 but was eventually picked up by CMT for two more seasons before it aired its final episode in 2018.
Entertainment Tonight reported that the show about the conflict and drama the country music business can have not only with the stars themselves but their family and friends will be played out on the Great White Way. The news site revealed that 10-time Tony Award-winning producer Scott Delman will serve as lead producer of the musical.
He said in a statement of his involvement in adapting the television series and its myriad of characters for the Broadway stage, “ Nashville , with its complex, relatable characters, and sweeping emotional gestures, has all of the narrative elements that I look for in great theatrical source material. From that rich DNA, we will be building an original story with entirely original music, written by major Nashville and Broadway songwriters.”
The show is already rich in music and personality. The series took its lead actors on tour several times throughout the show’s run. TV Line reported that some of the tour participants were series stars Charles Esten, Clare Bowen, Sam Palladio, Chris Carmack, Lennon and Maisy Stella, and Jonathan Jackson. Shows featured songs from the series as well as artists’ original material.
Not only was Nashville a hit in the United States, but it was also a smash overseas as well. The show’s final tour in 2018 took the cast to England and Ireland for a select series of tour dates.
Several fans took to Instagram to voice their happiness over the exciting news.
“They’re gonna fit that whole show into a Broadway performance it will be CRUSHING!” said one fan. Another commented, “I’m so shook! This is crazy!” Still another former viewer remarked, “I’m so excited for Nashville to continue on!”
The official Grand Ole Opry site reported that the show was nominated for and won multiple awards during its run on both ABC and CMT. Hulu partnered with CMT for fans who did not receive the channel as part of the cable television packages by streaming original episodes of the series the day after they originally aired.
The show has “inspired” 22 soundtracks, and a Christmas album reported the Opry site. As of 2018, released music from the show has sold more than 1 million album units and over 5 million single-track downloads.
