Source: The Stanley Weston Archive / Getty
The late legendary athlete and activist Muhammad Ali transformed the landscape of sports, and a new musical that celebrates his storied legacy is coming to Broadway, Broadway World reported.
The project—titled ALI—will chronicle the Louisville native’s rise in the realm of boxing and highlight his contributions to advancing social justice. Director Clint Dyer, who serves as deputy artistic director of the National Theatre and is known for bringing the production “Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical” to life, will direct the play and pen the script. Composer and conductor Teddy Abrams, who is the Louisville Orchestra’s music director, will lead the musical score. Brook T. Smith, Richard Willis, TheTribecaWorkshop, and ABG Entertainment will collaboratively produce the project with the support of Ali’s widow Lonnie Ali.
Ali says her late husband’s influence transcended beyond sports and is excited to bring his story to Broadway.
“Muhammad has been a muse and continues to be a source of inspiration to so many artists around the world,” she shared in a statement, according to the news outlet. “I’m so proud to support this project and am thrilled to see his story brought to life on the Broadway stage.”
News about the project comes a year after it was revealed Jay-Z and actor Michael B. Jordan were teaming up to produce a television series about Ali. There is no word on when the musical will make its debut.
Abrams added he was personally moved by Ali’s resilient story.
“I began exploring Ali’s life in 2016 when I wrote a multimedia rap-oratorio about his life,” he said. “In that process, I recognized that Ali’s journey from fighter to humanitarian reflected the personal and global conflicts and contradictions of the human condition, and through his lens I better understood persistent and fundamental issues, and the continued need to strive for peace and equality. Ali deserves the epic, dramatic treatment of a full-scale musical, enshrining his legend and teachings for his fans as well as new generations to come.”
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