Bowie Fans Rejoice! The Singer Is Making A Musical Inspired By 'The Man Who Fell To Earth'

David Bowie Is Making A Musical Inspired By 'The Man Who Fell To Earth'
A poster for Nicolas Roeg's 1976 science fiction film 'The Man Who Fell to Earth' starring David Bowie. (Photo by Movie Poster Image Art/Getty Images)
A poster for Nicolas Roeg's 1976 science fiction film 'The Man Who Fell to Earth' starring David Bowie. (Photo by Movie Poster Image Art/Getty Images)

If you love David Bowie, musical theater and the 1963 classic sci-fi novel The Man Who Fell to Earth, boy, do we have some news for you. According to the New York Theatre Workshop, David Bowie is heading Off-Broadway to work on a musical/play inspired by Walter Tevis' book-turned-cult-film. And it's going to debut this year.

Yes, Bowie will be co-creating the stage production, titled "Lazarus" and based on the story of The Man Who Fell to Earth, along with playwright Enda Walsh and director Ivo van Hove. No, he's probably not reprising his role as a marooned extraterrestrial named Thomas Jerome Newton, a stranger who ventures to Earth in search of water for his home planet.

Still, fans who flock to the theaters at the end of this year, can expect new Bowie songs, as well as new arrangements of vintage tracks. All praise the Thin White Duke.

The New York Times reported the story on Thursday, which was quickly confirmed by David Bowie's Twitter and Facebook accounts. "It is with much pleasure and great excitement that we can confirm the Winter 2015 New York production of LAZARUS by David Bowie and Enda Walsh," a press release on Bowie's website reads.

Bowie originally took on the role of Newton in the 1976 film version of the book, directed by Nicolas Roeg. A few years later, he broke into theater in 1980 to play the title role in "The Elephant Man," a production that famously sold out and was attended by icons like Yoko Ono and Andy Warhol.

Now he's working with Irish playwright Walsh, known for work on the Tony Award-winning musical "Once," and Belgian director van Hove, who sampled Bowie's music in his "Angels in America" adaption at the Brooklyn Academy of Music last year. Seems like he's in good hands.

It's safe to say Bowie will probably be busy until the end of the 2015-2016 Off-Broadway season. So, while the musician was not immediately available for comment, we'll go ahead and imagine his response for those begging for a Bowie press conference: "I don't want to go out. I want to stay in. Get things done."

Before You Go

Joseph Erbentraut/The Huffington Post
Artifacts from David Bowie's early years on display, including a replica of the plastic Grafton alto saxophone his mother gave him for Christmas in 1961. Geoffrey Marsh, co-curator of "David Bowie Is" at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, said the actual saxophone was the only item they requested from Bowie's massive archive that they were not given, due to its fragility.
Joseph Erbentraut/The Huffington Post
More early artifacts -- from before Bowie became Bowie -- include a pencil sketch Bowie did of his mother (right) and an early school photo (center).
Kim Bellware/The Huffington Post
Neon sign in the MCA Chicago's fourth floor, introducing "David Bowie Is..."
Joseph Erbentraut/The Huffington Post
Bowie paid close attention to his on-stage wardrobe from the very start of his musical career, playing in bands including the Kon-rads (which he formed at the age of 15 in 1962), the King Bees and the Riot Squad.
Joseph Erbentraut/The Huffington Post
A photo of a young Bowie (center) accompanies some of the artist's earliest releases as Bowie, after he changed his name to distinguish himself from the Monkees' Davy Jones in 1965. At right, his self-titled debut album, released in 1967.
YouTube
Bowie's meeting of dancer and mime artist Lindsey Kemp in 1967 proved instrumental for his career's theatrical, often character-driven trajectory. He took classes from Kemp and created mime performance pieces, including "The Mask," which is featured in the exhibition.
Joseph Erbentraut/The Huffington Post
Bowie's first commercial hit, "Space Oddity," was released in 1969. Bowie was reportedly inspired by the feelings of isolation in the Stanley Kubrick film "2001: A Space Odyssey."
Kim Bellware/The Huffington Post
A "Hunky Dory" promotion photo from 1971 where Bowie was styled to look like the early 20th century British occultist, poet and painter Aleister Crowley.
Joseph Erbentraut/The Huffington Post
Bowie's performance of "Starman" on BBC One's Top of the Pops in 1972 cemented his new Ziggy Stardust persona. The iconic jumpsuit, designed by Freddie Burretti, he wore for that performance is on display. Another Kubrick film, "A Clockwork Orange," inspired this look.
Kim Bellware/The Huffington Post
The green and white suit Bowie wore on the cover of "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust" (which was later tinted turquoise for the cover art).
Kim Bellware/The Huffington Post
A promotional poster showing a cartoon Bowie as Ziggy Stardust.
Joseph Erbentraut/The Huffington Post
The slender blue suit worn for Bowie's "Life on Mars?" 1972 video. Bowie reportedly had a 26-inch waist at the time.
Kim Bellware/The Huffington Post
Bowie wore his famous leotard-style "Woodland Creatures" garment for a show at London's Rainbow Theatre in 1972.
Kim Bellware/The Huffington Post
Handwritten lyrics to "Ziggy Stardust" in 1972.
Joseph Erbentraut/The Huffington Post
After Ziggy came the "Aladdin Sane" album (1973) and tour. This cloak covered in kanji characters was worn on the tour.
Kim Bellware/The Huffington Post
"Tokyo Pop" vinyl bodysuit from 1973 that Japanese designer Kansai Yamamoto created for Bowie.
Kim Bellware/The Huffington Post
A costume, designed by Kensai Yamamoto, from Bowie's Aladdin Sane era.
Joseph Erbentraut/The Huffington Post
A cobweb costume designed by Natasha Korniloff that Bowie wore for a television appearance in 1973. The show's producers reportedly ordered a third fake hand over Bowie's crotch be removed from the design prior to the show's airing.
Kim Bellware/The Huffington Post
Bowie's notes for his makeup during the "Diamond Dogs" era.
Joseph Erbentraut/The Huffington Post
Handwritten lyrics to "Rebel Rebel," the first single off "Diamond Dogs."
Joseph Erbentraut/The Huffington Post
After Bowie moved to the U.S. in 1974, living for a time in New York City, came "Diamond Dogs," an album inspired by George Orwell's "1984" and ideas of a musical based in a post-apocalyptic city. A set model for the "Diamond Dogs" tour.
Joseph Erbentraut/The Huffington Post
Bowie's "black-and-white" era --corresponding with the release of the "Station to Station" album (1976) -- is depicted with a range of variations on the black and white suit.
Joseph Erbentraut/The Huffington Post
In 1976, Bowie starred in his first feature film, "The Man Who Fell to Earth." At right, a manipulated film still.
Kim Bellware/The Huffington Post
The clown costume from Bowie's "Ashes to Ashes."
Joseph Erbentraut/The Huffington Post
Bowie created these paintings after he moved to West Berlin in the late '70s.
Joseph Erbentraut/The Huffington Post
At left, handwritten lyrics to "Fashion," the second single off 1980's "Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)."
Joseph Erbentraut/The Huffington Post
Bowie starred in "The Elephant Man" in Chicago and later on Broadway in 1980.
Kim Bellware/The Huffington Post
In 1986, Bowie's film work continued with another high-profile role as Jareth the Goblin King in Jim Henson's "Labyrinth." Here is the crystal ball that belonged to Jareth.
Joseph Erbentraut/The Huffington Post
Alexander McQueen's Union Jack coat creation for Bowie (right). The coat was worn on the cover of Bowie's 1997 "Earthlings" album.
Joseph Erbentraut/The Huffington Post
The capstone of the show is the final room, which features an immersive array of live Bowie performances spanning 1973 to 2004, and an impressive display of more of the artist's iconic fashions.
Kim Bellware/The Huffington Post
A retrospective of Bowie's album covers through the years.

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot