“once Upon a One More Time,” a musical powered by the discography of Britney Spears, is coming to Broadway in 2023.
The show will begin previews at Broadway’s Marquis Theatre ahead of opening night on June 22, producers James L. NederlanderandHunter Arnold announced on Friday.
Hip-hop choreographers Keone and Mari Madrid directed “once Upon a One More Time,” a fantasy that flips the script on classic fairytale characters. The musical incorporates dozens of Spears songs — including “Oops I Did It Again,” “Lucky,” “Circus” and “Toxic” — to revisit the story of Cinderella, Snow White and Little Mermaid with a feminist twist. After Betty Friedan, who plays the fairy godmother, suggests “The Feminine Mystique” as their next book club read, it sparks a royal revelation: there’s more to life than bird-made dresses and true love’s kiss.
Casting hasn’t been announced.“once Upon a One More Time”was originally developed and produced by Shakespeare Theatre Company, Washington D.C., where the show generated mixed reviews. The Washington Post’s Peter Marks called it a “frustratingly rushed sensation.” “While it lacks finesse,” he wrote, “lead performer Briga Heelan brings out the show’s potential.”
David Leveaux(“Nine,”“Romeo and Juliet”on Broadway, NBC’s “Jesus Christ Superstar Live”) serves as creative consultant, with scenic design fromAnna Fleischle(“Hangmen”), costume and hair design byLoren Elstein(“Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead”), lighting design fromKenneth Posner(“Wicked,” “Beetlejuice”),sound designerby Andrew Keister(“KPOP,” “On Your Feet”),and projection design by Sven Ortel(“Newsies”).
The show’s Broadway debut comes as Spears — who isn’t involved in developing “once Upon a One More Time” — has been released from her 13-year conservatorship. She was placed under a court-ordered conservatorship in 2008 by her father and was freed after fighting against the arrangement for more than a decade.
