“Harold and the Purple Crayon” is coming to the Broadway stage, but this time the young artist will be all grown up.
Tiwary Entertainment Group’s TEG Plus has acquired the stage rights to the beloved children’s book by Crockett Johnson — with plans to adapt it into a Broadway production. The “Harold and the Purple Crayon” musical will feature new and original songs composed by pop group AJR’s Jack and Ryan Met. TEG Plus is still in the process of securing a book writer for the Broadway adaptation.
“The first time I heard AJR, I was struck by the theatricality of their hit songs. To be collaborating with AJR in adapting a classic and beloved story as ‘Harold and the Purple Crayon’ into a modern musical is quite literally this fanboy’s dream come true,” Vivek J. Tiwary, Broadway producer and founder of Tiwary Entertainment Group, said in a statement.
In the musical, Harold, once a baby in the books, is now a young adult facing challenges in everyday life — and realizing that he can no longer rely on his magical purple crayon.
“We adored ‘Harold and The Purple Crayon’ growing up, and we thought: ‘What if we saw Harold as a young adult, realizing that his problems are too profound to simply draw away?’” added AJR. “Vivek’s incredible musical work and his passion for this idea made him the perfect partner for the reimagining of the classic story.”
In addition to the “Harold and the Purple Crayon” news, TEG Plus also named Elie Landau as chief operating officer on Friday. With over 25 years of experience as a producer and manager, Landau’s recent credits on Broadway include the upcoming revival of “Funny Girl” starring Beanie Feldstein, Steve Martin’s “Meteor Shower” starring Amy Schumer and “You’re Welcome America” starring Will Ferrell.
“Harold and the Purple Crayon” is getting the film treatment, too. Zachary Levi, Zooey Deschanel and Lil Rel Howery will star in a live-action adaptation directed by Carlos Saldanha for Sony.
Tiwary closed an equity investment to launch TEG Plus late last month. In addition to TEG Plus’ work on the stage, the company is set to produce content across all forms of media and technology (including film, TV and NFTs) — with a focus on high profile original music, established music catalogs, musicians and composers.
TEG Plus’ first venture into TV and film is the previously announced series “The Fifth Beatle: The Brian Epstein Story.” Jack Leslie is TEG Plus’ co-president and head of film and television.
