An Empire Records Broadway Musical Is In The Works

Great News, Just In Time For Rex Manning Day!

Say No More, Mon Amour! The beloved 90’s cult movie Empire Records is being revived as a Broadway Musical.

Empire Records released in 1995. It launched the careers of Renée Zellweger, Liv Tyler, Ethan Embry, Robin Tunney, Rory Cochrane and Johnny Whitworth. The movie follows the employees of a record store over a day as they try to save their independent store from being bought by a large corporation. In between, various young-adult dramas ensue AND they are paid a visit by washed up pop star Rex Manning. Ahhh, the memories.

The films original writer, Carol Heikkinen, is adapting her script for the stage. Bill Weiner, the musical’s producer, spoke with Rolling Stone and said that it’s the perfect film to turn in to a stage show because of the “everlasting nature” of the movie.

The film has developed a cult audience over the years, and addresses issues that people of all ages can identify with. It also evokes an interesting period in time, the Nineties, where the music business was changing – and a lot of people remember that as part of their youth. I knew we had something when I would tell people about the show and consistently see faces light up – everyone has a story, whether it’s that they saw the movie 10 times, stole the video cassette from an older sibling or the soundtrack was the first CD they ever purchased.

The film’s iconic soundtrack featured 90’s classics from Gin Blossoms, the Cranberries and Better Than Ezra. Music obviously played a pivotal role in the film, and the team behind the production says we can expect that the Broadway score definitely won’t be “traditional.”

Empire Records is expected to hit the Great White Way in 2020.