Jay-Alexander to Direct O’Donnell’s Find Me
Broadway.com
Taboo producer Rosie O’Donnell, whose much talked about Boy George musical closes on February 8, is firming up plans for her next project: the stage adaptation of her book, Find Me. O’Donnell told Broadway.com that former Cameron Mackintosh Ltd. honcho, Richard Jay-Alexander, will serve as director for the piece, which will star O’Donnell and pop star Cyndi Lauper.
“Richard’s a very talented guy,” O’Donnell said. “He’s produced for a long time, so he understands a lot about both directing and producing.”
Rehearsals for Find Me are expected to start in September with an out-of-town tryout likely prior to New York. Still recovering from the demise of Taboo, O’Donnell isn’t convinced that Find Me is Broadway-bound. “I don’t know that we’ll go back to Broadway,” she said. “But we’ll definitely come back to New York. Cyndi and I will take the show out of town and should there be a theater open and somebody who’s anxious to have us come in, maybe we will. Otherwise, we’ll do Radio City or the Beacon!”
A New York Times bestseller, Find Me is the real-life story of O’Donnell’s friendship with a 14-year-old pregnant rape victim whom she called impulsively one day after learning about her situation from a New Jersey adoption agency. The bond that she builds with the young girl causes O’Donnell to explore some of her own personal demons and identity issues. Although it is hardly the focus of the book, many in the press identified Find Me as O’Donnell’s “coming-out book,” as it was the first time she publicly identified herself as a lesbian. O’Donnell is adapting the book for the stage, with Lauper providing original songs. John McDaniel will be the show’s musical director.
Jay-Alexander started as a performer in the original Broadway companies of Zoot Suit and Amadeus, but quickly moved to the other side of the footlights. His long association with Mackintosh began when Jay-Alexander was hired as stage manager/dance captain for Mackintosh’s short-lived 1984 revival of Oliver! and stage manager for Song and Dance the following year. For 10 years, Jay-Alexander served as executive director of Mackintosh’s American office, handling the day-to-day operations of megahits like Les Miserables, The Phantom of the Opera and Miss Saigon. In addition, he served as executive producer and associate director of Five Guys Named Moe, also producing its Grammy-nominated original cast recording. Other music projects have included Johnny Mathis’ 2000 Mathis on Broadway and Gypsy star Bernadette Peters’ Grammy-nominated Bernadette Peters Loves Rodgers and Hammerstein. He also directed Peters’ subsequent tour as well as high-profile appearances by two of the music industry’s most beloved divas: Barbra Streisand’s 2000 Timeless concerts and Bette Midler’s current acclaimed Kiss My Brass! tour.
