(JTA) — The life story of iconic singer-songwriter Neil Diamond will be told on Broadway in a musical.
The untitled project is still in its development stages, Deadline Hollywood reported.
“I’ve always loved Broadway,” Diamond said in a statement. “The inspiration for many of my early songs came from shows like ‘West Side Story,’ ‘My Fair Lady’ and ‘Fiddler on the Roof,’ so it seems only fitting to bring my songs to The Great White Way. I’m honored and excited to be working with this great team.”
Diamond announced in January that he would give up touring after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
Diamond has had 10 No. 1 singles: “Cracklin’ Rosie,” “Song Sung Blue,” “Longfellow Serenade,” “I’ve Been This Way Before,” “If You Know What I Mean,” “Desiree,” “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers,” “America,” “Yesterday’s Songs” and “Heartlight.”
He starred in the 1980 remake of “The Jazz Singer,” which garnered him three Top 10 singles: “Love on the Rocks,” “Hello Again” and “America.”
Diamond was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1984 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011. He received the Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000 and was honored at the Kennedy Center in 2011.
He launched his career as a songwriter in the 1960s in the Brill Building songwriting factory, penning hits for groups like The Monkees. Diamond soon launched a solo career, and his rich baritone coupled with his lively onstage presence earned him the sobriquet “the Jewish Elvis.”
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