Netflix’s hit series “The Queen’s Gambit,” adapted from Walter Tevis’ best-selling novel of the same title, will be staged on Broadway with the singer-songwriter Mitski penning the music and lyrics of the show.
The musical adaptation also includes playwright Eboni Booth writing the book, and Whitney White helming the direction of the production, whereas the production team consists of Level Forward, Tony-winning “Tina” star Adrienne Warren, Lawryn LaCroix, and Tony Award-winning producer Mara Isaacs.
“Before Level Forward even brought the idea of making a musical of The Queen’s Gambit, I was a fan of the Netflix show, and an even greater fan of the original novel,” Mitski said in a statement.
“So, I was already determined to be a member of this team,” she continued. “And then I met Eboni and Whitney, and my determination grew tenfold! I absolutely had to be a part of this! I am ecstatic to get to work with all of these amazing creatives, who’ve each built beautiful and unique repertoires of their own.”
As many have become familiar to the story from the Netflix series, “The Queen’s Gambit” centers around the chess prodigy Beth Harmon who was portrayed by Anya Taylor-Joy in the TV series. It follows her journey from growing up in an orphanage to a career where she competes for the U.S. Open Championship as a world-class player.
Blending indie-rock, synth-pop, ambient music, and folk rock in her musical style, Mitski has dropped seven studio albums, the last of which, “The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We”, was delivered in September 2023. She has an Academy Award nomination (2022) for Best Original Song which was titled “This Is a Life” and she co-wrote for the film “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”
Eboni Booth, on the other hand, is known for having written the books of “Primary Trust” (staged by Roundabout Theatre Company) and “Paris” (Atlantic Theater). For television, she has written for HBO Max’s “Julia”, and as an actor she has appeared in productions at Playwrights Horizons, Lincoln Center Theater’s LCT3, Manhattan Theater Club, Ars Nova, WP Theater, Page 73, Soho Rep., Clubbed Thumb, and more.
“Musicals are one of my first loves, and I feel so lucky to be tasked with the challenge of bringing Beth Harmon’s haunting and inspiring journey to the stage,” Booth said, regarding her part in the show.
Having won Obie Award for “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding,” Whitney White has directed “The Secret Life of Bees,” “Soft,” “On Sugarland,” “What to Send Up When it Goes Down,” “The Amen Corner,” and “Semblance” among others. “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding” currently runs at Broadway’s Manhattan Theatre Club.
“Everyone has desires, hopes, aspirations, and ideas about who they are and what they can offer the world,” White said. “The Queen’s Gambit takes us into a story of a brilliant young woman on the hunt for all these things.”
The stage adaptation is said to be still in development, and details about casting and the musical’s world premiere will be announced at a later date.
