World Premiere of new musical ‘Wild About You’
Starring
ERIC MCCORMACK
Theatre Royal Drury Lane
25th & 26th March 2023
Wild About You is a new musical with music and lyrics by Chilina Kennedy and a book by Eric Holmes.
When Olivia finds herself in the hospital with limited memory, she must dig through her messy past to figure out which of the loves of her life is her emergency contact, only to understand that her desire to make everyone happy has left no one happy. Through a series of realizations, she reclaims her right to be flawed and loved in all her human complexity. However, as she regains clarity, tragedy strikes. It is then that spectacular Olivia literally moves Heaven and Earth to reconnect with her greatest love – her son.
A concert of the musical will have its World Premiere, starring Eric McCormack (Will & Grace), among its stellar cast, at Theatre Royal Drury Lane on 25th and 26th March.
Eric McCormack:
Best known for his eleven seasons as “Will Truman” on NBC’s Will & Grace, Eric McCormack was nominated for four Emmy Awards and six Golden Globes, receiving the Emmy for Lead Actor in a Comedy in 2001. He served as a producer, director and leading actor on three seasons of Travelers, for Netflix, and for three seasons of Perception. Other series include Lonesome Dove: The Outlaw Years, Atypical, Trust Me, Departure and Slasher. Born in Toronto, McCormack got his start in theatres across Canada, including five seasons with the Stratford Festival, eventually starring on Broadway in Tony-nominated productions of The Music Man, Gore Vidal’s The Best Man and in this year’s hit comedy, The Cottage. Films include Holy Man, The Architect, Free Enterprise and the award-winning Canadian comedy, Drinkwater. You can hear Eric and his old Will & Grace pal, Sean Hayes, on their new hit podcast “Just Jack & Will”. Eric splits his time between Vancouver and Los Angeles, and has been honored with a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame and on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The album was released on 17th November on BroadwayRecords.com . The all-star recording includes Jackie Burns (Wicked), Kennedy Caughell (Paradise Square), Jenn Colella (Come From Away), Rachel Ling Gordon (How the Grinch Stole Christmas), Aisha Jackson (Once Upon a One More Time), Joaquina Kalukango (Tony Award® winner for Paradise Square), Chilina Kennedy (Beautiful), Eric McCormack (Emmy Award winner for Will & Grace), Jay McKenzie (Beautiful), Katharine McPhee (Smash), Jessie Mueller (Tony Award® winner for Beautiful), Alex Newell (Tony Award® winner for Shucked), Paul Alexander Nolan (Parade), Noah J. Ricketts (Frozen) and Lea Salonga (Tony Award® winner for Miss Saigon).
Wild About You Album Tracks:
- Floating and Falling – Katharine McPhee
- Bad Day Box – Jackie Burns & Paul Alexander Nolan
- Wild About You – Jenn Colella & Chilina Kennedy
- Gold – Jessie Mueller
- Fast Train – Jay McKenzie
- High – Noah J. Ricketts, Chilina Kennedy, Eric McCormack & Jenn Colella
- What I’m Here To Find – Joaquina Kalukango
- Without You – Kennedy Caughell & Rachel Ling Gordon
- I Wouldn’t Call It Love – Aisha Jackson
- Take Us Down – Chilina Kennedy & Noah J. Ricketts
- Dangerous Lines – Alex Newell
- Here – Lea Salonga
The album is produced by two-time Tony Award® winner Brian Spector (www.keakaproductions.com) and Daniel Edmonds, who also serves as the album’s Music Supervisor/Director, Arranger and Orchestrator.
Chilina Kennedy (Music & Lyrics) is an award-winning actress, writer, composer, and the Artistic Producer of Eclipse Theatre Company. She has been writing original music for over 20 years and most recently contributed an original song to the new Canadian song cycle ‘Til Then’. Chilina is the longest running “Carole King” in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical on Broadway, playing over 1,200 performances. Other Broadway roles include “Annie” in Paradise Square and “Mary” in Des McAnuff’s Jesus Christ Superstar (2012). Chilina played “Dina“ in the North American Tour of The Band’s Visit (Toronto Theatre Critics’ Award), originated “Phoebe” in A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder (CT and San Diego Critics’ Circle Nominations) and “Binky” in This Ain’t No Disco (Atlantic Theater Company). Film: With Me (BravoFact, NY Shorts and Whistler Film Festivals) and “Elle” in The Human Voice (OAC).
Chilina honored Carole King at the 2015 Kennedy Center Honors by playing her and singing with Aretha Franklin, James Taylor, Sara Bareilles and Janelle Monáe.
Multiple award-winner Eric Holmes (Book) has a proven track record of success on both stage and screen. Eric was a writer on the critically acclaimed TV series The Good Fight on Paramount+ for four seasons. His musical Fly More Than You Fall, co-written with Nat Zegree, received nine regional BroadwayWorld Awards, including Best Musical and Best New Work, at its premiere at the NOORDA Center in Orem, Utah. His musical, Born Country, that he wrote with his wife Erin Holmes, is receiving a NYC workshop in 2023 helmed by Kenneth Ferrone (Grease Live! and the Broadway bound musical The Wanderer). Eric has received the David S. Hawes Scholarship for his farce Nearly Departed and was nominated for the Otis Guernsey New Voices Playwriting Award for his play Black Friday. He participated in the LARK’S Writer’s Retreat and was a writer-in-residence at The New Harmony Project. Other credits include: Evil (CBS), Smash (NBC).
Nick Winston – Director & Choreographer
Nick has over 100 production credits to his name, and his work has been seen in 25 countries across four continents. His West End musical credits include “Bonnie & Clyde” (WhatsOnStage Award for Best Musical), “Fame”, “Annie”, “Loserville” (Olivier Award nomination for Best New Musical), and the acclaimed concert productions of “Chess” and “The Secret Garden”.
Casting: Harry Blumenau
General Management: Carter Dixon McGill Productions
Tickets: https://lwtheatres.co.uk/ Live on 28th November 2023
More information about Wild About You can be found at wildaboutyoumusical.com