Donna Summer Musical to Hit Broadway in Spring

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Producers Tommy Mottola and The Dodgers confirmed Tuesday that Summer: The Donna Summer Musical will begin previews March 28 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre ahead of an April 23 opening.

The bio-musical tracing the life and career of the singer, who teamed with music producer Giorgio Moroder and Casablanca Records to make many of the defining hits of the disco era, will wrap its tryout engagement at La Jolla Playhouse Dec. 24.

The fast-track to Broadway had been rumored in recent weeks, after the Lunt-Fontanne — one of Broadway's most centrally located musical houses, close to Times Square — became available with the imminent closing of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

The move enables Summer to get in ahead of The Cher Show, scheduled for fall 2018. Both musicals portray their subjects at three key stages of their lives.

Summer is part of a wave of bio-musicals in development on the heels of Jersey Boys and another breakout Broadway success, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. In addition to The Cher Show, others include Tina: The Musical, based on the life of Tina Turner, bowing in London in March; an untitled Bee Gees musical from Universal; and Ain't Too Proud — The Life and Times of the Temptations, also directed by McAnuff, which is aiming for Broadway following a five-week run in D.C. next summer.

Broadway plans were also recently confirmed to follow a San Francisco run next season for the Go-Go's musical Head Over Heels, which counts Gwyneth Paltrow among its producers. That production, however, is a non-biographical jukebox musical, like Mamma Mia! and the upcoming Jimmy Buffett show, Escape to Margaritaville.