Oh Mr Sheffield! The Nanny musical is coming!
Filed away in the category of “best news ever”, a Broadway musical based on the 1990s sitcom, The Nanny, is officially being developed.
Series creators, (and former husband and wife team) Fran Drescher and Peter Marc Jacobson, are on board to write the story, while the Emmy nominated (and exceptionally talented) star and creator of the CW’s Crazy Ex Girlfriend Rachel Bloom, will write the lyrics.
Alongside Bloom, American songwriter, record producer, and performer, Adam Schlesinger will be working on the score, and frankly, this is what musical dreams are made of.
In fact, the duo are the music masterminds behind Crazy Ex Girlfriend (along with composer Jack Dolgen), who wrote hilarious classics for the show like: The Sexy Getting Ready Song, Fit Hot Guys Have Problems Too and I Give Good Parent.
The Nanny musical was announced by producers Brian Zeilinger and Scott Zeilinger, and will be directed by Broadway’s Marc Bruni — who directed the original production of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.
In due course, a production timeline, additional team and of course casting, will be announced later — and if we don’t see a movie musical adaptation of this, we’ll be disappointed.
In a statement released by the producers, Drescher and Jacobson said:
“We are so excited to be working on the Broadway musical The Nanny. We’re equally excited that the wildly talented Rachel Bloom will be writing the lyrics and music with the fantastic Adam Schlesinger, and to have the brilliant Marc Bruni directing. Nobody is cast yet – we’re plotting – but we feel confident we will find a fabulous actress who is funny, charming and has a great voice.”
But would Drescher return to her most famous role ever?
“Of course I would do it myself but we’d have to change the title to The Granny.” We smell a reunion show…
Bloom credited the hit sitcom as been a fundamental part of her childhood “because it was the first time I saw an openly Jewish female protagonist on television.
“The story of Fran Fine, however, is a universal one that has touched the hearts of people of every race, religion and orientation. I am so proud to be using the characters established by The Nanny to tell a new story about one woman’s journey to becoming proud of who she is and what makes her different.”
The 12-time Emmy nominated TV series ran from 1993-1999, catapulting Drescher and the rest of the cast into immediate stardom.
The story centered around a young woman (Drescher) who was working in “a bridal shop in Flushing Queens, ´til her boyfriend kicked her out in one of those crushing scenes…” ahem.
She lands on the doorstep of the Sheffield’s, who mistakenly think she is applying for the nanny position, and the rest they say is history.
The Sheffield’s included single father Mr Maxwell Sheffield (Charles Shaughnessy) and his three children Margaret “Maggie” (Nicholle Tom), Brighton (Benjamin Salisbury) and Gracy (Madeline Zima).
And of course, the show wouldn’t be the same without the supporting roles of Housekeeper Niles (Daniel Davis), CC Babcock (Lauren Lane), Sylvia Fine (Renée Taylor), Grandma Yetta (Ann Morgan Guilbert).
You can watch all episodes of The Nanny on Stan.