Sammy Davis Jr. Musical YES I CAN in Development; Workshop Set for 2/27

As BroadwayWorld previously reported, a musical based on the life of legendary singer Sammy Davis, Jr. is currently in the works. A workshop for the new show, titled Yes I Can, will be held at the end of February, as specified in a casting notice for the show.

The musical features the music of Charles Strouse and a book by Jules Aaron. The workshop will be directed by Sam Scalamoni.

In 1960 Davis appeared in the first Rat Pack film, Ocean's 11. After a starring role on Broadway in 1956's Mr Wonderful, Davis returned to the stage in 1964's Golden Boy, and in 1966 had his own TV variety show, The Sammy Davis Jr. Show. Davis' career slowed in the late sixties, but he had a hit record with "The Candy Man", in 1972, and became a star in Las Vegas.

After reuniting with Sinatra and Dean Martin in 1987, Davis toured with them and Liza Minnelli internationally, before dying of throat cancer in 1990. Davis was awarded the Spingarn Medal by the NAACP, and was nominated for a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award for his television performances. He was the recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors in 1987, and in 2001, he was posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

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