THE CROSSOVER Musical Adaptation Launches At Chautauqua Institution

The musical adaptation of Kwame Alexander's Newbery medal-winning novel, The Crossover, is officially underway. The creative team - which includes one of the stars from the original Hamilton cast as composer and the Tony Award-winning Director of Hamilton as creative consultant, is now in place to bring the award-winning novel to the stage at Chautauqua Institution.

Chautauqua Theater Company (CTC), the professional theater company of Chautauqua Institution, led by Producing Artistic Director Jade King Carroll and Managing Director Emily Glinick, commissioned the musical. CTC has been working to assemble this award-winning creative team with music and lyrics by Christopher Jackson, book by Candrice Jones and Kwame Alexander, and additional lyrics by Jones. Carroll will be taking the helm of this production as director and Tony Award-winner Thomas Kail will be joining as creative consultant.

Of this first-of-its-kind commission by CTC, Alexander says, "As I was writing the novel, I'd read out loud, to hear the rhythm, the musicality, the poetry of the storytelling. I believe this musical adaptation is a natural next step in its creative evolution. And I believe that Jade's innovative and familial approach to directing is just gonna blow the roof off this piece."

The Crossover is a critically acclaimed and New York Times best-selling novel that Alexander, who is also the Chautauqua Institution's Michael I. Rudell Artistic Director of Literary Arts and writer-in-residence, turned into an Emmy award-winning series on Disney+.

The Crossover tells the story of twin brothers navigating the pressures of adolescence, family and basketball, all through a lyrical blend of poetry and rhythm. The musical promises to bring the heart and energy of the original story to life on stage in a bold new way.

"In The Crossover, we enter a world full of dreams, melodies and rhythms - the dribble of a basketball, the shriek of a sneaker, the whoosh of a game-winning 3-pointer from deep, and the clicking of the clock as it counts down to that final buzzer," composer Christopher Jackson said. "We're bringing a high-energy, jazz- and hip-hop-laced score to the musical theater stage, infusing the brilliance of Kwame Alexander's poetry and the many characters that inhabit our hero Jordan Bell's world."

Jackson, who won a Grammy for his work as a composer on Sesame Street, is known for his Tony Award nominated performance in the original cast of Hamilton as George Washington and is currently on Broadway starring in Hell's Kitchen. Playwright Candrice Jones, a rising voice in American theater, brings her poetic sensibility and powerful storytelling to the adaptation. Jones is best known for writing FLEX, which premiered at Lincoln Center Theater in New York City.

"As a writer and someone who learned so much about life through the game of basketball, reading Kwame's poetry reminded me of the joy that comes along with being able to navigate life with athleticism and the written word," Jones said. "Yet, The Crossover goes even further, answering the question: What happens when a ballplayer needs more than words and skill to survive?"

"I can't wait to show young readers, who already love the book, how well Jordan Bell - aka Filthy McNasty - leaps off the page and onto the stage. I'm equally excited to translate this world with such an intelligent, vibrant team," said Jade King Carroll.

This musical adaptation will be developed and workshopped both in Chautauqua and NYC, and premiere in Chautauqua especially now that this exceptional team is in place.