What’s Amanda Seyfried’s Mysterious Musical Project?
Maybe she's giving 'Les Mis' another go
Last night at the Golden Globes, two of the best moments came out of winners not being in the room. First we had Regina Hall having to accept an award on Kevin Costner’s behalf, and breaking into laughter when the teleprompter told her he “so much wanted to be there” but couldn’t because he was sheltering in place in Santa Barbara due to flooding. Hall should be at every awards show presenting every award. But it’s the second moment that sent the gears in my brain into overdrive.
When former Gawker Woman of the Week Amanda Seyfried won the award for Best Actress in a Limited Series for The Dropout, presenters Cole Hauser and Moses Brings Plenty announced that she couldn’t be there because she was “deep in the process of creating a new musical.” What?? Hello??? Huh???? Myself and the gay people I follow on Twitter were shocked. We had not heard about this and demanded to know more.
But there isn’t much for us to grab onto. On her Instagram story, Seyfried confirmed that she was in New York and not much else, saying, “I am working on something that is magic and it’s a musical, so I’m finally getting to work on something that I’ve never really done. And that’s really all I can say about it, hopefully more soon. But, it’s a lot of work, it’s more fun.” What is this girlie up to? It’s time to do some wild speculation, based only on the knowledge that this is a new musical starring Amanda Seyfried.
Mamma Mia: The Movie: The Musical
Seyfried has never done Broadway before, so maybe she wants to dip her toes into waters she’s already familiar with. This is not the Mamma Mia that ran on Broadway for 14 years. This is an adaptation of the movie, meaning that the only major difference is that Christine Baranski is there. Sounds like a hit to me.
Square One
Before his death, Stephen Sondheim had been working on a musical called Square One. Just months before his passing in 2021, the composer announced that he had done a reading of the show with Bernadette Peters and Nathan Lane, and had hoped to get it on Broadway in the 2022-23 season. Amanda Seyfried is no Bernadette Peters, but the Great White Way is about getting tourist asses in seats and Seyfried is very famous. But who would be her Nathan Lane? Might I suggest Nathan Lane?
Untitled Kylie Minogue Jukebox Musical
This does not exist — that I know of — but it would be pretty good, right? I have no idea what the plot would be about, it’s usually flimsy with these jukebox shows, but I do know that Seyfried would sound really good singing “Can’t Get You Outta My Head.” Sometimes that’s enough to earn a Tony nomination.
Working Girl: The Musical
This is my actual guess. If I were putting my real American dollars on which new musical Seyfried is currently developing, it would be this one. It’s been in the works for years now, but has been gaining steam over the last six months or so. Cyndi Lauper is writing the music and playwright/Smash creator Theresa Rebeck is writing the book, so from the jump this sounds like it will be insane (compliment). Back in September, a private reading of the show was held, which means that hopefully they’re in full workshop mode right now — the perfect time to bring in a bankable star who can take your show straight to Broadway. Amanda Seyfried playing a role made famous by Melanie Griffith? Makes sense. Amanda Seyfried singing “Let the River Run” while on the Staten Island Ferry? Makes less sense, but is still working for me. Amanda Seyfried starring in a comedic musical about women in the workplace? That makes all the sense in the world.
Les Mis, again
Seyfried herself once said, “I wish I could redo Les Mis completely, because the whole live singing aspect just — I still have nightmares about it.” As we’ve said before, just give her another shot!
Dogs
It’s like Cats, but they’re dogs. I’m predicting 12 Tony nominations, 10 wins.
