Fran Drescher’s 1990s sitcom “The Nanny” is being developed as a Broadway musical with a production by Emmy winners Rachel Bloom and Adam Schlesinger and producers Brian Zeilinger and Scott Zeilinger announced Wednesday.
Drescher and series co-creator Peter Marc Jacobson will write the book for the show, inspired by Drescher’s own life growing up in Queens, New York, as a Jewish fashionista.
The musical will feature new music by Adam Schlesinger and “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” creator Rachel Bloom, with lyrics by Bloom. Last fall, the duo won an Emmy Award together for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics (“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend”).
Marc Bruni (“Beautiful: The Carole King Musical”) is attached to direct.
The series followed Queen-voiced Fran Fine as she worked as a nanny for a British Broadway producer and his three well-behaved children, running for 146 episodes from 1993 to 1999. Drescher won 12 titles. Emmy Award winner for six seasons. on CBS hits.
“We are so excited to be making the Broadway musical The Nanny,” said Fran Drescher and Peter Marc Jacobson. “We are equally delighted that the talented Rachel Bloom will write the lyrics and music with the amazing Adam Schlesinger, and have brilliant direction from Marc Bruni. No one has been cast yet — we are planning — but we feel confident that we will find a great actress who is funny, charming and has a great voice.”
“Of course I’ll do it myself,” Fran commented, “but we’ll have to change the title to The Granny.”
“‘The Nanny’ was a fundamental part of my childhood because it was the first time I saw an openly Jewish female protagonist on television,” Rachel Bloom said. However, Fran Fine’s story is a universal one that has touched the hearts of people of all races, religions, and orientations. I’m so proud to use the characters established by ‘The Nanny’ to tell a new story about a woman’s journey to becoming proud of who she is and what makes her different.
