Fran Drescher’s legendary character Fran Fine – famous for her nasal voice and gravity-defying hairstyle on the 90s sitcom “The Nanny” – is coming to Broadway. Drescher and Peter Marc Jacobson, who created the original series, will write the book for “The Nanny: A New Musical,” which is in development.
The film follows Drescher as Fine, a cosmetics saleswoman who has just been fired from her job at a bridal shop and is abandoned by her boyfriend and boss. After her release, she takes a new job caring for the three spoiled children (Maggie, Brighton, and Grace) of a British Broadway producer and widower Maxwell Sheffield (played by Charles Shaughnessy). Fine and Sheffield develop romantic feelings for each other as the series progresses, something Sheffield’s butler Niles begins to realize and embrace, seeing how well Fine connects with the children.
“The Nanny” ran on CBS for 146 episodes over six seasons, receiving 12 Emmy nominations. It was partly inspired by Drescher’s life in Queens, New York
The music for “The Nanny: A New Musical” will be written by Rachel Bloom and Adam Schlesinger, who recently won a 2019 Emmy for outstanding original music and lyrics for “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.” Bloom, who will also write the lyrics, is a Golden Globe winner and Schlesinger is a Tony nominee. Marc Bruni (“Beautiful: The Carole King Musical”) will direct.
“We are thrilled to be making the Broadway musical ‘The Nanny,’” Drescher and Jacobson said in a statement. “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 would do it myself,” Drescher added, “but we would have to change the title to ‘The Granny.’”
