Devo’s Mark Mothersbaugh and pro skateboarder Tony Hawk will team for a musical adaptation of the Nick Hornby novel Slam. The Tony Award-nominated composer for SpongeBob SquarePants the Musical, Kyle Jarrow, will write the book for the musical, which is aiming to open in time for the 2020-21 Broadway season.
Hawk, who is a character in Hornby’s 2007 fictional story, is both a producer and will develop skate choreography on Slam, while Mothersbaugh will pen the music and lyrics for the planned musical.
Producers said of the Hornby novel, “Slam is a funny, heartfelt coming-of-age story about 17-year-old Sam, a kid from a troubled background who finds refuge and hope in the world of skateboarding. When he falls in love for the first time, with a girl named Alicia, it seems like everything’s looking up – until she gets unexpectedly pregnant. Suddenly Sam has to grow up fast. Along the way, he finds guidance through imagined conversations with Tony Hawk, his idol.”
Although Mothersbaugh, in addition to his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-nominated work with Devo, has scored over 200 films, TV series and video games, Slam marks his first endeavor on Broadway. Most recently, Mothersbaugh scored the original music for Netflix’s Motown Magic as well as Thor: Ragnarok and the upcoming The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part. In 2018, Mothersbaugh performed at Hawk’s 50th birthday party.
SLAM by Nick Hornby