Fyre Festival Disaster Heads to Broadway with Taika Waititi and Rita Ora
It was the scandal that launched a thousand memes. The infamous Fyre Festival, once promised as a luxury music paradise, is now being reimagined in the most unexpected way: as…
It was the scandal that launched a thousand memes. The infamous Fyre Festival, once promised as a luxury music paradise, is now being reimagined in the most unexpected way: as a stage musical.
On Monday, Sept. 8, producers revealed that development is underway on Fyre Fest The Musical, a new comedy about Billy McFarland’s disastrous 2017 event that stranded influencers on a remote Bahamian island with little more than FEMA tents and cheese sandwiches.
A Team That Knows Spectacle
According to Deadline, the show will be directed and written by Bryan Buckley, a filmmaker best known for his countless Super Bowl commercials. Music will come from Paul Epworth, the Academy Award, Golden Globe, and seven-time Grammy Award winner who helped create Adele’s hits “Rolling in the Deep” and “Skyfall.”
“I never saw myself doing a theatrical musical comedy. But then again, I never saw something completely mind-bendingly ridiculous and intriguing as what went down with Fyre Festival,” Buckley said in a statement, as reported by the outlet. “A spectacular failed endeavor, that will haunt a generation forever.”
He added with a wink, “I cannot wait to get this show out to the world. And yeah man, this time there will actually be music or your money back.”
Big Names Join the Fun
Buckley is joined by producers Matthew Weaver (Rock of Ages), Hungry Man Productions, and the star duo of Taika Waititi and Rita Ora.
“Working in the theater is always fun,” said Waititi. “I mean I haven't done it for 15 years because it was no longer fun, but I've been told it will be fun this time. And I believe them.”
With his trademark humor, Waititi added, “When Bryan Buckley told me he wanted to make a musical about the Fyre Festival, I said, ‘Who the hell is Bryan Buckley?’ I then remembered we've been friends and work mates for 15 years so it was kinda hard to say no. Honestly, I think the idea is exciting, weird, and potentially disastrous, which seems apt and is how I like to work. I can't wait to get started and snatch me some of that sweet American theatre money.”
What to Expect
Though no dates or casting have been announced, the set design will be created by four-time Tony Award nominee David Korins (Hamilton).
According to a release, the show won’t just be a retelling of a con gone wrong. Instead, it aims to be bigger: “It’s not just a Greek-sized tragedy of one man’s con,” the release reads. “It’s a satirical indictment of an entire generation. Fyre Fest The Musical. It’s about as wrong as a bad idea can go.”
