Bridget Carpenter & Christopher Ashley join Cyndi Lauper for Broadway-bound Working Girl

Producers of Working Girl are planning a pre-Broadway try-out during the 2021-2022 season.

The Broadway-bound musical adaptation of Twentieth Century Fox's hugely popular 1988 movie "Working Girl" has found its director, as well as a new book writer. Joining previously announced Grammy, Emmy, and Tony Award-winner Cyndi Lauper, who is providing music and lyrics, is playwright and screenwriter Bridget Carpenter and Tony Award-winning director Christopher Ashley. "New Girl" scribe Kim Rosenstock, who originally signed on to write the book, has now left the project due to scheduling conflicts.

Bridget Carpenter's previous writing credits include "11.22.63," "Friday Night Lights," and "Parenthood," among others. Christopher Ashley won a Tony Award for "Best Direction of a Musical" in 2017 for Come From Away and earned Tony nominations for Memphis and The Rocky Horror Show. His other Broadway directorial credits include Escape to Margaritaville, Leap of Faith, Xanadu, All Shook Up, The Smell of the Kill, Voices in the Dark, and the upcoming new musical Diana. Ms. Carpenter and Mr. Ashley previously collaborated together on Disney's Freaky Friday stage musical.

An out-of-town developmental production of Working Girl is expected to hit the stage during the 2021-2022 season, with a Broadway premiere to follow.

Working Girl is produced by Aged In Wood Productions and Kumiko Yoshii by special arrangement with Buena Vista Theatrical.

After its release in 1988, "Working Girl" went on to be nominated for an Academy Award for "Best Picture," won the Golden Globe for "Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy" and grossed over $100 million worldwide at the box office. Directed by Mike Nichols and written by Kevin Wade, the cast included Melanie Griffith, Harrison Ford, Sigourney Weaver, Alec Baldwin, Joan Cusack, Oliver Platt, Kevin Spacey, Jeffrey Nordling, Olympia Dukakis, and David Duchovny.

Casting and additional creative team members for the stage adaptation will be announced at a future date.

^{(Bridget Carpenter photo by Ricky Middlesworth)}