How many Coraline‘s can one book spawn? At least one more than Henry Selick‘s stop-motion version currently dazzling critics and audiences alike. Word is out that a musical, off-Broadway version of Neil Gaiman‘s button-eyed book, created by, among others, snarky heartacher Stephin Merritt of The Magnetic Fields, is well underway.
From the site Film in Focus: “The Coraline musical has its roots in the relationship between Gaiman and Merritt, who first met over a decade ago. Merritt, the brilliant and prolific pop musician who is the mastermind behind the Magnetic Fields as well as a number of other cult bands, was introduced to Gaiman by mutual friend Chris Ewen, Merritt’s bandmate in the Future Bible Heroes, and from there a friendship grew. They shared a mutual admiration of each other’s work, and Gaiman and Merritt began to look for opportunities to collaborate in the future.”
Color us intrigued and purchasing plane fare to NYC.
This article appears in February 6 • 2009.