‘Behind the Candelabra’ Producer Wants to Bring Liberace to Broadway

A producer of HBO’s Behind the Candelabra is hoping to bring the Liberace story to Broadway.

The New York Post is reporting that producer Jerry Weintraub wants to turn the film into a Broadway musical, though he has as of yet not hired a director or writer for the project. The HBO film version starred Michael Douglas as Liberace and Matt Damon as his younger lover Scott Thorson. It premeried May 26 on the network. The movie is adapted from Thorson’s memoir Behind the Candelabra: My Life with Liberace.

No official announcement has yet been made about an upcoming Broadway production. However, the paper reports that Weintraub has thrown around Hugh Jackman’s name to star in the Liberace role.

The Post also reports that there already are two other Liberace musicals in the works. One has the approval of his estate, and the other does not and is described by the paper as “a campy, low-rent spin on the fruity piano player.”

The HBO movie has been well received by audiences and critics alike, and also features Rob Lowe, Dan Aykroyd, Debbie Reynolds and Paul Reiser, among others. The movie is directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Richard LaGravenese. Before it aired on HBO, it also played at this year’s Cannes Film Festival on May 21, 2013, where it competed for the Palme d’Or.

Here’s how HBO describes the story:

Before Elvis, before Elton John, Madonna and Lady Gaga, there was Liberace: virtuoso pianist, outrageous entertainer and flamboyant star of stage and television. A name synonymous with showmanship, extravagance and candelabras, he was a world-renowned performer with a flair that endeared him to his audiences and created a loyal fan base spanning his 40-year career. Liberace lived lavishly and embraced a lifestyle of excess both on and off stage. In summer 1977, handsome young stranger Scott Thorson walked into his dressing room and, despite their age difference and seemingly different worlds, the two embarked on a secretive five-year love affair. “Behind the Candelabra” takes a behind-the-scenes look at their tempestuous relationship – from their first meeting backstage at the Las Vegas Hilton to their bitter and public break-up.

Image Courtesy of HBO