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It's finally time for iconic Mexican artist Frida Kahlo to get the Broadway treatment: As first reported by Deadline, the late painter will be the subject of Frida, The Musical, a new production sanctioned by the Frida Kahlo estate and partially based on the book Intimate Frida by Kahlo's niece Isolda P. Kahlo.
As of now, the musical is scheduled to hit Broadway in 2024, following workshops across regional theaters that will take place throughout 2023. Mexican composer Jaime Lozano will write the music for the show and playwright Neena Beber will work on the lyrics.
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"Frida still has so much to teach us, and I am thrilled at the chance to honor her life and her work through this most expressive medium," said producer Valentina Berger in an official statement about the news. "Her spirit is very much alive in our young creative team, who continually dazzle me with their big creative swings and mind-bending talent."
According to its synopsis, the musical will explore Kahlo's life and career from Mexico City to Paris and New York, culminating in her passing at the young age of 47 in 1954.
"Grounded by the rollercoaster romance between the artist and her great love, Diego Rivera, Frida will be a full-throated celebration of Kahlo’s joyous spirit of creativity and her unmatched gift for transforming physical and emotional pain into breathtaking beauty," reads the synopsis.
Perhaps most excitingly, the artist's estate has authorized the development of the work, a fact that may help ensure its historical accuracy.
"We are deeply moved that this show will allow audiences around the world to get to know Frida as so much more than just an artist," said Mara Romeo, the head of the Kahlo Family Foundation. "Full of joy, ahead of her time and steeped in the culture of Mexico, she was a woman driven by an unending passion for life. I hope that this show inspires women everywhere to have the courage to fight for their dreams."
For what it's worth, we're excited that, for once, a late artist's legacy will be celebrated via Broadway and not through one of the many immersive art experiences that have defined our cultural offerings in recent years.