Music mogul Clive Davis has gotten lots of attention for revealing his bisexuality in the new memoir The Soundtrack of My Life, out Tuesday. But for musical theater fans, it may be equally big news that Davis plans to stage a revival of the Lerner and Loewe classic My Fair Lady — with some big stars in mind to play the title character, Eliza Doolittle, and her self-appointed Svengali, Professor Henry Higgins.
Davis writes in Soundtrack that he is "about to realize another of my life's dreams: producing a Broadway musical," with theater veterans Roger Berlind, Scott Landis and the Nederlander Organization.
Chatting with USA TODAY on Monday, Davis elaborated on this dream project, noting that "our first choices" to play Eliza and Higgins were Anne Hathaway— a top Oscar contender this Sunday for her singing performance in the screen version of Les Misérables — and Colin Firth.
Both Hathaway and Firth were reported to be up for same roles in a new screen adaptation of My Fair Lady that fell through, making the stage rights available, according to Davis. But his selection of Hathaway in particular "preceded her triumph in Les Mis," Davis points out, adding that he plans to reapproach the actress "after the Academy Awards."
Davis' top choice for a director? Bartlett Sher, the Tony Award winner whose Broadway credits include acclaimed revivals of such American classics as South Pacific, Joe Turner's Come and Gone and, this season, Golden Boy.
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David O. Russell can only wish he could have Audrey Hepburn's successor in his movie.