Washington, D.C.’s Arena Stage will present the world premiere of Dave, a musical comedy based on the 1993 film of the same name. Tina Landau, currently represented on Broadway with SpongeBob SquarePants, will direct.
The project, featuring a score by Tom Kitt (If/Then, Next to Normal), lyrics by Nell Benjamin (Broadway’s upcoming Mean Girls, Legally Blonde), and a book by Benjamin and the late Thomas Meehan (Annie, Hairspray), was first announced in 2014.
Performances will run July 13–August 19 in the Kreeger Theater.The show will follow Dave Kovic, a high school teacher (unlike the Kevin Kline-led film, in which he’s a temp agent) and presidential lookalike who is recruited by the Secret Service as a stand-in to cover up a potential national scandal.
“The show offers a hilarious critique of our current political state of affairs and it offers a compelling love story,” Landau said. “But more than anything for me, the show offers an invitation to hope again and believe again during times when that often feels difficult. It’s a reminder of our ideals and the necessity of integrity in both our political actions and our personal relationships.”
Casting and creative team will be announced at a later date.
