Chautauqua Theater Company, the professional theatre company of Chautauqua Institution, has commissioned a stage musical adaptation of Kwame Alexander’s Newbery medal-winning novel, The Crossover.

The new musical will feature music and lyrics by original Hamilton cast member Christopher Jackson, currently back on Broadway in Hell's Kitchen; a book by playwright Candrice Jones (FLEX) and novelist Alexander; and additional lyrics by Jones. CTC Producing Artistic Director Jade King Carroll will direct with Hamilton Tony winner Thomas Kail as creative consultant.

The Crossover follows twin brothers navigating the pressures of adolescence, family, and basketball, all through a lyrical blend of poetry and rhythm. Alexander, who is also the Chautauqua Institution’s Michael I. Rudell Artistic Director of Literary Arts and writer-in-residence, previously turned his novel into an Emmy-winning series on Disney+.

“As I was writing the novel," Alexander says in a statement, "I’d read out loud, to hear the rhythm, the musicality, the poetry of the storytelling. I believe this musical adaptation is a natural next step in its creative evolution. And I believe that Jade’s innovative and familial approach to directing is just gonna blow the roof off this piece.”

“In The Crossover, we enter a world full of dreams, melodies, and rhythms—the dribble of a basketball, the shriek of a sneaker, the whoosh of a game-winning three-pointer from deep, and the clicking of the clock as it counts down to that final buzzer,” adds composer Jackson. “We’re bringing a high-energy, jazz- and hip-hop-laced score to the musical theatre stage, infusing the brilliance of Kwame Alexander’s poetry and the many characters that inhabit our hero Jordan Bell’s world.”

“As a writer and someone who learned so much about life through the game of basketball, reading Kwame’s poetry reminded me of the joy that comes along with being able to navigate life with athleticism and the written word,” Jones states. “Yet, The Crossover goes even further, answering the question: What happens when a ballplayer needs more than words and skill to survive? I can’t wait to show young readers, who already love the book, how well Jordan Bell—aka Filthy McNasty—leaps
off the page and onto the stage. I’m equally excited to translate this world with such an intelligent, vibrant team.”

This musical adaptation will be developed and workshopped both in Chautauqua and Manhattan with a premiere in Chautauqua to be announced at a later date.