Composer Frank Wildhorn (Jekyll & Hyde, Bonnie and Clyde) has joined the creative team of the in-development stage adaptation of Akihiro Nishino's Poupelle of Chimney Town. The musical, newly to be titled Chimney Town The Musical, is preparing for a full-scale production, with details to be announced.

The work is set in the grimy Chimney Town, whose sky is so covered by smoke that no one looks up—except for Lubicchi, a young boy who yearns to see the stars from his father's stories. After a chance encounter with a garbage monster named Poupelle, the duo goes on an epic adventure.

The project—being led by producers Megan Ann Rasmussen, Ko Mori, and Nishino—has been in development since at least 2024, when private industry readings were held in New York City. The musical is now proceeding forward with an entirely new creative team than was attached for the earlier readings.

“From the moment I stepped into Aki's magical world of Chimney Town, I was smitten," says Wildhorn in a statement. "This beautiful, imagined world of Lubicchi and Binny captured my heart and soul, and the music just flowed. What an adventure this is going to be!! I can't wait to share this with the world.”

“It is with profound joy that I set sail on this new voyage of creation alongside the legendary composer Frank Wildhorn," adds Niishino. "His music has the power to stir the deepest corners of the human soul—a kind of magic that quietly yet powerfully opens the door to story and emotion. In Chimney Town, his melodies will sweep away the dark smoke that once filled the skies, guiding us toward a brand-new horizon. I can’t wait for the world to experience that moment.”

Ken Davenport is serving as an executive consultant on the musical, with DR Theatrical Management working as general manager.

Visit ChimneyTownMusical.com.