Jennifer Nettles made her Broadway debut as Roxie Hart in Chicago, so surely she’s no stranger to exploring the complicated dynamics of wronged women and murder through musical theatre. The country star now has her eye on bringing another merry murderess to the stage: 17th-century professional poisoner Giulia Tofana.
Nettles, Sugarland lead singer and a Grammy winner for the duo’s song “Stay,” has written a dozen songs over the course of the coronavirus pandemic for a potential musical dramatizing Tofana’s story, Deadline reports. She and producer Adam Zotovich are in the process of searching for collaborators and establishing next steps.
“There are lots of opinions on what she was, depending on who is telling the story,” Nettles, who began writing music for the hypothetical musical after reading about Tofana. “Ultimately, she confessed under torture to aiding in the deaths of over 600 men, which seems a bit ambitious…in my opinion, she was a liberator of women.”In addition to Chicago, Nettles’ theatre ties include a stint in Mamma Mia! at the Hollywood Bowl, as well as studio collaborations with Wicked through the show’s #OutofOz series. She’s appear on screen opposite Cynthia Erivo in Harriet and in Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors.