"Wild Rose," the film about a Glaswegian single mother-turned-country singer, will hit stages as a musical in 2025.
Writer Nicole Taylor adapted her screenplay for stage with direction by John Tiffany, director of "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child," the musical "Once," and the National Theatre of Scotland's "Black Watch." Tiffany describes "Wild Rose" as "a gorgeous mixture of a truthful, engaging story and the beautiful genre of country music. Rose-Lynn is such a fantastic Glasgow character, the contradiction within her; she frustrates you and makes you fall in love with her in equal measure. I could see it on stage immediately."
The plot follows the story of Rose-Lynn, an ex-prisoner and single mother of two who works as a cleaner by day, fronts a country band by night, and dreams of fame and fortune.
"The dramatic question feels as enduring as ever," said Taylor. "Once you are a mum, what are you allowed to want? And if you've got talent, is that a trump card?
"Wild Rose" premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2018. Directed by Tom Harper, the BAFTA-winning country music film attracted 15.2 million viewers on Netflix. Like the film, the stage production will feature songs by Dolly Parton, Carrie Underwood, The Chicks, and Patty Griffin, as well as the original award-winning song, "Glasgow (No Place Like Home)."
A fan of country music since the age of 12, Taylor is delighted by its rise in popularity. She said: "It's thrilling and quite unexpected that it's now the hottest genre around. For me though, it still is what it always was. Music that cracks you open and as Rose-Lynn says, gets whatever's in there out."
The musical "will be very different from the film," said Tiffany, and will feature "a large band on stage in order to get the fullness of the songs and it will go very lightly from world to world."
It opens March 2025 in Edinburgh, with choreography by Steven Hoggett and Vicki Manderson, and set design by Chloe Lamford.
