James Taylor Songs Will Inspire Developing Musical, ‘Fire and Rain’

Songs by James Taylor will serve as the backbone for a new musical, which is in the early development stages. On Monday, it was announced that Fire and Rain — featuring Taylor’s music — will feature an original story written by Tracy Letts and a play directed by David Cromer.

The production’s timeline has yet to be announced but Gail Berman, Sam Feldman, Michael Gorfaine, and Jimmy Nederlander are producing the musical alongside Frank Marshall and Jere Harris, according to Variety.

The working title of the musical is based on the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee’s 1970 hit “Fire and Rain.” Although it’s unclear which songs will be included in the musical, Taylor is also behind several Grammy-winning songs and massive hits, such as “You’ve Got a Friend,” “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You),” “Mexico,” and “Carolina in My Mind.”

Letts, who’s writing the musical, is behind previous shows such as August: Osage County and Killer Joy and won a Tony for acting in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf. He also appeared in The Post and Lady Bird. For his part, Cromer directed Bug and Man From Nebraska and is currently on Broadway with George Clooney’s Good Night and Good Luck.

Taylor has not yet commented publicly on the musical news. He’s set to go on a U.S. tour later this summer, with stops scheduled throughout California in May, before heading countrywide for a summer tour from June through September.