Seattle Pre-Broadway Tryout of Cry-Baby Musical Delayed

The pre-Broadway tryout of a new musical adaptation of John Waters' Cry-Baby, which had been scheduled to open at Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre early next year, has been delayed because the production could not secure a Broadway theater for a spring 2007 transfer, according to Variety. The Seattle run had been set for February 13-March 4, but Cry-Baby now looks likely to jump to a spot on 5th Avenue's 2007-08 season.

Preliminary information about Cry-Baby had been announced last March. The musical features a libretto by Hairspray book writers Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan, music by Adam Schlesinger of the pop group Fountains of Wayne and lyrics by David Javerbaum, a writer on The Daily Show. Mark Brokaw and Rob Ashford had been announced as the director and choreographer, respectively.

Cry-Baby, a 1990 film written and directed by Waters, is a send-up of 1950s teenage melodramas. The central character in the film, Wade "Cry-Baby" Walker, is the leader of the gang known as the Drapes, who falls for the clean-cut leader of the appropriately titled Squares, Allison Vernon-Williams. The movie gave Johnny Depp his first leading film role.

Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre hosted the world premiere of another Waters screen-to-stage tuner, Hairspray, and the pre-Broadway tryout of The Wedding Singer. Hugh Panaro is headlining a production of Company at the theater from October 17 to November 7. Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story will replace Cry-Baby next spring at the theater, according to Variety.