Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures
| Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures Logo adopted in 2023 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Theater |
| Founded | May 2003 |
| Headquarters | US |
Key people | Mark Kaufman (EVP) |
| Products | Musicals, plays |
| Services | Licensing |
| Parent | Warner Bros. |
| Website | warnerbrostheaterventures.com |
Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures serves as the theatrical production division of Warner Bros. Discovery, operating under the umbrella of Warner Bros. and headed by Executive Vice President Mark Kaufman. Established in 2003, the company specializes in developing and staging plays and musicals derived from Warner Bros.' extensive film catalog. Its inaugural project was Lestat, a stage musical adaptation of Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles, which entered development in 2003 and debuted in 2006.
History
In May 2003, Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures was launched by Gregg Maday with the objective of transforming Warner Bros.’ film properties into theatrical productions, taking inspiration from Disney’s Broadway achievements such as Beauty and the Beast. Maday enlisted Broadway producer Emanuel Azenberg as an advisor, initiating development on a Batman musical featuring compositions by Jim Steinman and a script by David Ives; however, after the unsuccessful run of Dance of the Vampires—a prior collaboration involving the same creative team—the Batman project was ultimately shelved.
Subsequently, the company focused on adapting Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles into a musical, collaborating with writer Linda Woolverton, director Robert Jess Roth, and composers Elton John and Bernie Taupin—renowned for their work on Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Production for Lestat commenced in November 2003, leading to its premiere at San Francisco’s Curran Theatre in December 2005 before transferring to Broadway’s Palace Theatre in March 2006; the show closed after a brief run of 39 performances.
Following this initial undertaking, Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures returned to Broadway with Elf in 2010, which had been developed through a workshop held in 2009. The musical opened for a limited holiday season engagement at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre starting November 14, 2010. In 2011, Gregg Maday left his position and was succeeded by Mark Kaufman as Executive Vice President.
Lestat
The musical premiered in New York City with preview performances beginning March 25, 2006, officially opening at the Palace Theatre on April 25, 2006. As Warner Bros.’ first Broadway adaptation, it was based on Anne Rice’s The Vampire Chronicles, featuring a book by Linda Woolverton alongside music by Elton John and lyrics by Bernie Taupin. Despite the involvement of this prominent creative team, the production closed on May 28, 2006, following 33 previews and 39 performances due to unfavorable critical reception.
The Bridges of Madison County
This musical began previews on Broadway at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre on January 17, 2014, officially opening on February 20, 2014. Although it garnered positive reviews from critics, it encountered commercial challenges and concluded its run on May 18, 2014, after completing 137 performances. Despite its financial difficulties, it earned two Tony Awards in June 2014 for Best Original Score and Best Orchestrations. A national tour across the United States took place from November 2015 through July 2016.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Adapted for the stage by Simon Stephens and directed by Marianne Elliott, this play debuted at London's Royal National Theatre on August 2, 2012. It garnered eight Laurence Olivier Awards in 2013, including honors for Best New Play and Best Director. Following a UK tour, the production moved to Broadway's Ethel Barrymore Theatre in October 2014. The Broadway engagement achieved significant acclaim, securing six Tony Awards, six Drama Desk Awards, and six Outer Critics Circle Awards before concluding on September 4, 2016, after a total of 800 performances. From 2016 to 2018, the show embarked on numerous tours across the United States, internationally, as well as throughout the UK and Australia.
Doctor Zhivago
The musical Doctor Zhivago initially premiered under the title Zhivago at San Diego’s La Jolla Playhouse in 2006. Directed by Des McAnuff, an Australian touring version opened as Doctor Zhivago – A New Musical at Sydney’s Lyric Theatre in 2011, running from February 19 to April 3 and receiving favorable critiques.
A Seoul staging, also helmed by McAnuff, launched at the Charlotte Theatre in January 2012 and continued until June 3. In 2014, McAnuff directed a Swedish-language production marking its Scandinavian debut at Malmö Opera.
The Broadway iteration, once again directed by McAnuff, began previews on March 27, 2015. It officially opened on April 21 but closed shortly after on May 10 due to weak ticket sales and absence of Tony Award nominations, completing 26 previews and 23 performances.
Misery
Penned by William Goldman, who also wrote the screenplay for the 1990 film adaptation, Misery was produced in collaboration with Castle Rock Entertainment. The play premiered at Bucks County Playhouse in Pennsylvania on November 24, 2012, running for a limited engagement of eleven performances before closing on December 8. In March 2015, it was announced that Misery would have a limited Broadway run starring Bruce Willis as Paul Sheldon and Laurie Metcalf as Annie Wilkes. This production opened at the Broadhurst Theatre on November 15, 2015, and closed on February 14, 2016. Laurie Metcalf received a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play nomination for her portrayal.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
The musical began its preview performances on May 22, 2013, at London's Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, officially opening on June 25 of that year. During the week ending December 30, 2013, it set a West End record by achieving a weekly gross of £1,080,260.
A revamped version for Broadway premiered in early 2017 under the direction of Jack O'Brien, with choreography by Josh Bergasse and set design by Mark Thompson. This production blended songs from the original 1971 film with new numbers composed by Shaiman and Wittman. Opening at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, Christian Borle starred as Willy Wonka. Previews started March 28, with the official opening on April 23. The show concluded its run on January 14, 2018 after completing 27 previews and a total of 305 performances.
In September 2018, a US National Tour was launched beginning in Buffalo, New York. An Australian production followed with an opening at Sydney's Capitol Theatre in January 2019.
The Outsiders
Adapted from S. E. Hinton's novel and its 1983 film version, the musical debuted at La Jolla Playhouse in early 2023. It began Broadway previews on March 16, 2024, at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, with its official opening on April 11, 2024. The production was directed by Danya Taymor, featuring a libretto by Adam Rapp. Musical contributions come from Jamestown Revival, with Justin Levine overseeing music supervision. The show received 12 nominations at the 77th Tony Awards, securing four wins, including the award for Best Musical.
Elf
Elf premiered as a limited holiday run on November 2, 2010, at New York’s Al Hirschfeld Theatre, officially opening on November 14, 2010. The Broadway cast album was released in November 2011. Due to its success, the show embarked on national tours in 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2016. It returned to Broadway for a revival from November 9, 2012, through January 6, 2013. In 2014, NBC broadcast a stop-motion animated adaptation starring Jim Parsons.
The musical also expanded internationally with a limited engagement at London’s Dominion Theatre starting October 24, 2015. It achieved the distinction of being the fastest-selling production since the theatre's opening in 1929.
A Christmas Story: The Musical
This musical premiered in December 2009 at the Kansas City Repertory Theatre in Missouri before beginning Broadway previews at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on November 7, 2012, and officially opening on November 19, 2012. Featuring original compositions by Pasek and Paul, it is based on the 1983 film of the same title. Its popularity prompted annual national tours and an international run in London at the Waterloo East Theatre in November 2018.
In addition to stage productions, FOX aired a live television special titled A Christmas Story Live! in 2017, broadening the musical’s audience.
Beetlejuice
The musical had its premiere on October 14, 2018, at Washington D.C.’s National Theatre and ran until November 18, 2018. It then moved to Broadway’s Winter Garden Theatre for the 2018–2019 season with previews starting March 28, 2019, and officially opening April 25, 2019. Initially scheduled to close June 6, 2020, the production ended prematurely on March 10 due to the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns. It later reopened at the Marquis Theatre on April 8, 2022, and closed on January 8, 2023.
New Jack City: Live
Warner Bros Theatre Venture granted playwright and NAACP Award recipient Je'Caryous Johnson the rights to produce a live stage adaptation of the 1991 action-crime film New Jack City. The production previewed on October 29–30, 2022 at Atlanta’s Gas South Theater and has been touring nationally from November 2022 through June 2024. The cast features Allen Payne reprising his role as "Gee Money", Treach portraying Nino Brown, Flex Alexander as "Pookie", Big Daddy Kane as Stone, and Gary Dourdan as Scotty; Omar Gooding joins as Stone for performances in the 2024 leg of the tour. This marks Johnson’s second partnership with Warner Bros Theatre Venture following his productions of Set It Off: Live in both 2018 and 2020.
Dave
Following an industry reading on October 31, 2014, the musical Dave was officially announced in November of the same year. A subsequent private reading took place in the summer of 2016, featuring Broadway performer Brian d’Arcy James. The production made its debut at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., running from July 18 to August 19, 2018. Currently, there are no announced plans for a Broadway transfer.
Baby It's You!
The jukebox musical Baby It's You! had its initial run at the Coast Playhouse in Los Angeles from July 18 to August 30, 2009. It later moved to the Pasadena Playhouse, where it was staged from November 13 to December 13, 2009.
The show premiered on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre, with previews beginning March 26, 2011, and an official opening on April 27, 2011. Despite early expectations, it closed on September 4, 2011, due to unfavorable reviews that adversely affected both its box office results and audience reception.
Additional Works
- Elf: Buddy's Musical Christmas – A stop-motion animated version of the 2009 stage musical
- A Christmas Story Live! – A televised adaptation aired in 2017 based on the 2012 musical
See Also
- Harry Potter and the Cursed Child – It is noteworthy that Warner Bros., although owning the Harry Potter franchise, did not participate in producing this play.