Nightmare Alley, the musical

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A musical theater adaptation of one of my favorite fiction books, William Lindsay Gresham's 1946 noir carny novel Nightmare Alley, will premiere in April at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles. As my brother Bob wrote when he emailed me this news, "I can't wait to hear the geek sing."

David Pescovitz is Boing Boing's co-editor/managing partner. He's also a research director at Institute for the Future. On Instagram, he's @pesco.

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Anonymous

You’ve got to see this. The Geek does sing!!!!
normd

Who doesn’t like a good carney story?

Both the novel and the movie are wonderful. The film is truly memorable. Great performances by several cast members, Helen Walker in particular as the grifter psychiatrist.

Gresham’s novel is included in the superb collection Crime Novels: American Noir of the 1930s and 40s from the Library of America.

Surely someone is planning the musical version of They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?
- earbox
  
  Surely someone is planning the musical version of They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?
  
  There was a version done in Denver in the early 90s. Kander and Ebb wanted to adapt the book, but the rights were tied up; working in the same milieu, they and David Thompson came up with the debacle that was Steel Pier.
  
  Pesco: I haven’t heard anything from Nightmare Alley, but Jonathan Brielle is pretty talented, so I have hopes.
Jonathan Badger

This sounds interesting, but before seeing the cover of the Signet paperback, I had mistaken “Nightmare Alley” for “Damnation Alley”, and had visions of songs and dances about crossing the post-apocalyptic wasteland in a glorified RV…
- Felton
  
  Heh! I’d forgotten about that film. Has there not been a post-apocalyptic musical yet? We should write a script for Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome: the Musical, and get Tina Turner to reprise her role from the film.
Anonymous

“How did I guy get so low? He aimed too Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh!” Sure. I can see it. Is it too late to get Patti Lupone for Zeena?
ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive

Nightmare Alley was made into a great film noir movie starring Tyrone Power in 1947.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039661/

It’s available on DVD as part of the Fox Noir series.