‘Cheers’ National Theater Tour to Debut in Boston
Cheers Live on Stage, an adaptation of the classic Eighties/Nineties sitcom, will appropriately launch its national tour in Boston this September. The comedy adaptation is built around memorable moments from the acclaimed show’s first season, The Associated Press reports.
Writer Erik Forrest Jackson adapted the theater version after binge-watching all 22 Season One episodes nine times each. “The main through-line is the relationship between Sam and Diane but done in a way so it feels fresh,” Jackson told the AP, referring to bar patron/former Boston Red Sox player Sam Malone and waitress Diane Chambers.
“It will ring bells and feel familiar when Carla talks about her crazy offspring, and Norm moans about not being able to get a job, and Cliff drops another one of his little known ‘facts,'” the writer said.
The original Cheers aired for 11 seasons, from 1982 to 1993, winning 28 Emmys. The show’s reputation hasn’t dulled over the years: Last year, it topped Rolling Stone readers’ 10 Best TV Shows of the 1980s poll, and the finale episode made our list as one of the best ever.
Initial plans for a stage revival emerged last year, though few details had emerged. The AP reports that the stage show will feature a cast of 14 actors, though no original cast members. In a unique twist, director Matt Lenz will recruit around 10 pre-selected audience members each night to participate onstage as bar patrons dressed in Eighties attire.