Will Bend It Like Beckham Kick Its Way to the West End? | Playbill

News Will Bend It Like Beckham Kick Its Way to the West End? Soccer star David Beckham's name may soon be in lights in the West End, but not because he is starring in a play.

A musical adaptation of "Bend It Like Beckham," the 2002 film about a soccer-loving teenager rebelling against her parents, is slated to play London's West End, according to Baz Bamigboye of the Daily Mail. The musical, which follows the 18-year-old daughter of Punjabi Sikhs in London, intends to take up residency at the Phoenix Theatre following the closure of Once. The teenager loves playing soccer but is forbidden by her parents because she is female. She joins a local women's team, which soon rises to the top of the league.

As previously reported by The Daily Mail, the musical, which will feature a score by Howard Goodall (Rowan Atkinson at the Atkinson) and lyrics by Charles Hart (The Phantom of the Opera, Aspects of Love), will be directed by Gurinder Chadha, who also directed the 2002 film. Goodall and Hart's previous collaborations include The Kissing Dance. The book is being written by Chadha and her husband, Paul Mayeda Berges. Lynne Page (La Cage Aux Folles, A Little Night Music) will choreograph the show, which will include soccer plays.

The 2002 film of the same name starred Parminder Nagra ("Psych," "Ella Enchanted"), Keira Knightley ("Anna Karenina," "Pirates of the Caribbean") and Jonathan Rhys Meyers ("Match Point," "Vanity Fair"); the Daily Mail reports that several characters from the movie have been eliminated.

 
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