Development has begun on the new Christmas musical entitled Looking For Christmas by singer-songwriter Clint Black. An industry reading to be cast by Jason Styres Casting, C.S.A., is planned for December 4 in New York. Director Kent Nicholson helms the process, with book by James D. Sasser, and music supervision by Charles Vincent Burwell, of The 959 Group.
The musical is an original contemporary family story about a young American veteran and his wife and daughter. He returns home from the war struggling with PTSD and has to find a way to fit into the family again and rediscover the true meaning of Christmas.
Music for the show will be comprised of several new songs penned by Black, along with songs from the 1995 all-original Christmas album of the same name and several of his classic hits.
“I had toyed with the idea of writing a musical as I’m always looking for new challenges,” said Black. “When I met James Sasser, he asked if I’d ever considered “Broadway.” I said, ‘not as a performer, the work week is too long’!” We decided we’d explore ideas together as writers and I introduced the idea of a Christmas story built around my original Christmas music from Looking for Christmas and Christmas With You.”
He adds, “We developed the story to fit the music and quickly had a very clear sense of the kind of story we wanted to tell. Many of our soldiers come home from war to a new war in their minds. The holidays are always a time of heightened emotions and we knew we would have some very inspiring themes to explore, while telling a contemporary tale that would be relatable to many Americans young and old. One of the new songs is about shopping and the stress of getting “just the right gift”. It’s a fun look at that harried part of the holidays.
Founded in 2015, The 959 Group is a theatrical development and investment strategy LLC working to bring stories to the stage with unique and inclusive points of view. Other titles 959 has been involved with include two timeTony award and twelve times nominated Natasha, Pierre, And The Great Comet, as well as CUBAMOR, which had its developmental premiere last December at the Village Theatre, and Bottle Shock, based on the cult hit wine movie about Napa, currently in development.