”Wild Rose” to be adapted into a musical

The much-loved 2018 movie Wild Rose is making its way to the stage in musical form.

The new show is set to be penned by Nicole Taylor (Three Girls, The C Word, The Nest) and based on her screenplay from the original film. John Tiffany (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Black Watch) will be in the director’s seat, with further creatives to be revealed.

The film, which originally starred Jessie Buckley and Julie Walters, follows the life of Glaswegian Rose-Lynn Harlan, an aspiring country singer who has been released from prison.

Taylor said today “When the character of Rose-Lynn Harlan first roared into my head some 13 years ago, shouting, swearing and of course, singing, I aways dreamt she might have a theatrical afterlife. That this is coming to pass under the direction of the great John Tiffany, whose work I have adored ever since I saw Black Watch, is a source of such pride and such excitement.

“There’s no story that means more to me than this one – this mad passionate love letter to my twin obsessions, Glasgow and country music. I never imagined the film would strike a chord with so many people, nor that strangers would come up to me in the street (still!) and yell ‘My mince is your mince’. It’s a true joy to be reunited with Rose-Lynn and Marion, and to experience them anew via John’s theatrical imagination and I’m delighted too that the production will begin in Scotland.”

The show will have a world premiere at a Scottish venue in 2024, with workshops set to take place early next year.

Tiffany added: “I saw Wild Rose in 2019 and thought it was brilliant. It’s a hilarious, moving, truthful and totally life-affirming piece of filmmaking. I remember thinking then that the story might also find a natural home on a stage. I was already a big fan of Nicole Taylor after seeing Three Girls so when Patrick Daly, Faye Ward and Nicole approached me I jumped at the chance to meet them. My formative years were spent in Glasgow, both as a student at the University (when I first went to Glasgow’s Grand Ole Opry) and later at the National Theatre of Scotland, so the final song ‘Glasgow (No Place Like Home)’ holds a special place in my heart.”

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