Joss Stone and Dave Stewart to pen songs for The Time Traveller’s Wife musical

Joss Stone and Dave Stewart have written a new musical based on the hit novel The Time Traveller’s Wife, which will premiere in the UK.

The book by Audrey Niffenegger has already been turned into a film, starring Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana.

The Masked Singer winner and the Eurythmics co-founder have written the original music and lyrics for the show, about the relationship between Henry and Clare.

The pair navigate their relationship while Henry is often and uncontrollably ripped out of time, because he suffers from a rare condition where his genetic clock periodically resets, pulling him into his past or future.

Playwright Lauren Gunderson, who has adapted the novel for the stage, said: “I will never forget reading the last chapter of Audrey Niffenegger’s book over 10 years ago and being floored by its thunderous emotion and potent humanity.

“I knew this love story belonged on stage with music and vision that matches its emotional punch and soaring feeling. I know this musical will lift, delight, hearten and exhilarate.”

Stewart and Stone added: “We have been on many crazy adventures together but we’ve never ‘time travelled’ till meeting Lauren Gunderson.

“Writing these songs together whilst being in different locations on different time zones has been a trip (literally), throwing us into an eddy of emotive melodies and heart-wrenching lyrics to go with the push and pull of this unusual love story.

“We all time travel in our relationships and in our lives in general, but to write something that people will see and hear happening live on stage is thrilling to imagine, and hearing Bill Buckhurst’s (the director) interpretations of Lauren’s script for stage as we went along has been so inspiring.”

Producer Colin Ingram continued: “Bringing this book to the stage was my wife’s idea, as, for her and so many others, The Time Traveller’s Wife has been a significant and deeply cherished story.

“Having Henry constantly appearing and disappearing throughout the story (with his age changing each time, backwards and forwards) requires this stellar creative team, and this show promises to be an incredibly emotional experience for the audience.

“Lauren’s adaptation is truly wonderful and the soulful sound of Dave and Joss’s music will lift everyone’s spirits as a truly wonderful tonic in a post-pandemic world.”

The show is expected to premiere in the UK in late 2021/early 2022.