A “Weird Al” Yankovic jukebox musical titled Dare to Be Stupid is officially in development, with the five-time Grammy-winning satirist joining with Beetlejuice and Gutenberg! The Musical! writers Scott Brown and Anthony King to set an original story to a soundtrack of Yankovic’s most loved songs. Alex Timbers (Moulin Rouge!) will direct, with a production timeline to be announced.
Press notes share that audiences can expect to hear Yankovic’s “White & Nerdy” (from Chamillionaire’s “Ridin'”), “Amish Paradise” (from Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise), “Eat It” (from Michael Jackson’s “Beat It”), “Smells Like Nirvana” (from Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit”), “Like a Surgeon” (from Madonna’s “Like a Virgin”), and more.
Seaview is producing.
“Ever since I was a middle-aged man, I’ve always wanted to be a part of the New York theatre community,” says Yankovic in a statement. “Plus, the one thing people always say about Broadway is that it’s ‘severely lacking in Weird Al-based entertainment,’ and I think this musical should fix that problem immediately.”
“I first fell in love with Al’s music with the release of ‘Dare To Be Stupid’ and have remained an avid fan ever since,” says Timbers. “Now, it’s a dream come true to work with one of my comedy heroes bringing an original story set to his beloved songbook to the stage. What Al, Anthony, and Scott are creating is unexpected, subversive, meta, and hilarious and I can’t wait for the world to experience it.”
“Dare to Be Stupid feels like the kind of musical that only comes around once in a while—wildly original, deeply funny, and powered by the unmistakable heart that has made ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic a singular voice in American culture,” adds Seaview CEO Greg Nobile. “Beneath the absurdity and the joy, is a show about creativity, individuality, and the freedom to be unapologetically yourself. We couldn’t be more thrilled to be working with Al, Alex, Scott, and Anthony to bring Weird Al’s singular world to the stage.”
Yankovic’s songs were previously mined with a 2022 biopic Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, starring Tony winner (and 2026 Tony nominee) Daniel Radcliffe in the title role.
