\n Britney Spears<\/span> Jim Smeal\/Shutterstock<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Britney Spears<\/strong><\/a> was thrilled to lend her discography to Broadway<\/a> \u2014 with one specific caveat.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was actually Britney who approached us and said, \u2018We\u2019d like to have a show based on my music, and specifically not a bio-musical,\u2019\u201d producer Hunter\u00a0Arnold<\/strong> told\u00a0Variety<\/i><\/a>\u00a0at\u00a0Once Upon a One More Time<\/i>\u2019s opening night on Thursday, June 22, referring to the 41-year-old pop star. \u201cThe original idea came from ideas brought forth by her: She loves fairy tales<\/a>, princesses [and] storybooks. We took a couple of passes at it \u2014 we didn\u2019t get it right instantly. Then we did a workshop after we got the current-ish version together and she came to see it and give thoughts on it.\u201d<\/p>\n Once Upon a One More Time<\/i>, which began performances at New York City\u2019s Marquis Theatre in May, brings together six iconic storybook princesses as they gather for book club. During their meeting, a \u201crogue fairy godmother\u201d hands them copies of Betty Friedan\u2019s\u00a0The Feminine Mystique,\u00a0<\/i>which subsequently inspires them to embrace feminism<\/a>. The musical \u2014 which the official summary proclaims is \u201cpowered by the hits of Britney Spears\u201d \u2014 stars Justin Guarini<\/strong><\/a>, Briga Heelan<\/strong>, Jennifer Simard<\/strong>, Adam Godley<\/strong>, Aisha Jackson<\/strong>, Liv Battista<\/strong>, Gabrielle Beckford<\/strong>, Ashley Chiu<\/strong>, Morgan Whitley<\/strong> and Lauren Zakrin<\/strong>.<\/p>\n As the ladies learn to stand up for themselves<\/a>, they (along with the whole cast) can\u2019t help but bust out some of Spears\u2019 most iconic songs<\/a> along the way.<\/p>\n \u201cI just make sure I\u2019m really warmed up and drink a lot of water because I sweat a lot,\u201d Guarini, 44, told\u00a0Variety\u00a0<\/i>earlier this month. \u201cIn \u2018Circus\u2019 right into \u2018Sometimes\u2019 right into \u2018Oops,\u2019 it just goes, goes, goes. Everyone is dancing, and every single time I get off the stage, we\u2019re just like \u2018How did we do that?\u2019 That is the beauty of Broadway\u2019s magic.\u201d<\/p>\n The musical, however, did slightly tweak some of Spears\u2019 lyrics to better fit the story lines.<\/p>\n \u201cThe songs work way better<\/a> than they have any right to work,\u201d Arnold explained to the outlet. \u201cMost importantly, Britney and her team gave us pretty liberal ability to shift lyrics here and there, to make sure things didn\u2019t feel clunky, but purposeful. You don\u2019t want to change too much because this is music that everyone on Earth loves; it\u2019s a half art, half science to make sure everything fits where it is. Some songs that were big numbers of hers, there weren\u2019t places to fit. Outside of the mega hits, there was no expectation that every song would be in it. They gave our creative team freedom to do what makes the show make sense.\u201d<\/p>\n The\u00a0Crossroads<\/a>\u00a0<\/i>actress, who married Sam Asghari<\/strong><\/a> in June 2022, gave the show her stamp of approval<\/a> over on her Instagram.<\/p>\n \u201cGood luck to the hardworking cast and crew of\u00a0Once Upon a One More Time<\/i>\u00a0on opening night tonight\u00a0\ud83c\udf39\ud83d\udc83\ud83c\udffc\u2728<\/span>\u00a0!!!\u201d she captioned<\/a> a tribute post on Thursday. \u201cI\u2019ve seen the show and it is so funny, smart and brilliant\u00a0\ud83e\udd29<\/span>\u00a0!!!\u201d<\/p>\n Once Upon a One More Time<\/i>\u00a0marks Spears\u2019 first career project since the conservatorship<\/a> \u2014 run by her father, Jamie Spears<\/strong><\/a>, and Jodi Montgomery<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u2014\u00a0over her estate and person was terminated in November 2021<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"Why](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Why-Britney-Spears-Didnt-Want-Once-Upon-a-One-More-Time-to-be-a-Bio-Musical-According-to-Producers-Inline.jpg?w=700&quality=86&strip=all\")
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