Over the course of the last decade or so, there has not been a lot in the world of entertainment that has not made its way from one medium or another into the sphere of the theatre and trotted its boots on a stage as if a modern day Shakespeare – and now it is the turn of the sport of wrestling.
Yes, you read that right and you are not delirious from winning big at the likes of Ivy Bet. You have not unknowingly crashed through a table or had a chair swung into your head. It has now been confirmed that the film Fighting With My Family, the 2019 offering featuring Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and Florence Pugh, which focused on the career origins of British pro wrestler Saraya Knight, will be treading the boards shortly.
The film follows Knight’s story as she built her career originally in England and then made her way to the United States, and into World Wrestling Entertainment where she became far better known as Paige. The film followed a Channel 4 (UK television) documentary of almost the same name which looked at the life of Knight, and that of her brother and parents, who are also professionals in the world of wrestling.
The new stage version of the story has Johnson’s own production company collaborating in the project and he personally feels that the story arc is ‘exceptionally well suited for the stage’. The stage adaption is masterminded by Titled Musicals, a production company run by Girls Aloud songwriter Miranda Cooper and producer Sam Hodges. Although Cooper was adamant that it would absolutely be for those outside of the world of wrestling and that you would not need to be a wrestling fan to enjoy the story on offer, that will remain open for debate until the doors open as the film definitely benefited from knowing it was a true – albeit artistic licenced – story with a real known character on the other side.
With that said, wrestling is all about heroes, villains, and those that sometimes play both at the same time, storytelling and emotional plot twists – not least acting out, and acting up to the crowd – and that is quintessentially what the stage was invented for, so it could be a major success if handled correctly.
For those who loved the film, there is also the potential for a fresh retelling of the story as Hodges explained that film director Stephen Merchant was very supportive of the stage project, and has shared the scripts of scenes that did not ultimately make the final cut, as well as his own videos of his experiences with the family themselves as he tried to frame the character portrayals.
With WWE’s renewed push to take itself to new markets, new fans, and a wider audience, making the switch to the stage actually adds another string to the bow as they look to ultimately create additional viewing and subscription interest, as although it is not an entirely accurate stereotype in the modern day and age, there will be those in a theatre growing crowd who would never otherwise look at wrestling on the television – and they could well love it if they did.
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