The Robertson clan of Duck Dynasty fame has already conquered the worlds of sporting goods, reality television and Walmart merchandising, and now TV’s most beloved rednecks are about to venture into a new arena: musical theatre!
According to The New York Times, the family is prepping a 90-minute musical revue to run in Las Vegas, with plans to open at the Rio in February. The family, notes The Times, “wants to sing to you about faith and food, duck calls and swamp moss. And they’ve convinced a team from Broadway to bring their story to the stage.”
Lest you think audiences will endure the golden throat of Uncle Si (who released a country-music album earlier this year), the Robertsons themselves won’t actually appear onstage; they’ll be played by actors, who’ll portray the various family members in a musical tale that will “celebrate the family’s long history from rags to riches.”
Due to patriarch Phil Robertson’s continual stream of anti-gay, homophobic statements, controversy has already started swirling around the project. In fact, The Times reports that “several Broadway producers, many of whom are liberal, gay, or both, are aghast that colleagues would work with a family whose patriarch, Phil Robertson, has compared homosexuality to bestiality.”; Gay rights leaders are also reportedly keeping a close eye on the show’s content.
The show — to be titled Duck Commander — is being launched by Jersey Boys producer Michael Davidson, who promises the musical “will end up challenging the views and assumptions of people across the political spectrum, more than most theatre does… The Robertsons are so unusual, their story so juicy, and theatre shouldn’t be limited to telling stories about people you resemble or revere.”
