The Sting is on! The classic 1973 Oscar-winning heist film is set to make the leap from screen to the Broadway stage. According to Deadline, Tony winners Mark Hollmann and Greg Kotis, the composing team of Urinetown, along with Bob Martin, who received a Tony for the book of The Drowsy Chaperone, will pen the stage adaptation.
Set in 1930s Chicago, The Sting follows Henry Gondorff and Johnny Hooker, two con artists played on screen by Paul Newman and Robert Redford, who plan to swindle a fortune from criminal banker Doyle Lonnegan, portrayed in the film by Robert Shaw.
In addition to Best Picture, The Sting took home six more Oscars including Best Director for George Roy Hill and Best Score for EGOT club member Marvin Hamlisch. The film utilized ragtime music, including Scott Joplin’s “The Entertainer,” which was adapted for the film by Hamlisch and became a Billboard chart-topping single. No word yet as to whether Hamlisch’s work will make an appearance in the show.