Hollywood funnyman Jack Black and Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes might not appear to have much in common; throw in British theatre legend Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and a hoard of screaming children and the connection might seem more incongruous but Aucklanders will see later this year that together they've created musical magic.
School of Rock is the latest Broadway smash hit to reach our shores, jamming out Auckland's Civic Theatre for a limited season in September as the latest stop on a world tour that has so far included New York, London, Melbourne, Shanghai.
Based on the Richard Linklater film, the musical follows slacker wannabe-rocker Dewey Finn, a role originated by Jack Black, who impersonates his roommate to take up a well-paid substitute teaching job at a fancy elementary school.
There, he discovers his students are musical protégés and enlists them to help him achieve his goal of winning the Battle of the Bands competition.
While it's unsurprising that the box office hit was adapted for Broadway, joining a long line of screen-to-stage hits such as The Lion King, Priscilla and Kinky Boots, what is surprising are the men behind the theatrical reimagining.
