Lin-Manuel Miranda and Eisa Davis Announce ‘Warriors’ Concept Album

Lin-Manuel Miranda and Eisa Davis have unveiled their latest project, a 26-song concept album titled ‘Warriors,’ set for release on October 18. This marks Miranda’s first full musical theatre score since the groundbreaking success of ‘Hamilton.’

‘Warriors’ is based on the 1979 film of the same name, itself an adaptation of Sol Yurick’s novel. The story follows a fictitious New York City gang from Coney Island to the Bronx and back as they navigate the perilous journey home after being framed for the murder of a respected gang leader named Cyrus.

Previously, it was reported that Miranda’s next musical theatre venture would be a stage adaptation of ‘The Warriors.’ However, Miranda and co-writer Davis surprised fans by announcing the concept album instead of a Broadway production.

In a joint statement, Miranda and Davis shared their enthusiasm: ‘We’ve spent the past three years musicalizing the Warriors’ journey home, from the South Bronx to Coney Island. Along the way, we’ve gotten to work with a lot of our favorite artists, and we’ll be announcing their roles on the album in the weeks ahead. We can’t wait to share these songs with you on October 18th.’

The album boasts impressive hip-hop credentials, with Grammy-winning rapper Nas serving as executive producer. Mike Elizondo, known for his work on ‘The Hamilton Mixtape,’ is also on board as a producer. The cast of voice artists, described as ‘star-studded,’ will be revealed in the coming weeks.

This isn’t Miranda’s first foray into concept albums. His Pulitzer Prize-winning ‘Hamilton’ originated as ‘The Hamilton Mixtape,’ a collection of pieces he performed live. In 2016, he released ‘The Hamilton Mixtape,’ featuring recordings and remixes of songs from the musical with guest artists such as Kelly Clarkson, The Roots, and Nas.

Broadway hits often begin as concept albums, a tradition that includes ‘The Who’s Tommy,’ ‘Jesus Christ Superstar,’ ‘Chess,’ ‘Jekyll & Hyde,’ ‘You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,’ and ‘Hadestown.’

Eisa Davis, Miranda’s writing partner on this project, is an accomplished playwright, composer, and actor. She was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for her play ‘Bulrusher,’ wrote songs for a musical adaptation of ‘Devil in a Blue Dress,’ and served as a writer on Netflix’s ‘She’s Gotta Have It.’ Davis has also played memorable roles in TV series such as ‘House of Cards,’ ‘The Wire,’ ‘Succession,’ and ‘Ahsoka.’

Currently, there are no plans for a Broadway run of ‘Warriors,’ but the concept album promises to bring this compelling story to life through its innovative music and storytelling.

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