‘Flashdance’ brings its story — but maybe not the legwarmers — to the stage

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When Tom Hedley first wrote “Flashdance,” it was envisioned as a stage production.

Even revered Broadway choreographer Bob Fosse told him it would never work as a movie.

“Unfortunately,” Hedley recalls now with a chuckle, “I was very young and had already cashed the check from Paramount (Pictures), so I was stuck!”

We all know how that experiment turned out. Jennifer Beals became a star, leg warmers were, to the horror of most, deemed an appropriate fashion accessory, and Irene Cara’s theme song, “Flashdance … What a Feeling,” landed the singer the only No. 1 hit of her career in 1983.

But in 2008, Hedley saw the original platform for his story about Alex Owens, a pretty girl with dreams to dance — Pittsburgh steelworker by day, exotic dancer by night — realized with the stage adaptation of “Flashdance the Musical” in England.

The show has always had aspirations for Broadway, and indeed will open there in late August after some casting and show changes in June. But first comes a national tour, an unusual move, since most productions tour on the strength of taglines such as “the Broadway hit musical!” or “Tony-winning critical success!”

But Hedley and the show’s producers are confident that the familiarity with the “Flashdance” brand — the music (Michael Sembello’s “Maniac” and Laura Branigan’s “Gloria” are two more iconic memories), the character of Alex (played by Emily Padgett, last seen as Sherrie Christian on Broadway in “Rock of Ages”) and the passed-through-the-generations storyline of keeping the dream alive — is enough to draw audiences in a pre-Broadway run.

“Flashdance the Musical,” directed and choreographed by Sergio Trujillo (“Memphis,” “Jersey Boys,” “Next to Normal”), launched January in, appropriately, Pittsburgh, and it will head to the Fox Theatre Feb. 5-10. Former Atlantan Lynorris Evans is part of the show’s ensemble.

The engaging Hedley, who might pop by during the Atlanta run — “Atlanta is a favorite place of mine. It’s a very lively place. And I’ve always had a good relationship with (Atlanta theater and Broadway whiz) Kenny Leon,” he said — talked more about the feeling of finally bringing “Flashdance the Musical” to the stage.

Q: You’ve been living with this story for 30 years. Why now – or, rather, recently – to finally bring it to the stage?

A: I didn't realize the process of putting it on the stage would be such a long one. For years, I wouldn't do it. I was doing other things, and it's a very ephemeral piece. It's very poetic and depended so much on the close-ups (on film) and the way the music drove it. It's a much imitated show. "Billy Elliot" was like "Flashdance." It had the same elements. But about five years ago, William Morris (Endeavor agency) came to me and said this really should be done, so I said OK.

Q: How difficult was it to modify — or expand — for the stage?

A: So much of the film depended on editing. The rewriting was the editing. In the film, there were three body double dancers, so there were all of these tricks. The stage is unforgiving and much more honest, which is what I found exciting. It requires a very resolute story.

Q: Did you feel there were things dated 30 years later that might not work live?

A: When you play the movie, it still plays well now. But the instinct in the theater world is to make things dated. "Hairspray" worked because the '50s are a character. "Flashdance" was something that had never been seen when it came out, so for us to get stuck in the past would have been a mistake. It has to be contemporary, which is how it was conceived then. (Alex) is a working-class girl with a lot of prejudices about the rich guys out there. She has that "fear deep inside" and has to overcome the self-doubt, so we tied that more into the love story so you understand it more.

Q: And there are 10 new songs in the show?

A: Yes. I hired Robbie Roth, a young composer, who I felt knew a lot about music. But he wasn't around in the '80s, so I told him to bring his '80s point of view. So (the new songs) feel more contemporary. It's not a stroll down memory lane. …The same with the set. We're doing the '80s, but not making it a character in the show, like "Rock of Ages."

Q: How do you feel about taking the show on the road before Broadway?

A: The road is an interesting place. It's where the real Americans live. It's not New York and L.A., where people often give you the wrong kind of advice because they're tied into the industry. If (the rest of the country) hates it, they'll let us know. We could have postponed the show for a year and waited to go on Broadway, but why not take it out now?