Murphy disclosed the development to "Entertainment Tonight" on Wednesday, Sept. 23, at the New York City premiere of the 13th season of "American Horror Story".

“Funny you ask, because I just finished the script an hour ago,” Murphy told "Entertainment Tonight".

The writer and producer said the script was written with Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan, the co-creators who worked with Murphy on the original series.

“Brad, Ian and I, who wrote all the first two seasons, have written something,” Murphy said.

The existence of a script does not mean that a new series has been ordered. "Deadline" reported that the proposed project, from 20th Television, had not been set up at a platform as of Sept. 24.

Murphy also indicated that the script remains at an early stage of development.

“Nobody’s read it, so I don’t know, we’ll see,” Murphy said.

Original Cast Members Have Been Contacted

Murphy said he had been in touch with approximately 10 members of the original "Glee" cast about the possibility of returning.

According to Murphy, the cast members he contacted asked questions about the proposed continuation but were enthusiastic about the idea.

“It’s very sweet, and they all had a lot of questions, but they all were very enthusiastic about the idea,” Murphy said.

That response does not represent formal casting confirmation. The actors have not read the completed script, and no returning cast members have been officially announced for a new production.

Murphy said he wanted to write additional material before presenting the story to the cast.

“I vowed to myself that I wanted to write a couple of them to see what people think, particularly the cast, because we were very close when we were making it,” Murphy said.

His comments leave open several questions, including whether the proposed project would be ordered, where it would be released, and which performers might participate.

A New Incarnation of the Musical Series

The reported project is being described as a reboot, revival, or new incarnation rather than a confirmed continuation with an announced format.

Murphy had previously discussed revisiting the "Glee" universe, saying in July that the idea had “come back around.”

The July report said Falchuk had also previously raised the possibility of rebooting the series.

The latest announcement marks a change from earlier discussions because Murphy now says that a script has been completed.

However, no story details have been released. Murphy has not publicly identified the characters involved, described the setting, or explained whether the proposed project would follow the original characters or introduce a new group of performers.

The Original Series’ Legacy

The original "Glee" was a Fox musical comedy-drama that ran for six seasons from 2009 to 2015.

The series centered on the members of a high-school show choir and combined musical performances with storylines about friendship, identity, relationships, family, bullying, disability, sexuality, and belonging.

Its ensemble included performers such as Lea Michele, Jane Lynch, Matthew Morrison, Chris Colfer, Darren Criss, Amber Riley, Heather Morris, Kevin McHale and Naya Rivera.

The program also became closely associated with LGBTQ+ representation through characters including Kurt Hummel, played by openly gay actor Chris Colfer, and Santana Lopez, played by Naya Rivera.

Any future production would therefore enter a television landscape in which audiences and performers may closely examine how LGBTQ+ characters and storylines are represented. The available reports do not state whether the proposed script includes transgender characters, queer characters, or any specific LGBTQ+ storylines.

What Happens Next

For now, Murphy’s announcement establishes only that he, Falchuk and Brennan have completed one script for a possible "Glee" reboot.

The script has not been publicly released, the original cast has not read it, a platform has not been identified, and no production schedule has been announced.

Murphy’s next stated step is to write more material and assess the response, particularly from cast members who worked on the original series.

Until those development steps occur, the project remains a potential revival rather than an officially commissioned television series.

The images were shared through Warner Bros.’ TikTok account and present the first official visual material from the production beyond earlier promotional footage.

The lead image shows a figure identified as Elijah Wood’s Frodo Baggins approaching the round green door of Bag End, Frodo’s home in the Shire.

The figure is seen from behind rather than in a clear facial portrait, but multiple reports identify the character as Frodo and the performer as Wood.

The remaining images depict Hobbits in the Shire, pumpkins prepared for harvest, and the landscape in warm autumn light.

Other photographs show Andy Serkis working behind the camera and additional production material from the Shire.




Warner Bros. released the images shortly after Hobbit Day, observed on September 22.

The date corresponds to the birthdays of Bilbo Baggins and Frodo Baggins in J.R.R. Tolkien’s fictional calendar.

Story and Timeline

"The Hunt for Gollum" is being presented as a prequel to Jackson’s "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

The reported story occupies the period between Bilbo’s departure from the Shire after his 111th birthday and Frodo’s departure to begin the quest depicted in "The Fellowship of the Ring".

In Tolkien’s chronology, that interval lasts approximately 17 years.

Jackson’s first film compressed that passage of time into a small number of scenes, while the new film is positioned to dramatize events that take place before Frodo leaves home.

The film’s title indicates that Gollum’s movements and the search for him will be central to the story.

Reports have also connected the narrative to the search undertaken by Gandalf and Aragorn, an episode Gandalf recounts in Tolkien’s novel.

Returning Cast and Filmmakers

Serkis is directing the film and returning as Gollum, the role he played in Jackson’s "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" films.

Wood is returning as Frodo, reprising the character he played throughout Jackson’s original trilogy.

Ian McKellen is also returning as Gandalf, according to reporting about the film’s cast and recent production material.

Jamie Dornan has been reported as playing Aragorn, the character previously portrayed by Viggo Mortensen in Jackson’s trilogy.

Lee Pace is reported to be returning as Thranduil, the Elven king he played in "The Hobbit" trilogy.

The reported cast also includes Anya Taylor-Joy as Seren, Leo Woodall as Halvard, and Kate Winslet as Marigol.

Peter Jackson is attached as a producer, while Howard Shore’s score is associated with the newly released image material.

Production and Release

The film is currently being shot in New Zealand, with production having begun in July 2026.

The first-look images are distinct from earlier unofficial or behind-the-scenes material circulated online during production.

Earlier footage showed Serkis preparing to perform as Gollum and included views of the New Zealand landscape, but the new photographs are the first substantial official look at the film’s Shire setting and returning characters.

Warner Bros. has scheduled "The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum" for theatrical release on December 17, 2027.

The release date places the film in the same month associated with Jackson’s original trilogy, whose three installments opened in consecutive Decembers from 2001 through 2003.

The newly released images do not show Gollum directly, and Warner Bros. has not released a full plot synopsis alongside the gallery.

Court documents filed in Nashville offer the first signs of discord in a carefully managed estate process for one of the most beloved personalities in music and beyond.

Bryan Seaver, who owns a company that provided Parton’s security detail and was handpicked by the star to announce her death from cancer last month, did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press requesting comment.

In the temporary restraining order request filed by She’s Alive, the entity that manages and protects Parton’s professional property and business, and other court documents, it claims Seaver sent increasingly threatening messages over the last several weeks. She’s Alive is run by Danny Nozell, Parton’s longtime manager.

Last week, “She’s Alive” terminated Seaver and Squadron Augmented Protection Services, saying his "terrorizing conduct made their continued retention untenable,” according to court documents.

The court documents showcase a series of text messages and emails She's Alive says were sent by Seaver starting just before Parton's death. The messages begin with threats to destroy the brand, and then after her death, depict Seaver reveling in his newfound fame and calling himself an “international arms dealer."

In one message written on Sept. 1 and included in the court documents, he said: “I’m going to set up a podcast dedicated to ruining Dolly’s brand partnerships and telling the violations these people have done on us. It’s going to be great. Or f——— pay me.”

Seaver also claimed that he worked for private military contractors overseas during the Iraq War and used that experience as part of these threats, according to the complaint.

The messages have resulted in Parton’s trusts and estates attorney leaving and employees of She’s Alive resigning, according to the court documents. The entity has also had to hire private security for its employees, including at their homes, the documents state.

The restraining order is meant to stop Seaver from talking with or being within 1,000 feet (304.8 meters) of She’s Alive employees, attorneys and business partners. It also is meant to keep him from interfering with its business relationships.

Parton wrote hundreds of songs, including classics like “Jolene,” “Coat of Many Colors” and “I Will Always Love You,” that earned a total of more than 100 million worldwide sales and more than 1 billion online streams.

The appearance will be Madonna’s first live performance at the VMAs in 23 years.

The 2026 ceremony is scheduled for Sunday, September 27, and will be broadcast live from Los Angeles.

CBS and MTV identified Madonna as the night’s most nominated artist in their announcement, although the announcement did not provide details about the songs, staging or collaborators planned for her opening performance.

Madonna’s most recent VMA performance was in 2003, when she appeared in the ceremony’s opening number with Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Missy Elliott.

A Return to a Defining Stage

The 2003 performance began with Madonna singing “Like a Virgin” before the performance continued with Spears, Aguilera and Elliott.

The performance became one of the most widely remembered moments in the awards show’s history after Madonna kissed Spears and Aguilera during the broadcast.

The 2026 announcement therefore places Madonna’s return on the same program where her last VMA performance remains a major part of the ceremony’s cultural history.

The announcement does not state that the 2026 performance will revisit the 2003 staging or feature any of the artists who appeared with Madonna at that ceremony.

Broadcast Details

The VMAs will air on CBS from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Eastern Time, or 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Pacific Time.

The broadcast will be simulcast on MTV and streamed live in the United States on Paramount+.

Paramount Press Express said the ceremony will be available internationally on Paramount+ and MTV the following day.

Snoop Dogg will host the ceremony.

The ceremony is set to take place at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.

“The doctor said everything went perfectly,” Richie’s representative said in a statement, adding that the singer is “doing great” but will take some time off before returning to the stage.

The representative described the treatment as a “common procedure for Atrial fibrillation ,” but did not publicly provide additional medical details about Richie’s diagnosis, the specific technique used, or his expected recovery timetable.

TMZ reported that the procedure was an AFib ablation, a minimally invasive treatment that uses a catheter to address electrical signals associated with an irregular heart rhythm.

Richie’s representative did not characterize the treatment as open-heart surgery, and reports described it as non-emergency care.

Impact on the Tour

The health update led Richie and Earth, Wind & Fire to cancel the next three performances on their joint Sing a Song All Night Long Tour.

The canceled concert in San Francisco was scheduled for September 26 at Chase Center.

The tour’s Chicago performance was scheduled for September 30 at the United Center.

The third canceled show was scheduled for October 2 at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio.

Variety reported that Richie’s next listed concerts were a three-night engagement at the Encore Theater in Las Vegas beginning October 14, although the report said those performances remained scheduled at the time of publication.

The available reports did not establish whether the canceled performances would be rescheduled or specify the refund arrangements for ticket holders.

What Is Atrial Fibrillation?

Atrial fibrillation, commonly called AFib, is an irregular heart rhythm that begins in the heart’s upper chambers, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

During AFib, the heart’s upper chambers do not beat in a regular rhythm, which can affect how blood moves through the heart.

The condition can be treated in several ways, depending on a patient’s circumstances, including medication, electrical cardioversion, and catheter ablation.

Catheter ablation uses thin tubes inserted through a blood vessel and guided toward the heart, where physicians treat tissue involved in abnormal electrical signaling.

Depending on the ablation method, energy is used to create small areas of treated tissue that interrupt or isolate electrical pathways associated with the irregular rhythm.

The exact form of ablation reportedly performed on Richie has not been independently detailed in a statement from his medical team.

Medical guidance on AFib treatment is individualized, and a description of a procedure as common or minimally invasive does not provide enough information to assess an individual patient’s health outlook.

Recent Hospitalization Reports

Richie’s latest procedure followed reports that he had been hospitalized while on tour.

Earlier in September, People reported that Richie had returned home to Los Angeles after a hospital stay and was “doing great.”

Reports at that time said Richie had been hospitalized in St. Louis after he was unable to complete a performance, while subsequent coverage said doctors were evaluating cardiac-related concerns.

The September 22 reports described the new hospitalization as another episode involving heart concerns and said it had interrupted the ongoing tour with Earth, Wind & Fire.

Some outlets characterized the latest hospitalization as Richie’s third in several months, but the publicly available statements from his representative did not provide a complete medical chronology.

For that reason, the number and timing of Richie’s hospitalizations should be treated as media-reported rather than as a comprehensive account issued by his physicians.

Statement on His Return

Richie’s representative said the singer plans to return to performing after taking time away to recover.

No further public medical statement from Richie or his doctors was included in the reports reviewed for this article.

The immediate confirmed consequences are that Richie is taking a temporary break from touring and that three dates with Earth, Wind & Fire have been canceled.

The status of later performances may change depending on Richie’s recovery and any updates from his representatives, medical team, tour organizers, or venues.

Panettiere, 36, was found unresponsive in an apartment in Greenville, South Carolina, on Aug. 16. Her on-and-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson and his brother Zach Hickerson were at the home.

According to a statement from the Greenville County Coroner’s Office, a combination of fentanyl and its chemical byproduct, as well as the anti-anxiety medication alprazolam, a muscle relaxer and a drug used to treat major depression and other serious mental health disorders, was found in Panettiere's system.

The office did not include further details from the autopsy report in its initial release.

Asked for comment on the coroner's report, Kasey Kitchen, a publicist for the family, told The Associated Press that “the investigation is still ongoing and the case is complex."

Greenville Police confirmed Tuesday that their investigation into Panettiere's death is continuing.

Paramedics responded to Panettiere's apartment last month after a 911 call and performed CPR and other advanced resuscitation efforts for more than 40 minutes before she was declared dead. An autopsy found no signs of trauma that could have contributed to her death, Greenville County Coroner Mike Ellis said in a statement.

The police report released after her death listed medications Panettiere was taking, but the drug names were redacted.

Panettiere’s early fame brought success and struggle

Panettiere soared to fame in the TV shows “Heroes” and “Nashville.” In her memoir “This Is Me,” released in May, Panettiere described lifelong scars from her early fame and acknowledged being addicted to alcohol and enduring postpartum depression after the birth of her daughter, Kaya, with Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko in 2014.

She also endured family struggles and tragedy. Her parents’ marriage was strained and eventually ended. Her younger brother, Jansen Panettiere, who was also an actor, died of a heart condition in 2023, at age 28.

Panettiere also talked about her long relationship with Brian Hickerson and allegations that the aspiring actor physically abused her.

He was charged in 2020 with multiple counts of felony abuse, and he pleaded no contest to two counts of injuring a spouse or partner and served a short time in jail due to the case. He was sentenced to four years of probation and anger management and Alcoholics Anonymous sessions.

Hickerson completed the terms and recently asked a judge to reduce his conviction to misdemeanors; that request was denied.

Panettiere was one of two children born to Skip Panettiere, a former New York City fire captain, and Lesley Vogel, a former soap opera star. She acted in commercials and soap operas, including as the ever-troubled Lizzie Spaulding on “Guiding Light.” In “This Is Me,” she wrote that the traumas her character endured, from being kidnapped to killing her mother’s boyfriend, led her to associate “catastrophe with adoration.”

She then played a cheerleader with supernatural powers in “Heroes,” which propelled her to fame in 2006.

By 2015, Panettiere was playing a brash country upstart opposite Connie Britton on “Nashville,” which aired on ABC for four seasons before being canceled and revived on CMT. She did her own singing in the show, which scored some hits on country charts, spawned U.S. tours and earned Panettiere two supporting actress Golden Globe nominations.

But she also said she was in a horrible cycle of using alcohol and drugs to battle depression and anxiety and had to find a way out of the darkness. She entered rehab while filming the show.

“I was the one who put myself in the first treatment center. I was drowning,” she said in a 2023 interview with Women’s Health magazine.

TIFF's top award is voted on by festivalgoers, and it's become known as one of the most iron-clad Academy Awards predictors. Since 2012, all but one winner of the People's Choice Award has gone on to score a best-picture nomination at the Oscars. The lone exception was in 2024, when Mike Flanagan's Stephen King adaptation “The Life of Chuck” won the award. Last year, “Hamnet” won it and later landed eight Oscar nominations.

“La Bola Negra” is directed by the duo known as Los Javis — Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo. It was already a hit at the Cannes Film Festival, where “La Bola Negra” split the best director award with Paweł Pawlikowski for “Fatherland.”

Netflix acquired “La Bola Negra” out of Cannes and has launched a full awards campaign for the film. Netflix is also giving the film its longest theatrical release yet for the streamer. “La Bola Negra” opens in theaters Oct. 16 and begins streaming Dec. 2.

“This is a deeply personal film but it also carries a message of the importance and necessity of expressing who you are,” the Javis said in a statement Sunday. “Knowing that audiences connected with it and made it their own is the greatest gift we could receive.”

The first runner-up for the TIFF award was “I Play Rocky,” Peter Farrelly's comedy about the making of “Rocky.” Second runner-up was “Being Heumann,” Siân Heder's drama about disability rights pioneer Judy Heumann.

The festival also awards a People's Choice Award for international films. That went to “Elsinore,” starring Andrew Scott as Ian Charleson, the Scottish actor who performed “Hamlet” in London while suffering from AIDS. The first runner-up was “Possible Love,” Lee Chang-dong’s Korean drama about the trauma of mass layoffs. Second runner-up was “The Assassin(s),” a Korean procedural by Hur Jin-ho.

“Darlene Love: I Know Where I've Been,” a portrait of the 85-year-old vocalist, won TIFF's People's Choice Award for documentary. The festival's audience award for its Midnight Madness section went to “Ladies and Gentlemen, Brian Mulroney,” a so-called “gonzo documentary” by Matthew Rankin about the former Canadian prime minister.

The 51st edition of TIFF draws to a close Sunday.

The announcement followed STARZ’s release of a trailer and key art on 2026-09-09, making the project one of the most prominent recent streaming announcements centered on queer characters and a queer creator. Davies is known for television work including "Queer as Folk", "Doctor Who", and "It’s a Sin". STARZ describes "Tip Toe" as a darkly witty and harrowing drama exploring forces affecting LGBTQ+ communities.

A Queer Thriller About Neighboring Families

Cumming plays Leo, an LGBTQ+ bar owner, while Morrissey plays Clive, an electrician. The two men have lived next door to one another in Manchester for nearly 15 years. Their uneasy relationship becomes increasingly hostile after Leo discovers that one of Clive’s sons is gay.

The premise places an LGBTQ+ character at the center of the conflict rather than treating queer identity as a secondary feature of the story. It also connects interpersonal hostility with the pressures faced by LGBTQ+ people within families and communities. The available descriptions do not establish the son’s identity beyond the fact that he is gay, and this article does not infer additional details about him.

The trailer’s public description indicates that the story escalates from a strained neighborly relationship into a more serious confrontation. The Hollywood Reporter reported that the opening episode depicts Leo being hanged outside his Manchester flat, framing the series as a thriller about anti-gay violence rather than a conventional domestic drama.

Davies, Cumming, and LGBTQ+ Television

Davies’ involvement gives "Tip Toe" particular significance within contemporary queer television. His earlier series "Queer as Folk" helped place gay men and their relationships at the center of a television drama, while "It’s a Sin" examined the AIDS crisis and its effects on a group of friends in 1980s London. His authorship of "Tip Toe" situates the new thriller within a body of work that has repeatedly addressed queer lives, intimacy, stigma, and social hostility.

Cumming is also a prominent LGBTQ+ performer and activist whose screen work includes queer characters and stories. In "Tip Toe", he plays Leo as a central dramatic figure whose conflict with Clive drives the narrative. The casting makes the series’ queer perspective visible both behind and in front of the camera, while the available production materials identify Davies as the writer and Cumming and Morrissey as the leads.

STARZ’s June acquisition announcement described the program as a five-part series and confirmed that the network had obtained exclusive U.S. and English Canadian rights. That announcement identified Davies as the writer and described Cumming and Morrissey as warring neighbors.

From British Broadcast to North American Streaming

"Tip Toe" originally premiered in the United Kingdom on Channel 4 in 2026 before its STARZ release. The series’ arrival on a U.S. streaming platform expands access to a story first produced for a British audience and gives North American viewers an opportunity to encounter a drama built around a gay protagonist, an LGBTQ+ setting, and the consequences of homophobia.

The international distribution is also notable because the series is not being marketed solely as a coming-out story or a romance. Its public synopsis instead emphasizes threat, conflict, and social violence. That framing reflects a broader range of queer storytelling: LGBTQ+ characters can occupy roles as business owners, neighbors, parents, victims, antagonists, and protagonists in genres including thrillers and crime dramas. The series materials support those character and genre descriptions, but do not provide enough evidence to assess how the completed show handles every aspect of queer representation.

The weekly release schedule will make "Tip Toe" a continuing streaming event rather than a single-day launch. STARZ has confirmed that new episodes will be released on Fridays beginning 2026-10-02, with the series consisting of five episodes.

Sheik died Thursday night, according to a post on his Instagram page. His mother, Suzanne Sheik, told The New York Times that the cause was organ failure.

“The world has a lost a singular talent, and deeply influential voice in music and theater,” the post reads. “His musical legacy will continue to inspire generations to come.”

Sheik had been best known for his lasting radio hit “Barely Breathing” when he turned his sights on Broadway with “Spring Awakening,” resulting in the envelope-pushing show that musicalized teenage angst.

“With the exception of our director, we are all kind of Broadway outsiders. We wanted to shake things up a bit. And we just set out to make this really cool piece of theater,” Sheik told The Associated Press in 2007, as the show swept Tony nominations.

Sheik also tackled musicals based on “American Psycho” and “Alice in Wonderland,” and “Barely Breathing” spent 55 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 16. But he was probably best known for “Spring Awakening,” which ran for over 860 performances on Broadway starting in 2006.

‘Spring Awakening’ roused a new side of Sheik — and Broadway

The musical — adapted from a 19th-century play by German playwright Frank Wedekind, with music by Sheik and lyrics by playwright Steven Sater — is frank in its portrayals of incest, abortion and suicide. It's intended partly as a warning that teens need good information about sex to avoid tragic mistakes.

“I don’t mean to be disrespectful to more traditional theater composers,” he told the Los Angeles Times in 2015. “I love Stephen Sondheim. But it’s my mission to make sure that the theater is paying attention to what the rest of the world is listening to.”

Sheik and Sater were practicing Buddhists who met while chanting. They were collaborating on Sheik's third album, “Phantom Moon,” when Sater mentioned he was working on a new production. Neither had ever written a musical before.

“I said to Steven, ‘I’m happy to do this musical, but I only want to do it if the music in the play is the kind that I and my peers can get behind stylistically and relate to and enjoy,’” Sheik recalled to the AP in 2006.

They made a pact: They'd retain the provincial, 19th-century Germany setting but with, as Sater put it, “the characters breaking into pop-contemporary when they sing.”

“Spring Awakening” won eight Tony Awards, including for best musical, as well as the Grammy for best musical show album.

“Sheik’s music, spare in its simple orchestrations, lush in the lapping reach of its seductive choruses, embodies the shadowy air of longing that infuses the show, the excitement shading into fear, the joy that comes with a chaser of despair,” The New York Times said in its review.

The show is beloved in the musical theater community for breaking ground in terms of staging and content, alongside the likes of “Rent” and “Hamilton.” It returned to Broadway in 2015 in a well-received production by Deaf West Theatre. An off-Broadway version is slated to open this fall.

The cast of the original show was loaded with breakthrough actors like Jonathan Groff, Lea Michele, Lilli Cooper, Jennifer Damiano, Gideon Glick, John Gallagher Jr., Lauren Pritchard and Krysta Rodriguez, who have each gone on to fame in TV, film and stage. Groff would go on to earn a Tony with “Merrily We Roll Along,” and Michele became a superstar with “Glee.”

Sheik blended musical theater with pop music

Sheik next channeled the music he heard getting past the velvet ropes of trendy, late-1980s Manhattan clubs for a Broadway adaptation of the Bret Easton Ellis novel “American Psycho.”

The 1991 novel — later made into a 2000 movie starring Christian Bale — chronicles a homicidal New York yuppie named Patrick Bateman who is obsessed with high-end clothes and beauty products even as he slashes his way through Manhattan. Sheik, who also supplied lyrics, recalled only getting halfway through the book before throwing it across the room as a Brown University student.

For one standout song, “You Are What You Wear,” he reached out to old girlfriends to ask a question: What were you really into wearing in the late ’80s? He put the answers in the tune about high fashion: “Chanel, Gaultier, or Giorgio Armani/Moschino, Alaïa, or Norma Kamali/Should I rock/The Betsey Johnson/Or stick with classic/Comme des Garçons?”

“Duncan is really a genius and an intellectual and brings something both uniquely his but importantly of this period to the stage,” producer Jesse Singer told the AP at the time.

Because Bateman, played onstage by Benjamin Walker, fancies himself a bit of a music critic — spewing mostly inane ruminations about Phil Collins and Huey Lewis and the News — Sheik also peppered his score with sly reworkings of “In the Air Tonight” and “Hip to Be Square.”

“There’s definitely an art to be able to write a song that on one level is a pop song and one that also has to tell a story and keep an audience engaged in terms of a larger narrative arc,” Sheik told the AP in 2013. “When you’re writing a song for the theater, it has to accomplish all this other stuff. It has to work in tandem with all these other agendas and creative impulses.”

The show, directed by Rupert Goold and with a story by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, made its premiere in 2013 in London. On Broadway in 2016, it bombed, lasting less than 90 performances.

“We were all sort of worried that it might be too violent for people and it might seem too misogynist,” Sheik told the AP on the eve of the opening. “But, in fact, the truth is this piece is a critique of a certain way of thinking about things. So in truth it’s better to go all-in.”

‘Barely Breathing’ was nominated for a Grammy

Growing up between South Carolina and New Jersey, Sheik learned guitar as a child and got his first synthesizer when he was 12. He was heavily influenced by Talk Talk, David Sylvian and Nick Drake. His self-titled debut album was released in 1996 and Rolling Stone gave it a four-star review, calling it “a defiant debut — beautiful and benevolent of spirit.”

“Barely Breathing,” from that album, was nominated for best pop vocal performance in 1998 and would be kept alive on TV shows like “Glee” and “Girls.”

Other projects include “Whisper House,” an album and musical — a ghost story that ran in 2010 at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego — and “Legerdemain,” an album that explored the tension between art and commerce. His most recent album was 2022's “Claptrap.”

But for someone who had once been a total stranger to Broadway, he told AP in 2016 that he had a sense of mission.

“I feel like it’s become my project to kind of drag different people who might not normally go to musical theater pieces to come see a piece of musical theater,” he said.