Gary Busey is quite literally playing God in his first full foray into the musical world. That’s right, he’ll be portraying the Almighty himself in the forthcoming off-Broadway musical Only Human.
With previews kicking off Oct. 8, opening night is set for Oct. 21 at Theatre at St. Clements.
Busey is set to bring all that is holy to his role as “The Boss,” aka the man upstairs in a tailored suit, for this clever pop-rock spin on a biblical tale.
“Before they were enemies, they were co-workers. Jesus and Lucifer never saw eye-to-eye, but when an extreme case of creative differences gets the best of them, all hell breaks loose … literally,” the musical’s official synopsis explains.
Promising to be a musical-comedy of biblical proportions, Only Human seeks to shake up our conventional image of heaven with some swinging pop-rock tunes and corporate attire.
Gary Busey Is God In New Off-Broadway Musical ONLY HUMAN https://t.co/GujbIYwJNg
— Gary Busey (@THEGaryBusey) June 17, 2019
“God is everything love is and that love becomes the beginning of blessings and miracles,” Busey said in a statement. “Playing this role of God is easy because I’m not acting, I’m just believing. You come see it and you’ll believe it too.”
Busey’s typical incoherent ramblings and sage-like words of occasional profound wisdom really can be construed as the word of God, can’t they?
After all, Busey preached a gospel of his own making in his 2018 memoir Buseyisms: Gary Busey’s Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth.
Only Human features a book by Jess Carson, and music and lyrics by pop artist Mike Squillante. The musical is based on a story written by Squillante and Jess Murphy.
Choreographed by Brooklyn dancer Josue Jasmin, Only Human is directed by Columbia-educated freelancer NJ Agwuna with music direction from composer Adrià Barbosa.
The star of the show, Busey, had a two-week stint in the 2016 off-Broadway murder-mystery Perfect Crime, but Only Human will be his first full role in a musical.
An Academy Award- and Golden Globe-nominated and BAFTA Award-winning actor, Busey has appeared in more than a whopping 150 films, including his breakthrough into the movie industry, 1978’s The Buddy Holly Story, for which he played guitar and provided his own vocals.
For those of you doubting Busey’s jump into musicals, the man certainly does have a set of pipes.
You’ll have from Oct. 21 until the last show on Jan. 5, 2020, to catch a glimpse of Busey as the big man himself. Tickets go on sale tomorrow on the musical’s website. Check out a preview of Busey’s role below. Additional casting will be announced in the coming weeks.