Magnum Force – the Musical!

The first part of 2009 is a good time to be a Robyn Hitchcock fan. Not only is he on tour (I have my ticket to see him at the Union Chapel next week) his new album Goodnight Oslo is out the week after next. Early reviews are very positive. But perhaps the best news, especially for those Robyn fans that like musicals, is the news that Robyn is set to bring a famous Dirty Harry film to the stage!

According to the Guardian plans are reportedly afoot for the 1973 sequel to Dirty Harry to be turned into an all-singing, all-dancing production. It would follow in the footsteps of rather more comprehensible conversions such as Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, and Billy Elliot.

The man responsible for taking Harry to the stage will be Robyn Hitchcock, who plans to produce the show alongside MTV executive Bill Flanagan. While perhaps best known for his surrealistic music, he also has a track record of collaboration with the film-maker Jonathan Demme, with whom he made the concert film Storefront Hitchcock.

Hitchcock claims his relationship with Magnum Force is a longstanding one. "It's a film that seemed to be on all the time when I was on tour," he said. "By the fifth time [I saw it], I became addicted to it. It's taken a very strange hold on my life."

There is currently no scheduled opening night for the Magnum Force musical, but thoughts are already turning to the big closing number. A descant chorus of "I know what you're thinking, have I fired six shots or only five?" may yet make it in.

I can’t wait!