Broadway is officially bringing back the halls of Padua High School. The creative team behind the 10 Things I Hate About You musical announced Monday that the show will open its theatrical curtains one year from now, on August 17, 2027.
The stage adaptation brings together a genuinely intriguing pairing: Girls creator Lena Dunham is writing the book, and two-time Grammy nominee and “Call Me Maybe” singer Carly Rae Jepsen is writing the music and lyrics. Both shared the news on Instagram Monday, captioning the announcement with “class begins one year from today.”
“Amid the crushes, cliques, and teenage angst, two sisters set out to define themselves on their own terms.”
That’s the official description of the show, which the release calls “a rebellious new musical about growing up, discovering yourself, and refusing to live by others’ expectations.”
From Screen to Stage
The musical is based on the cult classic 1999 romcom of the same name, which took Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew and dropped its characters straight into a California high school. Directed by Gil Junger and written by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith, the film starred Julia Stiles as the sharp-tongued Kat Stratford, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Larisa Oleynik, and featured the late Heath Ledger as the school outcast Patrick Verona.
The movie wasn’t exactly awards bait back in the day, but it built a devoted following — thanks in no small part to Ledger’s bleacher serenade of “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” and Stiles’ tearful reading of the title poem.
Stiles told People in January 2025 that the film is still what fans recognize her for most. “I read 10 Things I Hate About You and Kat Stratford was like this feisty outspoken girl who did not care what people thought about her,” she said. “It meant a lot to me to be in that movie and that it resonates with people still is so great.”
Why It Matters
There’s no cast or theater announced yet, but the creative team alone is enough to generate buzz. Dunham’s book, fresh off her #1 bestselling memoir Famesick, pairs with Jepsen’s radio-ready pop instincts for a show that could bring a new, younger audience into Broadway houses. Nostalgia adaptations are nothing new, but this one has a chance to turn a beloved movie into a genuine event. Class is officially in session.
