Tat Tong: Warner Music exec is lyricist for Crazy Rich Asians musical

The movie sequels to the hit romantic comedy film Crazy Rich Asians (2018) might be in a legal and financial limbo, but the Broadway musical and TV show based on the stories are going ahead.

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American film-maker Jon M. Chu, who helmed the film, will make his Broadway directing debut with the musical, which does not yet have an opening date. The creative team includes Singaporean Tat Tong and American co-lyricist Amanda Green.

Tong, 43, stresses they are not trying to recreate the movie.

"What we do has to work on stage and, at the same time, we're writing all-new original music. So, it's not like the movie soundtrack, where existing songs were being used, nor a jukebox musical. The challenge is to make that music feel as classic and timeless as the music in the movie," he says.

"It's a group effort, and it's still very much a siloed process between lyrics, melody and script, with very clear roles compared with pop music, which is more fluid. So the music reflects our team's combined backgrounds. It's a blend of old and new, East and West."

The songs will remain true to the Asian-American point of view of Singapore-born author Kevin Kwan, who wrote the 2013 book of the same name the film was based on, but will be coloured by its South-east Asian and Singapore setting, says Tong.