Paul Anka says long-awaited Broadway musical still coming

Paul Anka’s sights are set on Broadway.

After well over a decade of planning to adapt his life story into a stage musical, the 83-year-old Ottawa-born musician says the concept is finally getting traction.

“It’s happening,” he assured in a recent phone call from Los Angeles.

“It’s just going to be a question of me being satisfied with a script.”

While he declined to delve into the details, Anka said the show would retrace his rise from teen pop idol to linking up with the Rat Pack where he served as songwriter on Frank Sinatra’s “My Way.” He saw another period of success with hits that included “Diana” and “(You’re) Having My Baby.”

Gord Atkinson, left, and Paul Anka in 1957, with Anka’s record ‘Diana’. (Photo courtesy of Peter Atkinson)

Anka said he believes a successful Broadway show hinges on its story.

“And I don’t wanna waste my time, or people’s money, just kinda haphazardly saying, ‘Oh, I got a Broadway musical,’ because it’s gotta be more for me than that,” he said.

Anka first started dropping hints of plans for a “Jersey Boys”-style musical centred around his life more than 15 years ago when Broadway was headed for a boom. Those days eventually gave way to the hardships of COVID-19 shutdowns and more cautious producers.

He contended that New York’s theatre scene is “not what it used to be” when it comes to both theatregoers’ tastes and the costs of running a unionized show.

“Broadway is a very tough hood to work in,” he said. “I don’t want to make a mistake.”

Anka heads to the Toronto International Film Festival, where the career retrospective documentary “Paul Anka: His Way” makes its world premiere on Tuesday with additional showings on Wednesday and Friday.

The musician doesn’t view the feature-length film as a final note on his career since he has several unannounced projects in the pipeline.

“There’s stuff that I still want to do,” he added.

“I’ve got a 40-year-old head … I’m still very active in that sense.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 7, 2024.

Paul Anka is shown in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles at Capital Records, Feb. 28, 2007 (HE CANADIAN PRESS / AP / Nick Ut)