The life of hitmaking songwriter Diane Warren is coming to the Broadway stage — along with the hits she’s written over the years.
The musical, called Obsessed, has started production and will include Diane’s hits for artists like Cher, Aerosmith, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Lady Gaga and Toni Braxton, plus Taylor Swift‘s “Say Don’t Go,” the recently released “From the Vault” track from 1989 (Taylor’s Version).
The story will follow Diane, who was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome early in her life, as she grows up in suburban LA with a strict mother who expected her to marry and have kids. Instead, Diane decided on a career in music, starting at age 14 and sometimes writing three songs a day.
Her breakthrough hit was DeBarge‘s 1985 hit “Rhythm of the Night,” and from there, she was unstoppable. At one point, she had seven songs on the Billboard chart simultaneously, all by different artists.
The show’s producer, Irit TenHengel, says in a statement the idea for the title of the show came to her after a conversation with music mogul Clive Davis, who’s worked with Diane for years.
“The word Clive kept using in our conversation was ‘obsessed,'” says TenHengel. “Clive repeatedly referred to Diane as being obsessive. She’s obsessed with writing. She’s obsessed with her songs. She’s obsessed with winning an Oscar!”
Warren recently received her 15th Oscar nomination, this time for Best Original Song for “The Fire Inside” from the film Flamin’ Hot. She has yet to win in competition, but was given an honorary Governors Award by the academy in 2022.
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