Last year, former Turing Pharmaceuticals CEO Martin Shkreli, who was already reviled online, purchased the only known copy of the Wu-Tang Clan album Once Upon a Time in Shaolin. Shortly thereafter, a fake screenshot of the “contract” for the album’s purchase suggested that the active members of the Wu-Tang Clan and/or actor Bill Murray were allowed one “heist or caper to steal back Once Upon a Time in Shaolin.”
It was such a far-out idea that some people wanted to see a movie about it, but sadly, it was fake. Luckily, we might now be getting the next best thing.
Lauren Gundrum and Joel Esher have written a musical called Martin Shkreli’s Game: How Bill Murray Joined the Wu-Tang Clan, which will debut at the Midtown International Theater Festival in New York City. They’re crowdfunding the project on Indiegogo to pay for cast and crew salaries, advertising and promotion, and other expenses.
“We are really excited about this project and think it has a ton of potential,” they wrote on Indiegogo. “Our goal is to get it up in front of an audience, see what’s working, continue to develop it, and give you something fun and entertaining! There’s no world in which Bill Murray, Wu-Tang, and Shkreli belong together, and yet here they are. Truth is stranger than fiction.”
The campaign promises perks like digital downloads, signed Playbills, and prime access. And for a cool $2 million—the price Shkreli reportedly paid for the Wu-Tang Clan album—you can own the rights to the musical. So far, Gundram and Esher have raised $1,370 of their $6,500 goal.
The project has already captured the attention of the irascible Shkreli, who offered an idea of his own.
you guys know zero about me but you think it’s a good idea to embark on this project. smh lol.
— Martin Shkreli (e/acc) (@MartinShkreli) June 9, 2016
I will reluctantly star in and fund this new musical @shkrelisgame. Sorry all of you Broadway bros but my time is now.
— Martin Shkreli (e/acc) (@MartinShkreli) June 9, 2016
I’ve never acted or sang before but I believe @shkrelisgame will be the greatest musical ever made. #pleasedonate
— Martin Shkreli (e/acc) (@MartinShkreli) June 9, 2016
I have a new idea for the musical where I come out with my guitar and play Creed’s “Higher” and it’s super sweet.
— Martin Shkreli (e/acc) (@MartinShkreli) June 9, 2016
H/T Pitchfork
