“Practical Magical” Musical in Development with a Score from Grammy Winner Norah Jones
- - “Practical Magical” Musical in Development with a Score from Grammy Winner Norah Jones
Dave QuinnFebruary 9, 2026 at 8:48 PM
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Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman in 'Practical Magic'
Warner Bros via Getty
Practical Magic is heading to the stage with a new musical featuring an original score by Norah Jones and Gregg Wattenberg
Now in development, the production features a book co-written by Alice Hoffman and Peter Duchan, with direction by Maria Friedman
The story follows two sisters navigating love, loss and family legacy in a small Massachusetts town
A new stage musical adaptation of Practical Magic is officially in development.
Producers announced on Monday, Feb. 9 that the beloved story — based on the bestselling novel by Alice Hoffman and the 1998 Warner Bros. film starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman — is being reimagined as a musical featuring an original score by Grammy winners Norah Jones and Gregg Wattenberg.
The musical will feature a book co-written by Hoffman and Peter Duchan, with direction by Tony Award nominee Maria Friedman (Merrily We Roll Along). The production is being developed by producers Stephanie and Nicole Kramer alongside Brian and Dayna Lee, in special arrangement with Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures.
"I’m so excited to be working with my amazing collaborators on bringing Practical Magic to the stage," Hoffman said in a statement. "This story of love and sisterhood is meant for the theater. Music is the heart and soul of Practical Magic — you can hear it as you read the book, even though it isn’t there. Now you will finally hear the story as I always imagined it. You will hear magic."
Norah Jones attends the 65th GRAMMY Awards on February 05, 2023 in Los Angeles, California
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty
Set in a small Massachusetts town, Practical Magic follows sisters Sally and Gillian Owens, who are raised by their eccentric aunts after being orphaned as children. Feared and whispered about because of their family’s long-rumored curse, the sisters grow up determined to escape their legacy — until love, loss, and long-buried secrets pull them back together and force them to confront what it truly means to belong.
Originally published in 1995, Practical Magic became a New York Times bestseller before being adapted into the 1998 film starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman.
Hoffman later expanded the Owens family saga with three additional novels: The Rules of Magic, Magic Lessons and The Book of Magic.
Interest in the franchise remains strong: a sequel to the film Practical Magic is currently slated to premiere in theaters on Sept. 11, 2026.
Duchan brings deep musical-theater credentials to the project. He wrote the book for the musical Dogfight, which premiered at Second Stage Theater and won the 2013 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Musical, with additional nominations from the Outer Critics Circle and Drama League. His other stage work includes The Illusionist, Stu for Silverton and the revue Carefree: Dancing With Fred and Ginger. He's also served as a script or creative consultant on Broadway productions including Waitress and Lempicka.
Meanwhile, Jones and Wattenberg offer decades of chart-topping songwriting and genre-spanning musical storytelling to the project.
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Jones first broke through with her 2002 debut album Come Away With Me, which swept the 2003 Grammy Awards and launched a career that has since included 10 Grammy wins and more than 52 million albums sold worldwide. Her work spans jazz, pop, folk and soul, with recent projects including her Grammy-winning 2024 album Visions and collaborations with artists ranging from Willie Nelson to John Legend.
Wattenberg is a hit-making songwriter and producer whose credits include chart-toppers like Train’s “Hey, Soul Sister,” Five for Fighting’s “100 Years” and Daughtry’s “It’s Not Over.” A former Chief Creative Officer and co-owner of Wind-Up Records, he has worked with a wide range of artists across pop and rock and is currently the co-CEO of the New York–based studio complex Artist House.
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