NBC Pushes Jennifer Lopez's 'Bye Bye Birdie Live!' to 2018
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The NBC musical will be shifted to next year due to Jennifer's hectic schedule, which includes NBC's 'Shades of Blue' and upcoming 'World of Dance'.

AceShowbiz - NBC makes a shift on its Jennifer Lopez-starring "Bye Bye Birdie Live!". The musical is pushed back from this December to 2018 due to Jennifer's hectic schedule, which includes "Shades of Blue" and upcoming dance competition series "World of Dance", on which she serves as judge and executive producer.

Jennifer is set to star in the musical as Rose "Rosie" Alvarez, the secretary and patient girlfriend-hoping-to-be-fiancee of a frazzled songwriter and music agent, Albert Peterson. Despite the delay, NBC is reportedly very much excited about the production.

"The role of Rosie onstageā€¦ is such a great role, and it got watered down a little bit in the movie version," Jennifer previously said of her role during the Television Critics Association press tour. "She was Puerto Rican, and Albert, who she was with, was not marrying her [because] his mother did not like that she was Puerto Rican. There's all these dynamics that were in the original play that didn't make it into the movie."

The shift marks the first time for NBC not having a live musical production in this holiday season since 2012. The peacock network started the December tradition in 2013 with "The Sound of Music Live!". There were also "Peter Pan Live!" (2014) and most recently "Hairspray Live!". "Bye Bye Birdie" will join "Jesus Christ Superstar", which is set to air on Easter Sunday next year.

Harvey Fierstein writes the script, with Jerry Mitchell and Alex Rudzinski directing. Jennifer's Nuyorican Productions is on board to produce with Sony Pictures TV and Zadan and Neil Meron's Storyline Entertainment banner. Jennifer will also executive produce the musical alongside Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, Benny Medina, Craig Zadan and Neil.

"Bye Bye Birdie Live!" is based on the Tony-winning 1960 Broadway musical that starred Dick Van Dyke as Albert Peterson and Chita Rivera as Rosie. The book was by Michael Stewart, lyrics by Lee Adams, while the music was by Charles Strouse.

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