Originally published on 6/18/25

Bestselling historical fiction author Taylor Jenkins Reid is working on a new project, and no, it’s not another novel. Instead, it’s a musical based on The Chicks song “Goodbye Earl”—and yes, the author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo will work with the legendary girl group to create it. Below, we gathered everything you need to know about the show, including when you can expect to see it on stage. Scroll for more. 

What’s ‘Goodbye Earl: The Musical’ about?

The Chicks’ musical will tell the story of the trio’s 1999 song “Goodbye Earl” in a jukebox style, meaning that the score will be made up of some of the band’s other hits. Reid and her friend Ashley Rodger, a script writer, will serve as the writers on Goodbye Earl: The Musical, while The Chicks—Emily Strayer, Martie Maguire and Natalie Maines—will be executive producers. 

The song “Goodbye Earl’ tells the story of two friends—Mary Anne and Wanda—as they deal try and kill Earl, Wanda’s abusive husband. 

“I had the idea [when] I was driving and listening to  ‘Goodbye, Earl’ and I was like ‘This is a story. This could be its own story. And then I was like ‘What if you used the songs of The Chicks to tell that story,” Reid said on The Kelly Clarkson Show. 

“And one of my best friends in the whole world [Rodger] is a Broadway fanatic. She works on Broadway, and I was with her to see Moulin Rouge a couple of years ago. And right before the curtain comes up, I say to her, ‘I have a crazy idea, but what about ‘Goodbye Earl as a jukebox musical?’ And I pitch her the story in my head, and she goes, ‘Okay, what’s the second act?’ And I was like “I think I might need your help writing this.’ So, we wrote it together, and then we called everyone we could think of in Hollywood that might know The Chicks, and we finally found someone.” 

In another recent interview with Time in May, Reid also shared what exactly you can expect from the show, saying, “It’s a story about what you would do to protect your friend. I’m writing it from how I feel about Ashley, and she’s writing it from how she feels about me. There were a lot of tears, and a lot of making each other laugh.”

Goodbye Earl will be Reid’s first musical, and it is the first time she has worked on a stage or screen project that wasn’t based on one of her books. 

When and where will ‘Goodbye Earl’ debut? 

As of publication, there is no news on when Goodbye Earl is expected to appear on stage. There is also no official confirmation on whether it will debut on Broadway in New York City or someplace else, like London’s West End or Chicago.  

If you’re like us and simply cannot wait that long to dive into another one of Reid’s projects, you can check out her latest book, Atmosphere, which was released earlier this month and follows one of NASA’s first-ever female astronauts. 

Or you can always rewatch Daisy Jones & The Six on Amazon Prime, which stars Elvis’ granddaughter Riley Keough, or read one of Reid’s many bestselling novels. 

Link to original: https://www.womansworld.com/entertainment/celebrities/the-chicks-goodbye-earl-musical-cast-plot-release-info