What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, the 1991 novel by Peter Hedges that was later adapted into Lasse Hallström’s acclaimed 1993 film starring Johnny Depp, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Juliette Lewis, is set to receive a new adaptation — this time as a stage musical scheduled to premiere Off Broadway next year.
MCC Theater announced the production today as part of its 40th Anniversary 2026-27 season. Hedges will pen the musical’s book, while music and lyrics will be provided by Adrian Enscoe, Christopher Sears, Sydney Shepherd, and Regina Strayhorn. Enscoe, Shepherd, and Strayhorn perform together as Bandits on the Run, a Brooklyn-based indie-Americana group, while actor-musician Sears has been a longtime collaborator and friend of the band.
The production will be directed by Anne Kauffman and is slated to open in June 2027 at MCC’s Newman Mills Theater.
“We’ve known Regina, Sydney, Adrian, and Chris through both their acting and their remarkable music (go to any Bandits on the Run concert you can!),” MCC Co-Artistic Director Will Cantler said in a statement. “Anne Kauffman is one of our favorite directors and we’re excited that she will bring back her unparalleled gift for calibrating a twisty tale as she did so beautifully in our productions of The Nether and Smokefall. Peter Hedges is one of our longest collaborators and friends, developing the novel What’s Eating Gilbert Grape in a series of chapter readings at MCC in 1989. How fitting to come full circle.”
The novel centers on a grocery store employee living in the fictional rural community of Endora, Iowa, alongside his troubled family, including his obese mother, mentally disabled younger brother, and two sisters. MCC describes the musical adaptation as “a fresh look at the beloved story of a small-town life, a family on the edge, and the dream of escape.” The production is being presented in association with Matt Ross, Dede Harris, and Linda Rubin.
Additional casting details and members of the creative team will be announced at a later date.