Jerry Lewis to direct 'The Nutty Professor' as Broadway musical

Jerry Lewis will make his theatrical directing debut on a musical version of The Nutty Professor, Playbill reports. Tony- and Oscar-winning composer Marvin Hamlisch (A Chorus Line, They're Playing Our Song) will write the songs, and Tony winner Rupert Holmes (Curtains, The Mystery of Edwin Drood) will write the book and lyrics for the show, which is aiming to open on Broadway during the 2010-11 season. Lewis, who received a Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at this year's Oscar ceremony, starred in the original 1963 comedy about a geeky professor who develops a potion that turns him into a smooth-talking lothario. He also co-wrote and directed the film, which spawned two successful remakes starring Eddie Murphy in 1996 and 2000. As a performer, Lewis appeared on Broadway in Jerry Lewis at the Palace in 1953 and Damn Yankees in 1995.