Surf’s Up!

Photo Courtesy of Robert Seketa; LoosePuppy Photo/Media.

Musical features songs by The Beach Boys.

Just as The Beach Boys celebrate their 50th anniversary with a world tour this summer, their songs are featured in an original musical staged exclusively at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino.

Set in a 1960s Southern California beach community, Surf the Musical is “a story of two lovers finding their way back to each other,” explains director Kristin Hanggi. “All relationships change over time, and it’s the universal story of when you’re trying to bring the love back.”

Fresh off her Broadway directorial debut, Rock of Ages, Hanggi—who grew up in Southern California listening to The Beach Boys—says Surf the Musical is a modern take on “fun and flirty” films like Beach Blanket Bingo. But the songs themselves were the real inspiration.

“I went to the music and the lyrics, and dissected them and found the story that was already in the songs,” Hanggi says. Choreographer RJ Durell, who has worked with Katy Perry and Madonna, also took notice of the beach-party musicals in setting the dance numbers to songs such as “California Girls,” “I Get Around” and “Wouldn’t It Be Nice.”

“This was a chance to bring new life and new energy to these amazing classic songs,” Durell says. “Nobody has ever taken the opportunity to make dance such a prominent part of The Beach Boys music. I hope people see this show and leave with those moving images in their head.”