From Stage to Score: Susan Werner Swings for the Fences in Bull Durham, The Musical

Some things go out of style quickly. For instance, look at a decades-old fashion magazine and you may find yourself wondering how people left the house wearing those clothes. And yet other things stand the test of time and remain fresh and relevant.

The movie "Bull Durham," released in 1988 and starring Susan Sarandon and Kevin Costner, falls firmly into the second category.

The story is told around timeless themes – small town life, camaraderie, and love in all its complicated splendor – but the very soul of this story is baseball. And as Walt Whitman may have written (jury's out on that), "I see great things in baseball. It's our game, the American game. It will repair our losses and be a blessing to us."

And, as a lifelong baseball junkie, I believe few things get to the heart of our national pastime more genuinely than "Bull Durham." 

Now this story, as "Bull Durham, The Musical," comes to the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, NJ, from October 2, 2025, to November 2, 2025. Directed by Marc Bruni and adapted by the original screenwriter, Ron Shelton, with music and lyrics by Susan Werner, and choreography by Joshua Bergasse, the show delivers all the warmth and humor that have made the movie a classic. 

Warner is a multi-talented singer-songwriter and a seemingly tireless live performer, but this is her first time scoring a play.

"This opportunity came to me out of nowhere," she said. After a performance in New York, Warner had a chat with a couple of folks from the audience. They said they liked her songwriting and asked if she'd ever considered writing a musical (no) and if she liked baseball (yes). The upshot of this chance encounter was an invitation for Warner to craft words and music for the transition to the stage of the movie.

"I knew how to be on stage. I didn't know how to write a show," she said. "I had never thought, for one minute, about writing for the theater." But she took the leap. "I kind of wanted to prove I could do it."

"Writing a musical is like being a craftsperson," Werner said. "You are building something, but you aren't creating the materials. It is an interesting and rewarding challenge."

"The play is so true to the movie, in all the best ways," Werner said, but she admits that it took a while to figure out how to write songs for each character that were uniquely theirs. "A show needs to have a different musical style and a different language for each character. One character would say things that another would not."

"That is where having Ron Shelton's screenplay came in really handy," she said. "He knows how these characters speak like real people, in everyday language that we all understand. They are very specific people, with universal concerns."

Shelton's hands-on style provided a strong support system. "When I had a question, I would call or email Ron," Werner said.

Nik Walker, whose impressive theatrical resume includes a stint as Aaron Burr in "Hamilton," seconds Werner's admiration for Ron Shelton's screenwriting.

"I knew and loved the movie," Walker said, "because the writing is so good." Like Werner, Walker came into this project through what he calls "a moment of happenstance."

"I was doing 'Spamalot' and having post-show drinks with Lauren Kennedy, an actress and producer who I've known for more than a decade," he said, "and 30 minutes into the conversation, she had this lightning-in-a-bottle idea. She told me about the 'Bull Durham' musical project and asked me if I would like to play Crash," he said.

Walker debuted in the role of Crash at Duke University's Reynolds Industries Theater in September and says he was surprised by how comfortable he feels in the part. "I did not think I would find so much in common with Crash, but I have been able to make the character my own, instead of feeling beholden to what was done in the movie," he said. "I had so much leeway."

I asked Walker if he is a baseball fan, and he laughed. "I got kicked off every sports team when I was a kid," he said. "I'm from Boston and I would go to Fenway socially." But he has learned a lot about the game from Shelton, a former minor league outfielder. "I had the great Ron Shelton teaching me what it is," he said. "He has this game in his heart."

Another element that appealed to Walker was the emphasis on the characters. "He takes this thing that is really 'inside baseball' and doesn't slow it down so the audience can understand," Walker said. "He wants the character to come first."

"With Ron Shelton, it was 'I'm going to give you a story about two grown-ups who are afraid of getting old who just happen to love baseball,'" Walker said. 

"Susan understands the region's music so well," he said. "At the end of Act I, this New Orleans-style second line group is playing. I think it's one of the best songs in the show."

"She doesn't try to dress up the songs or make them sound Broadway-ish," he said. "She is a master at that. I am just swimming in her wake."

I also talked to Marc Bruni, who directed the show, and he echoes Werner's and Walker's enthusiasm. "I directed the first reading in development, and it came back my way."

"Ron Shelton wrote and directed the 'Bull Durham' movie based on his own experiences in the minor leagues," Bruni said. "There is a whole lot of life wisdom there and an authenticity that runs undercurrent to the whole thing. The task of musicalizing it means taking the emotional moments out and allowing them to have full breadth."

Susan Werner has written a score that is a knock-out! The lyrics are witty and poignant, and they allow for the tone of the dialogue to be continued in song," he said. "And the choreography and athleticism of our incredible cast of Bulls, translating baseball into dance and movement, is impressive."

Nik Walker agrees completely. "It's one tuneful song after another," he said. "I think it's been a long time since we came to the theater and heard a new score that makes you want to hear the songs again right away."

This show is a wonderful combination of a classic story, fresh new music (18 songs!), and a jubilant presentation.

"It's so exciting in the room," Warner said, "There is so much joy. It's not sentimental or cheesy. There IS a happy ending, but the characters earn it."

"And what makes it such fun is that you are IN IT from the moment it starts. We've built something foolproof, start to finish. In a world of maybes, this is a really good time."