Weather 
Award-winning songwriting duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul are teaming up with fan-favorite song-and-dance sports team, The Savannah Bananas. The collaboration was teased in a joint video on Instagram, featuring a sample of a brand-new anthem.
The video features footage of Pasek and Paul singing the upbeat song on the field and at the piano alongside owner Jesse Cole and player Derek Klena, with a repeated refrain of “the show starts now,” which may also serve as the song’s title.
Little else is known about the new collab, though the caption reveals the project has “been years in the making.” More details are forthcoming. Check out the video.
This isn’t the first time the songwriters have been associated with the team. It was at their suggestion to Cole, the Savannah Bananas founder, that led Klena to join as a player this season. The Broadway alum originated the lead role of Eddie Birdlace in Pasek and Paul’s Dogfight.
The Savannah Bananas are a song-and-dance sports team that plays “Banana Ball”, a fast and entertaining take on the game of baseball. The players perform choreographed dances every game, including songs from Taylor Swift, Mariah Carey, and more.
Recent performances include those featuring Tony-winner Ben Platt, Aladdin’s Michael James Scott, and Broadway’s MJ, Matte Martinez. Klena also recently performed “Waving Through A Window” from Dear Evan Hansen and the title song from “The Phantom of the Opera.” Check out videos of the Savannah Bananas performing Broadway and theatre songs here.
Pasek and Paul are the Tony Award-winning songwriters behind such shows as Dear Evan Hansen, Dogfight, and A Christmas Story. For the screen, they wrote songs for La La Land, The Greatest Showman, Spirited, and Only Murders in the Building. Other recent projects include Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile, Disney’s live-action remake of Snow White, and The Greatest Showman stage musical.
Photo Credit: Disney
