It looks like in an untraditional move, the upcoming Muhammed Ali Broadway musical, Ali, will be heading to the boxer's hometown ahead of its debut in the Big Apple.

Deadline reported that the world premiere of Ali will be held in the boxer's hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, in the fall of 2024. Richard Willis, the show's lead actor, said that the musical will have a three or four week run in Kentucky. While an official opening date hasn't been set, Deadline's report also stated that it's likely to be in October or early November 2024.

This story has been Deadline's baby as they reported in September 2022 that the musical was being developed for Broadway. Teddy Abrams, a man of many hats including composer, clarinetist, pianist, conductor, and the music director of the Louisville Orchestra created the show.

Ali won't be the first time Broadway will bring a boxing musical to one of its prestigious theaters. Rocky the Musical was brought over from Hamburg in 2014 and closed later that year. While that's based on a film about a fictional character, I can attest to the fact that it was unique in its stage setup. Those in the first few rows were able to go on stage during the climactic fight as the boxing ring expanded out into the audience. Maybe Ali will take a few pages from that playbook.

Hopefully, the Ali musical is great. Because if it can make it in Louisville, the hometown of Muhammed Ali, it can make it anywhere like the city that never sleeps.