'Priscilla' Star Will Swenson to Direct Film About Mormon Couple Dealing with Suicide of Gay Son

Will Swenson, Tony nominee for Hair and current star of the Broadway production of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, will direct the film adaptation of Carol Lynn Pearson's play Facing East, the NYT reports:

In the play, a Mormon couple grapple with their faith after the suicide of their gay son. Ms. Pearson, whose 1986 memoir, “Good-bye, I Love You,” told the story of her husband’s struggle to come out as a gay man and his eventual death from AIDS, also wrote the screenplay. Mr. Swenson has personal reasons for working on this project: “Getting through my own adolescence as a young Mormon was challenging as it was, but watching my best friend struggle with his identity as a gay teenager was heartbreaking,” he said in a statement from the producers. 

Production is scheduled to begin in the fall.

You can find the film's blog here.