Nine was adapted from Federico Fellini’s film 8½.
Nine is a Broadway musical with music and lyrics by Maury Yeston and a book by Arthur Kopit. Its story follows Guido Contini, an Italian film director experiencing a creative and personal crisis. The musical draws directly on Fellini’s 1963 film 8½, which also centers on a filmmaker struggling to create his next movie.
Nine opened on Broadway in 1982, starring Raul Juliá as Guido. It won the Tony Award for Best Musical, as well as awards for its score and featured performers. The title refers to Guido’s age at the beginning of the original film, when his childhood experiences begin to shape the adult artist.
Nine is sometimes confused with other autobiographical or film-based musicals. It is not an adaptation of Fellini’s La Dolce Vita; its source is specifically 8½. A 2009 film adaptation starred Daniel Day-Lewis as Guido.