Vanessa Hudgens graduating to Broadway in ‘Gigi’ musical

Having graduated from “High School Musical” and embarked on a wild detour in “Spring Breakers,” Vanessa Hudgens will next take on the refinement of turn-of-the-century French society in “Gigi” -- the stage musical version of the classic 1958 movie.

Hudgens will play the title role in the Lerner and Loewe musical when it opens at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington on Jan. 29 for a monthlong run.

Organizers said Wednesday that a Broadway transfer would take place later in 2015, though no dates have been announced.

“Gigi,” which is based on the novel by French writer Colette, follows a young French girl’s coming of age and introduction into society as a courtesan. The Vincente Minnelli movie starred Leslie Caron in the lead role.

The stage musical version of the movie debuted in 1973 in San Francisco and later played at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. It later transferred to Broadway but it wasn’t a hit and hasn’t been seen on Broadway since then.

The now-defunct Reprise Theatre Company in L.A. produced a revival of the musical in 2011.

The new Broadway-bound production of “Gigi” will be directed by Eric Schaeffer, who staged the recent revival of Stephen Sondheim’s “Follies.” The musical has been newly adapted for the stage by TV writer Heidi Thomas, whose credits include “Cranford” and “Call the Midwife.”

“Gigi” will mark Hudgens’ Broadway debut, though the actress has worked on stage before. She played the role of Mimi in a Hollywood Bowl production of “Rent” in 2010, and worked as a child actor in numerous musicals.

Twitter: @DavidNgLAT