Knoxville (musical)

Knoxville
MusicStephen Flaherty
LyricsLynn Ahrens
BookFrank Galati
BasisA Death in the Family
by James Agee
Productions2022 Asolo Repertory Theatre

Knoxville is a stage musical with a book by Frank Galati, music by Stephen Flaherty and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens. The musical is based on the novel A Death in the Family written by James Agee, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction upon its release in 1957.[1][2]

The title comes from the setting of the story in Knoxville, Tennessee, where original author Agee was from. The show is set in 1915.

Production history

The show was announced on February 6, 2019, with a concert reading held in New York City featuring Claybourne Elder.[3] The musical was originally scheduled to premiere in the spring of 2020 at Asolo Repertory Theatre in Sarasota, Florida, however these plans were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The project was conceived by Galati who enlisted the music team of Ahrens and Flaherty to help construct the show.[4] Rescheduling the show took nearly two years until 2022 when it was announced to be part of Asolo's 2022–2023 season. The world premiere was held from April 23 through May 11, 2022. The show was choreographed by Josh Rhodes.[5]

Galati died on January 2, 2023, months after the world premiere of the project.[6]

The University of Tennessee in Knoxville will premiere the first university production of the show in September 2024 at the Clarence Brown Theatre. [7]

Original cast and characters

Character Asolo Rep (2022)
James Agee Jason Danieley
Jay Follett Paul Alexander Nolan
Mary Follett Hannah Elless
Ralph Follett Joel Waggoner
Hannah Lynch Ellen Harvey
Sally Follett Sarah Aili
Catherine Lynch Barbara Marineau
Joel Lynch William Parry
Rufus Follett Jack Casey
Andrew Lynch Nathan Salstone
Jessie Follet Natalie Venetia Belcon

Musical numbers

  • "Knoxville" - Company
  • "Father to Son" - Jay
  • "Ralphs Here" - Mary, Jay, Ralph, Sally
  • "Outside Your Window" - Company
  • "Outside Your Window (reprise)" - Mary, Jay
  • "Ordinary People" - Mary
  • "Life is in a Store" - James, Hannah, Rufus
  • "The Ferryman" - Jay
  • "Waking in Darkness" - Company
  • "Whatever It Is" - Hannah, Rufus
  • "A Cottor Pin" - Company
  • "Waking in Darkness (reprise)" - Joel
  • "That's What I Believe / Outside Your Window (reprise)" - James, Jay
  • "Simple Biology" - Rufus
  • "Black Dress" - Sally, Catherine, Jessie
  • "The Dressmaker and the Milliner" - Catherine
  • "Stillness" - James
  • "In His Strength" - Mary, Jay, Hannah, Rufus
  • "The Butterfly" - Andrew
  • "Knoxville (reprise)" - Company

A cast album was released following the world premiere with the original cast and is available from Broadway Records.[8]

References

  1. ^ Asolo Repertory Theatre https://www.asolorep.org/assets/doc/Press-Release_Asolo-Rep-Presents-the-World-Premiere-of-KNOXVILLE-2020-82d6130691.pdf. Retrieved 2024-04-01. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. ^ "New Ahrens & Flaherty Musical Knoxville Sets World Premiere at Asolo Rep". Broadway.com. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  3. ^ "A new musical named Knoxville will premiere in a year with the creative team behind Ragtime". wbir.com. 2019-02-07. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  4. ^ "Asolo Rep, Sarasota Opera and Sarasota Orchestra celebrate milestone season". Your Observer. 2019-03-20. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  5. ^ "Knoxville". Playbill. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  6. ^ Genzlinger, Neil (2023-01-04). "Frank Galati, Mainstay of Chicago Theater, Dies at 79". The New York Times. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  7. ^ "Knoxville".
  8. ^ Brunner, Raven (2022-05-26). "Ahrens and Flaherty's Musical Knoxville to Release Original Cast Album". Playbill. Retrieved 2024-04-01.