Knoxville (musical)
{{Short description|Musical based on the 1957 novel A Death in the Family}}
{{Infobox musical
| name = Knoxville
| image =
| caption =
| music = Stephen Flaherty
| lyrics = Lynn Ahrens
| book = Frank Galati
| basis = A Death in the Family
by James Agee
| productions = 2022 Asolo Repertory Theatre; 2024 Clarence Brown Theatre UT
| image_size = 220px
}}
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.{{Cite web |title= |url=https://www.asolorep.org/assets/doc/Press-Release_Asolo-Rep-Presents-the-World-Premiere-of-KNOXVILLE-2020-82d6130691.pdf |access-date=2024-04-01 |website=Asolo Repertory Theatre}}{{Cite web |title=New Ahrens & Flaherty Musical Knoxville Sets World Premiere at Asolo Rep |url=https://www.broadway.com/buzz/194820/new-ahrens-flaherty-musical-knoxville-sets-world-premiere-at-asolo-rep/ |access-date=2024-04-01 |website=Broadway.com |language=en}}
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.{{Cite web |date=2019-02-07 |title=A new musical named Knoxville will premiere in a year with the creative team behind Ragtime |url=https://www.wbir.com/article/news/a-new-musical-named-knoxville-will-premiere-in-a-year-with-the-creative-team-behind-ragtime/51-37f1bb24-23d2-4f60-9946-ab029dc6c54d |access-date=2024-04-01 |website=wbir.com |language=en-US}} 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.{{Cite web |date=2019-03-20 |title=Asolo Rep, Sarasota Opera and Sarasota Orchestra celebrate milestone season |url=https://www.yourobserver.com/news/2019/mar/20/asolo-rep-sarasota-opera-and-sarasota-orchestra-celebrate-milestone-season/ |access-date=2024-04-01 |website=Your Observer |language=en}} 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.{{Cite news |title=Knoxville |url=https://playbill.com/production/knoxvilleasolo-repertory-theatre-2021-2022 |access-date=2024-04-01 |work=Playbill}}
An Original Cast Album was recorded and released on October 21, 2022. {{Cite news |title=Ahrens and Flaherty's Knoxville Releases Original Cast Album October 21 |url=https://playbill.com/article/ahrens-and-flahertys-knoxville-releases-original-cast-album-october-21 |access-date=2025-01-07 |work=Playbill}}
Galati died on January 2, 2023, months after the world premiere of the project.{{Cite news |last=Genzlinger |first=Neil |date=2023-01-04 |title=Frank Galati, Mainstay of Chicago Theater, Dies at 79 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/04/theater/frank-galati-dead.html |access-date=2024-04-01 |work=The New York Times}}
The University of Tennessee in Knoxville premiered the first university production of the show in September 2024 at the Clarence Brown Theatre. {{cite web | url=https://clarencebrowntheatre.com/shows/knoxville/ | title=Knoxville }}
Original cast and characters
| class="wikitable" style="width:50%; text-align:center"
!scope="col"|Character !Asolo Rep (2022) | Clarence Brown Theatre (2024) |
| James Agee
| colspan="1” |Jason Danieley||Jason Danieley | |
|---|---|
| Jay Follett
| colspan="1" |Paul Alexander Nolan ||Alan Chandler | |
| Mary Follett
| colspan="1" |Hannah Elless||Hannah Elless | |
| Ralph Follett
| colspan="1” |Joel Waggoner||Chris Hoch | |
| Hannah Lynch
| colspan="1" |Ellen Harvey||Shinnerrie Jackson | |
| Sally Follett
| colspan="1" |Sarah Aili ||Lili Thomas | |
| Catherine Lynch
| colspan="1" |Barbara Marineau||Katy Wolfe | |
| Joel Lynch
| colspan="1" |William Parry ||Brian O’Neill | |
| Rufus Follett
| colspan="1" |Jack Casey|| Nick Barrington | |
| Andrew Lynch
| colspan="1" |Nathan Salstone||Clay Cooper | |
| Jessie Follet
| colspan="1" |Natalie Venetia Belcon||Laura Beth Wells | |
| Victoria
| colspan="1" |Abigail Stephenson||McKinley Merritt | |
| Man at the Scene/Father Jackson
| colspan="1"|Scott Wakefield||Sammy Pontello | |
| The Ferryman/Doctor Dekalb
| colspan="1"|Dwelvan David||Dwelvan David |
Musical numbers
- "Knoxville" - Company
- "Father to Son" - Jay
- "Ralph's Here" - Mary, Jay, Ralph, Sally
- "Outside Your Window" - Company
- "Outside Your Window (reprise)" - Mary, Jay
- "Ordinary Goodbye" - Mary
- "Life is in a Store" - Author, Hannah, Rufus
- "The Ferryman" - The Ferryman
- "Waking in Darkness" - Company
- "Whatever It Is" - Hannah, Rufus
- "A Cotter Pin" - Company
- "Waking in Darkness (reprise)" - Joel
- "That's What I Believe / Outside Your Window (reprise)" - Author, Jay
- "Simple Biology" - Victoria, Rufus
- "Black Dress" - Sally, Catherine, Jessie
- "All the Way Home" - Victoria, Company (added in 2024 run){{Cite web|title=Knoxville Mobile Playbill |url=https://clarencebrowntheatre.com/knoxville-mobile-playbill/ |access-date=2024-01-07 |website=Clarence Brown Theatre}}
- "The Dressmaker and the Milliner" - Catherine
- "Stillness" - Author, Rufus, Company
- "In His Strength" - Mary, Jay, Hannah, Rufus
- "The Butterfly" - Andrew (Author and Rufus in 2024 run)
- "Knoxville (reprise)" - Company
A cast album was released following the world premiere with the original cast and is available from Broadway Records.{{Cite web |last=Brunner |first=Raven |date=2022-05-26 |title=Ahrens and Flaherty's Musical Knoxville to Release Original Cast Album |url=https://playbill.com/article/ahrens-and-flahertys-musical-knoxville-to-release-original-cast-album |access-date=2024-04-01 |website=Playbill}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|https://www.asolorep.org/events/detail/knoxville-1/}}
{{Ahrens/Flaherty}}
Category:Musicals about families
Category:Musicals based on novels
Category:Musicals by Lynn Ahrens
Category:Musicals by Stephen Flaherty
Category:Musicals impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic
Category:Musicals inspired by real-life events
Category:Musicals set in the 1910s