Almost Famous (musical)
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| Almost Famous | |
|---|---|
| The Musical | |
 Broadway promotional poster | |
| Music | Tom Kitt |
| Lyrics |
|
| Book | Cameron Crowe |
| Basis | Almost Famous by Cameron Crowe |
| Premiere | September 27, 2019: The Old Globe, San Diego |
| Productions | |
Almost Famous is a 2019 stage musical with music by Tom Kitt, lyrics by Cameron Crowe and Kitt, and a book by Crowe. It is based on the 2000 film of the same name written and directed by Crowe.
Loosely based on Crowe's life, the musical follows a teenager who becomes a journalist for Rolling Stone magazine in the 1970s. The show debuted in San Diego at The Old Globe in 2019, with previews beginning on September 13 and a premiere on September 27. It ran through October 27.[1] Creative work continued during the COVID-19 shutdown.[2][3] Like the film, the musical begins in the San Diego, home of the Miller family, progresses to the San Francisco offices of Rolling Stone, and then travels through the United States on tour with the fictional band Stillwater.[4]
The Broadway production began previews on October 3, 2022, and opened November 3, 2022 at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre to mainly negative reviews.[5][6] On December 19, it was announced that the show would close on January 8, 2023, after 30 previews and 77 performances.[7] Critics thought the story didn't perform well on stage. The New York Times said the show was “too faithful to the movie to feel new, yet too staged to feel authentic.” Viewers also complained that the score lacked originality and memorability, but despite the poor reception, it received a nomination for Best Original Score at the 76th Tony Awards.[8]
In November 2023, Kitt and Crowe reworked Almost Famous during a residency at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Connecticut. Public readings of the workshop were given on November 11, 15, and 18.[9] The workshop has not yet received public reviews.
| Character | San Diego[10] | Broadway[11] | O'Neill Center Reading1[12] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 2022 | 2023 | |
| William Miller | Casey Likes | Brayden Bambino | |
| Penny Lane | Solea Pfeiffer | Lola Tung | |
| Russell Hammond | Colin Donnell | Chris Wood | Alex Boniello |
| Elaine Miller | Anika Larsen | ||
| Jeff Bebe | Drew Gehling | Damon Daunno | |
| Lester Bangs | Rob Colletti | ||
| Anita Miller | Emily Schultheis | Katy Geraghty | |
| Sapphire | Katie Ladner | ||
| David Felton | Van Hughes | ||
| Estrella | Julia Cassandra | ||
| Polexia | Storm Lever | Jana Djenne Jackson | |
| Darryl | Daniel Sovich | Blaine Alden Krauss | |
| Silent Ed | Brandon Contreras | ||
| Dick Roswell | Gerard Canonico | ||
| Larry Fellows | Matt Bittner | Kelvin Moon Loh | |
| Ben Fong-Torres | Matthew C. Yee | ||
| Vic Nettles | Chad Burris | ||
| Dennis Hope | Sam Gravitte | Jakeim Hart | Chad Burris |
| Leslie | Libby Winters | Julia Cassandra | |
1Reading was presented with a cast of 13, with most actors playing multiple roles.
Musical numbers
Source: Playbill[13]
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† Not on Original Broadway Cast Recording
‡ Written for the film by Nancy Wilson
+ Included as bonus track on cast album, along with "Anything's Possible" sung by Solea Pfeiffer