Knoxville (musical)
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| Knoxville | |
|---|---|
| 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 |
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.
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]
An Original Cast Album was recorded and released on October 21, 2022. [6]
Galati died on January 2, 2023, months after the world premiere of the project.[7]
The University of Tennessee in Knoxville premiered the first university production of the show in September 2024 at the Clarence Brown Theatre. [8]
Original cast and characters
| Character | Asolo Rep (2022) | Clarence Brown Theatre (2024) |
|---|---|---|
| James Agee | Jason Danieley | Jason Danieley |
| Jay Follett | Paul Alexander Nolan | Alan Chandler |
| Mary Follett | Hannah Elless | Hannah Elless |
| Ralph Follett | Joel Waggoner | Chris Hoch |
| Hannah Lynch | Ellen Harvey | Shinnerrie Jackson |
| Sally Follett | Sarah Aili | Lili Thomas |
| Catherine Lynch | Barbara Marineau | Katy Wolfe |
| Joel Lynch | William Parry | Brian O’Neill |
| Rufus Follett | Jack Casey | Nick Barrington |
| Andrew Lynch | Nathan Salstone | Clay Cooper |
| Jessie Follet | Natalie Venetia Belcon | Laura Beth Wells |
| Victoria | Abigail Stephenson | McKinley Merritt |
| Man at the Scene/Father Jackson | Scott Wakefield | Sammy Pontello |
| The Ferryman/Doctor Dekalb | Dwelvan David | Dwelvan David |