The world premiere production of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty's Knoxville began previews April 15 with opening night set for April 23 at Asolo Repertory Theatre in Florida. The show will run through May 11. Watch highlights from the new musical above.
The new musical features a book by Frank Galati, music by Flaherty, and lyrics by Ahrens . The trio previously collaborated on the Tony Award-winning musical Ragtime which earned Galati a Tony Award-nomination and a Drama Desk Award-nomination for Best Director; and Seussical.
Based on James Agee’s Pulitzer Prize Award-winning autobiographical novel A Death in the Family, the show chronicles Agee's struggle to write about the gripping loss of his father and its effect on his and his mother's life.
Knoxville stars Broadway favorites Jason Danieley, Hannah Elless, and Paul Alexander Nolan as novelist James Agee, Mary Follet, and Jay Follett, respectively. The cast is rounded out by Ellen Harvey as Hannah Lynch, Nathan Salstone as Andrew Lynch, Sarah Aili as Sally Follet, Natalie Venetia Belcon as Jessie, Dwelvan David as The Ferryman/Doctor Dekalb, Jack Casey as Rufus Follet, Barbara Marineau as Catherine, William Parry as Joel, Abigail Stephenson as Victoria, Joel Waggoner as Ralph Follet, and Scott Wakefield as Man at the Scene. Understudies include Jaden Boyd, Willa Carpenter, Alan Chandler, Sade Crosby, Ian Johnston, Patricia M. Lawrence, and Sharon Pearlman.
Directed by Galati, the creative team features Robert Perdziola as scenic and costume designer, Donald Holder as lighting designer, and Tom Murray as music supervisor. For more information, visit AsoloRep.org.