''Hello Again'' is a
musical
Musical is the adjective of music.
Musical may also refer to:
* Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance
* Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...
with music, lyrics and book by
Michael John LaChiusa
Michael John LaChiusa (born July 24, 1962) is an American musical theatre and opera composer, lyricist, and librettist. He is best known for musically esoteric shows such as '' Hello Again'', ''Marie Christine'', '' The Wild Party'', and ''See Wha ...
. It is based on the 1897 play ''
La Ronde La Ronde may refer to:
Geography
* La Ronde, Charente-Maritime, a commune in the Charente-Maritime ''département'', France
* La Ronde River, on the Caribbean island of Dominica
*La Ronde (amusement park), Montreal, Quebec, Canada
*A La Ronde, an ...
'' by
Arthur Schnitzler
Arthur Schnitzler (15 May 1862 – 21 October 1931) was an Austrian author and dramatist.
Biography
Arthur Schnitzler was born at Praterstrasse 16, Leopoldstadt, Vienna, capital of the Austrian Empire (as of 1867, part of the dual monarchy ...
(also titled ''Reigen''). It focuses on a series of love affairs among ten characters during the ten different decades of the 20th century.
The musical premiered
Off-Broadway
An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...
in 1993, directed and choreographed by
Graciela Daniele Graciela Daniele (born December 8, 1939) is an Argentine-American dancer, choreographer, and theatre director.
Biography
Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina to Raúl Daniele and Rosa del Carmen Almoina. After her parents divorced, her mother got a jo ...
. Since then it has been performed in London, Sweden, Australia, Germany, The Netherlands and New York.
Adaptation and plot
LaChuisa's musical adaptation follows the structure of Schnitzler's original material closely, often replicating fragments of his dialogue, detailing a daisy chain of sexual encounters and love affairs among ten characters in ten scenes. His innovation, however, was to set each scene of the musical in a different decade of the 20th century and in a non-chronological order, allowing for a huge variety of musical style and pastische ranging from opera to 1970s disco while simultaneously introducing musical and lyrical echoes throughout to tie all the characters and their experiences together. He also altered the gender of Schnitzler's "Little Miss" to the sexually ambiguous "Young Thing" to introduce a homosexual element into his century of sexual congress.
Highlights of the score include "I Got A Little Time", "Tom", "Safe", "The One I Love", "Mistress of the Senator" and "The Bed Was Not My Own".
Production history
The musical premiered Off-Broadway at the
Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater
The Vivian Beaumont Theater is a Broadway theater in the Lincoln Center complex at 150 West 65th Street on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. Operated by the nonprofit Lincoln Center Theater (LCT), the Beaumont is the only Broad ...
(at
Lincoln Center
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 millio ...
) on December 30, 1993 in previews and closed on March 27, 1994, after 101 performances. Directed and musically staged by Graciela Daniele, the show was much in the vein of
Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March 22, 1930November 26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. One of the most important figures in twentieth-century musical theater, Sondheim is credited for having "reinvented the American musical" with sho ...
's ''
Sunday in the Park with George
''Sunday in the Park with George'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. It was inspired by the French pointillist painter Georges Seurat's painting ''A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatt ...
'' in that the staging was like a classic painting coming to life. It received eight
Drama Desk Award
The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Fo ...
nominations including Best Musical, three for LaChiusa (Outstanding Book of a Musical, Music and Lyrics categories), two for Daniele (Choreographer and Director categories) and nominations for actors Judy Blazer,
John Cameron Mitchell
John Cameron Mitchell (born April 21, 1963) is a two-time Tony Award winning American actor, playwright, screenwriter, singer, songwriter, producer and director. He is best known as the writer, director and star of the 2001 film '' Hedwig and th ...
and
Donna Murphy
Donna Murphy (born March 7, 1959) is an American actress, best known for her work in musical theater. A five-time Tony Award nominee, she has twice won the Tony for Best Actress in a Musical: for her role as Fosca in '' Passion'' (1994–1995) ...
. The original cast album was released in 1994 by
RCA Victor
RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also Aris ...
.
The musical received its professional European premiere in 2001 at London's Bridewell Theatre, as part of a series of musicals introducing the works of the next generation of major American musical theatre writers. It was directed by the theatre's co-Artistic Director Clive Paget with musical direction by Christopher Frost with a cast that featured
Jenna Russell
Jenna Russell (born 5 October 1967) is an English actress and singer. She has appeared on the stage in London in both musicals and dramas, as well as appearing with the Royal Shakespeare Company. She performed the role of Dot in ''Sunday in the ...
,
Matt Rawle
Matt Rawle is a British actor. He was born in Birmingham on 10 March 1974. He has appeared in many high-profile theatre productions which include ''Martin Guerre'', '' Evita'' and ''Zorro''. His performances in the theatre have seen him nominated ...
, Charles Shirvell and
Nigel Richards. There were minor changes made to the score in this production as well as a substantial rewrite to "Scene 8" (The Writer and the Actress) overseen by the composer.
In 2007, the musical received a controversial showing by
The Satori Group at The Hustler Sound Stage, a building in Cincinnati that was once the headquarters for Hustler magazine, when publisher Larry Flynt was a local celebrity during the 1970s.
Also in 2007, "Hello Again" premiered in Germany, at the Akademietheater im Prinzregententheater Munich. The production was directed by Silvia Armbruster with musical direction by Philip Tillotson, and the text was translated by Roman Hinze.
In May 2008, it was given its Scandinavian premiere in Gothenburg and Borås in Sweden in a production directed by Vernon Mound with musical direction by Derek Barnes. The production used the revisions made for the London version and the text was translated by Fredrik Fischer and Linnea Sjunnesson together with members of the cast.
The
Transport Group Transport Group Theatre Company is a non-profit, off-Broadway theatre company in New York City that stages new works and revivals of plays and musicals, with a focus on American stories told in visually progressive way.
History
Transport Group was ...
presented the first New York City revival, opening on March 19, 2011 through April 3. This production features new orchestrations by Mary-Mitchell Campbell and was staged non-traditionally in a raw space in
SoHo
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century.
The area was develop ...
by Jack Cummings III.
"Hello Again" was revived at the Union Theatre, London, opening in September 2019. This new production was directed by Paul Callen, musical direction and orchestrations by Henry Brennan, choreography by Genevieve Leeney, costume design by Reuben Speed, lighting design by Ben Bull, production photography by Mark Senior, casting by Adam Braham, and produced by Sasha Regan with associate producer, Maison Kelley.
[Yap, John]
"Review: ''Hello Again'' at The Union Theatre"
londonboxoffice.co.uk, September 2, 2019
Cast lists
;1993 Original off-Broadway cast
*The Whore -
Donna Murphy
Donna Murphy (born March 7, 1959) is an American actress, best known for her work in musical theater. A five-time Tony Award nominee, she has twice won the Tony for Best Actress in a Musical: for her role as Fosca in '' Passion'' (1994–1995) ...
*The Soldier - David A. White
*The Nurse - Judy Blazer
*The College Boy -
Michael Park
*The Young Wife -
Carolee Carmello
Carolee Ann Carmello (born September 1, 1962) is an American actress best known for her performances in Broadway musicals and for playing the role of Maple LaMarsh on the television series ''Remember WENN'' (1996–1998). She is a three-time T ...
*The Husband -
Dennis Parlato
Dennis Parlato (born March 30, 1947 in Los Angeles) is an American dancer, actor, and singer.
Early life and education
He is the son of Charlie Parlato, and the uncle of Grammy-nominated jazz singer Gretchen Parlato. Parlato taught high school ...
*The Young Thing -
John Cameron Mitchell
John Cameron Mitchell (born April 21, 1963) is a two-time Tony Award winning American actor, playwright, screenwriter, singer, songwriter, producer and director. He is best known as the writer, director and star of the 2001 film '' Hedwig and th ...
*The Writer -
Malcolm Gets
Malcolm Gets (born December 28, 1963) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Richard in the American television sitcom '' Caroline in the City''. Gets is also a dancer, singer, composer, classically trained pianist, vocal direct ...
*The Actress -
Michele Pawk
Michele Pawk (born November 16, 1961) is an American actress and singer. She is also an associate professor for theatre.
Biography
Born in Butler, Pennsylvania, Pawk attended Allegheny College and the College Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati, ...
*The Senator -
John Dossett
John Dossett (born April 15, 1958) is an American actor and singer.
Early life and education
Dossett attended Mount Pleasant High School in Wilmington, Delaware, from 1972 through 1976, where he was an announcer for the school's radio station, ...
;2001 London cast
*The Whore - Ellen O'Grady
*The Soldier -
Matt Rawle
Matt Rawle is a British actor. He was born in Birmingham on 10 March 1974. He has appeared in many high-profile theatre productions which include ''Martin Guerre'', '' Evita'' and ''Zorro''. His performances in the theatre have seen him nominated ...
*The Nurse -
Golda Rosheuvel
Golda Rosheuvel (born 1 January 1970) is a Guyanese-British actress and singer. She is known for her theatre work and a number of on-screen roles, most prominently for the portrayal of Queen Charlotte in Netflix's ''Bridgerton''.
Early life
Rosh ...
*The College Boy - Mark Stobbard
*The Young Wife -
Jenna Russell
Jenna Russell (born 5 October 1967) is an English actress and singer. She has appeared on the stage in London in both musicals and dramas, as well as appearing with the Royal Shakespeare Company. She performed the role of Dot in ''Sunday in the ...
*The Husband - Charles Shirvell
*The Young Thing - Dominic Brewer
*The Writer - Michael Cahill
*The Actress -
Anita Louise Combe
Anita Louise Combe is an Australian actress, singer, dancer who has worked extensively in the entertainment industry all around the world. Combe attended the Gwen Mackay School of Dancing and trained in the Cechetti method of ballet with Jenni ...
*The Senator -
Nigel Richards
;2006 Australian Cast
*The Whore - Sophie Carter
*The Soldier - Paul Biencourt
*The Nurse - Jodie Harris
*The College Boy - Chris Purcell
*The Young Wife - Monique Pitsikas
*The Husband - Barry Mitchell
*The Young Thing - Leon Bryant
*The Writer - Matt Heyward
*The Actress- Taneel Van Zyl
*The Senator - David Spencer
;2008 Scandinavian cast
*The Whore - Lena Näslund
*The Soldier - Jonas Schlyter
*The Nurse - Hilde Traetteberg
*The College Boy - Mikael Lundin
*The Young Wife - Mari Haugen Smistad
*The Husband - Tore Norrby
*The Young Thing - David Inghamn
*The Writer - Johan Ringström
*The Actress - Maria Camilla Karlsson Stavland
*The Senator - Lennart Eriksson
;2008 Australian Cast
* The Whore- Lisa Callingham
* The Soldier- Vincent Hooper
* The Nurse- Liz Stiles
*The College Boy-
Keane Fletcher
*The Young Wife- Katrina Retallick
*The Husband- Matt Young
*The Young Thing- Gareth Keegan
*The Writer- Zack Curran
*The Actress- Sigrid Langford-Scherf
*The Senator- Nathan Carter
;2011 off-Broadway Revival Cast
*The Whore -
Nikka Graff Lanzarone
Nikka Graff Lanzarone (born November 20, 1983) is an actress and dancer.
Early life
On November 20, 1983, Lanzarone was born in Los Angeles, California. Lanzarone's mother is Ilene Graff, an actress. Lanzarone's father is Ben Lanzarone, a com ...
*The Soldier -
Max von Essen
Max von Essen (born January 11, 1974) is an American stage and screen actor, and vocalist.
Life and career
Raised on Long Island, von Essen is a graduate of South Side High School in Rockville Centre, New York. He attended the University o ...
*The Nurse -
Elizabeth Stanley
*The College Boy - Robert Lenzi
*The Young Wife -
Alexandra Silber
Alexandra Michelle Silber is an American actress, singer, writer and educator. She has performed roles on Broadway, in London's West End, on television and film, and concert stages. Among other stage roles, in London, she created the role of La ...
*The Husband -
Bob Stillman
Bob Stillman (born December 2, 1954, in New York City) is an American actor, singer, and songwriter.
Biography
Stillman studied piano at Juilliard, and composition at Princeton University.
He made his Broadway debut in ''Grand Hotel'' as Erik in ...
*The Young Thing - Blake Daniel
*The Writer - Jonathan Hammond
*The Actress -
Rachel Bay Jones
Rachel Bay Jones (born November 8, 1969) is an American actress and singer. She has played the roles of Catherine in the 2013 Broadway revival of ''Pippin'' and Evan Hansen's mother, Heidi Hansen, in ''Dear Evan Hansen''. The latter earned her ...
*The Senator -
Alan Campbell
;2017 Film
*The Whore -
Sam Underwood
Sam Lewis Underwood (born 4 August 1987) is an English actor who portrayed the twins Luke and Mark Gray in the Fox thriller drama ''The Following'', Jake Otto in the AMC series '' Fear the Walking Dead'' (2017), and Adam Carrington in The CW serie ...
*The Soldier -
Nolan Gerard Funk
Nolan Gerard Funk (born July 28, 1986) is a Canadian actor and singer known for portraying Hunter Clarington in the musical comedy-drama television series ''Glee'', Collin Jennings in the comedy-drama television series ''Awkward'', "Angel Eyes" ...
*The Nurse -
Jenna Ushkowitz
Jenna Noelle Ushkowitz (; born April 28, 1986) (born Min Ji []) is a South Korean-born American actress, singer, producer and podcast host. She is known for her performances in Broadway musicals such as ''The King and I'' and '' Waitress (musical ...
*The College Boy -
Al Calderon
The third and final season of the American music competition television show ''The X Factor (American TV series), The X Factor'' premiered on Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox on September 11, 2013 and ended on December 19, 2013. This season was hoste ...
*The Young Wife -
Rumer Willis
Rumer Glenn Willis (born August 16, 1988) is an American actress. She is the eldest daughter of actor Bruce Willis and actress Demi Moore. She has appeared in films ''Hostage'' (2005), ''The House Bunny'' (2008), ''Sorority Row'' (2009) and ''Onc ...
*The Husband -
T. R. Knight
Theodore Raymond Knight (born March 26, 1973) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Dr. George O'Malley on the ABC medical drama television series ''Grey's Anatomy'' (2005–2009, 2020), which earned him a nomination for the P ...
*The Young Thing -
Tyler Blackburn
Tyler Jordon Blackburn (born October 12, 1986) is an American actor, singer and model. He is best known for playing Caleb Rivers on the hit Freeform series ''Pretty Little Liars'' and its spin-off, '' Ravenswood''. He most recently starred as Ale ...
*The Writer -
Cheyenne Jackson
Cheyenne David Jackson (born July 12, 1975) is an American actor and singer. His credits include leading roles in Broadway musicals and other stage roles, as well as film and television roles, concert singing, and music recordings.
After beginni ...
*The Actress -
Audra McDonald
Audra Ann McDonald (born July 3, 1970) is an American actress and singer. Primarily known for her work on the Broadway stage, she has won six Tony Awards, more performance wins than any other actor, and is the only person to win in all four act ...
*The Senator -
Martha Plimpton
Martha Plimpton (born November 16, 1970) is an American actress. Her feature-film debut was in '' Rollover'' (1981); she subsequently rose to prominence in the Richard Donner film ''The Goonies'' (1985). She has also appeared in '' The Mosquito ...
;2019 Off-West End/London Revival Cast
*The Whore - Ellen O'Grady
*The Soldier - Jack Rowell
*The Nurse - Alice Ellen Wright
*The College Boy - Regan Burke
*The Young Wife - Grace Roberts
*The Husband - Keith Merrill
*The Young Thing - Phillip Murch
*The Writer - George Whitty
*The Actress - Amy Parker
*The Senator - David Pendlebury
Scenes and musical numbers
*The Whore and the Soldier - ''Hello Again''
*The Soldier and the Nurse - ''Zei Gezent / I Gotta Little Time / We Kiss''
*The Nurse and the College Boy - ''In Some Other Life''
*The College Boy and the Young Wife - ''Story of My Life''
*The Young Wife and the Husband - ''At the Prom / Ah Maein Zeit / Tom''
*The Husband and the Young Thing - ''Listen to the Music''
*The Young Thing and the Writer - ''Montage / Safe / The One I Love''
*The Writer and the Actress - ''Silent Movie''
*The Actress and the Senator - ''Rock With Rock / Angel of Mercy / Mistress of the Senator''
*The Senator and the Whore - ''The Bed Was Not My Own / Hello Again (Reprise)''
Film
The stage musical has been adapted to film, which is directed by Tom Gustafson and written by Cory Krueckeberg. Filming began in December 2015 and had a limited release in the United States on November 8, 2017.
References
External links
''Hello Again'' at Lortel DatabaseRoman Hinze, Translator of the German version''Hello, Again'' on Floormic.com
{{La Ronde navbox
1994 musicals
Off-Broadway musicals
West End musicals
Musicals based on plays
LGBT-related musicals