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.
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. 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. 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.
An Original Cast Album was recorded and released on October 21, 2022.
Galati died on January 2, 2023, months after the world premiere of the project.
The University of Tennessee in Knoxville premiered the first university production of the show in September 2024 at the Clarence Brown Theatre.
The musical, now under the title All the Way Home, will premiere in New York in April 2027 as part of The York Theatre's NEW2NY Series, which presents limited runs of new musicals in development.
Original cast and characters CharacterAsolo Rep (2022)Clarence Brown Theatre (2024) James AgeeJason Danieley Jay FollettPaul Alexander Nolan Alan Chandler Mary FollettHannah Elless Ralph FollettJoel WaggonerChris Hoch Hannah LynchEllen HarveyShinnerrie Jackson Sally FollettSarah Aili Lili Thomas Catherine LynchBarbara MarineauKaty Wolfe Joel LynchWilliam Parry Brian O’Neill Rufus FollettJack Casey Nick Barrington Andrew LynchNathan SalstoneClay Cooper Jessie FolletNatalie Venetia BelconLaura Beth Wells VictoriaAbigail StephensonMcKinley Merritt Man at the Scene/Father JacksonScott WakefieldSammy Pontello The Ferryman/Doctor DekalbDwelvan 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) "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.
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