# Knoxville (musical)

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.

## 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 |

## 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.