Hello Again (musical)
Encyclopedia
Hello Again is musical
with music, lyrics and book by Michael John LaChiusa
. It is based on the 1897 play La Ronde
by Arthur Schnitzler (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 was first produced off-Broadway
in 1993 in a production directed and choreographed by Graciela Daniele
. Since then it has been performed in London, Sweden, Australia, Germany, and New York.
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".
(at Lincoln Center) 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
's Sunday in the Park with George
in that the staging was like a classic painting coming to life. It received eight Drama Desk Award
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
and Donna Murphy
. The original cast album was released in 1994 by RCA Victor.
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
, Matt Rawle, 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" was first played 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.
In March and April 2011, the Transport Group
will present the first New York City revival of Hello Again. This production will feature new orchestrations by Mary-Mitchell Campbell (Company) and will be staged non-traditionally in a raw space in SoHo
by Jack Cummings III (The Boys in the Band).
2001 London cast
2008 Scandinavian cast
2008 Australian Cast
2011 off-Broadway Revival Cast
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
with music, lyrics and book by Michael John LaChiusa
Michael John LaChiusa
Michael John LaChiusa is an American musical theatre and opera composer, lyricist, and librettist. He is best known for complex, musically challenging shows such as Hello Again, Marie Christine, The Wild Party, and See What I Wanna See...
. It is based on the 1897 play La Ronde
La Ronde (play)
La Ronde is a 1900 play by Arthur Schnitzler. It scrutinizes the sexual morals and class ideology of its day through a series of encounters between pairs of characters . By choosing characters across all levels of society, the play offers social commentary on how sexual contact transgresses...
by Arthur Schnitzler (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 was first produced off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
in 1993 in a production directed and choreographed by Graciela Daniele
Graciela Daniele
Graciela Daniele is an Argentine-American dancer, choreographer, and theatre director.-Biography:Born at Buenos Aires, Daniele began her dance training at the age of seven at Teatro Colón, Argentina's equivalent of Moscow's Bolshoi Theatre...
. Since then it has been performed in London, Sweden, Australia, Germany, 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 had its off-Broadway premiere at the Mitzi E. Newhouse TheaterVivian Beaumont Theatre
The Vivian Beaumont Theater is a theatre located in the Lincoln Center complex at 150 West 65th Street on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The structure was designed by Finnish American architect Eero Saarinen, and Jo Mielziner was responsible for the design of the stage and interior.The Vivian...
(at Lincoln Center) on December 30, 1993 in previews and closed on March 27, 1994 after 101 performances. Directed and musically staged by Graciela Daniele
Graciela Daniele
Graciela Daniele is an Argentine-American dancer, choreographer, and theatre director.-Biography:Born at Buenos Aires, Daniele began her dance training at the age of seven at Teatro Colón, Argentina's equivalent of Moscow's Bolshoi Theatre...
the show was much in the vein of Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Joshua Sondheim is an American composer and lyricist for stage and film. He is the winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award...
's Sunday in the Park with George
Sunday in the Park with George
Sunday in the Park with George is a 1984 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. The musical was inspired by the painting "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" by Georges Seurat...
in that the staging was like a classic painting coming to life. It received eight Drama Desk Award
Drama Desk Award
The Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category...
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
John Cameron Mitchell is an American writer, actor, and director. He is best known for his motion pictures Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Shortbus and Rabbit Hole.- Early life:...
and Donna Murphy
Donna Murphy
Donna Murphy is an American stage, film, television actress and singer.Murphy has won two Tony Awards for Best Actress in a Musical for her roles in Passion as Fosca and in The King and I as Anna Leonowens...
. The original cast album was released in 1994 by RCA Victor.
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
Jenna Russell 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...
, Matt Rawle, 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
The Satori Group
The Satori Group is a Seattle-based theatre ensemble that unites innovative multi-media, dynamic physical styles, and contemporary content in live performance.- History :...
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" was first played 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.
In March and April 2011, the Transport Group
Transport Group
The Transport Group Theatre Company is a non-profit, off-Broadway theatre company in New York City. The company was founded in 2001 by Artistic Director Jack Cummings III and Robyn Hussa. The Transport Group's mission is to stage new works and reimagine revivals by American writers...
will present the first New York City revival of Hello Again. This production will feature new orchestrations by Mary-Mitchell Campbell (Company) and will be staged non-traditionally in a raw space in SoHo
SoHo
SoHo is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City, notable for being the location of many artists' lofts and art galleries, and also, more recently, for the wide variety of stores and shops ranging from trendy boutiques to outlets of upscale national and international chain stores...
by Jack Cummings III (The Boys in the Band).
Cast lists
1993 Original off-Broadway cast- The Whore - Donna MurphyDonna MurphyDonna Murphy is an American stage, film, television actress and singer.Murphy has won two Tony Awards for Best Actress in a Musical for her roles in Passion as Fosca and in The King and I as Anna Leonowens...
- The Soldier - David A. White
- The Nurse - Judy Blazer
- The College Boy - Michael Park
- The Young Wife - Carolee CarmelloCarolee CarmelloCarolee Carmello is an American actress best known for her performances in Broadway musicals.She made her Broadway debut in a small role in City of Angels...
- The Husband - Dennis Parlato
- The Young Thing - John Cameron MitchellJohn Cameron MitchellJohn Cameron Mitchell is an American writer, actor, and director. He is best known for his motion pictures Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Shortbus and Rabbit Hole.- Early life:...
- The Writer - Malcolm GetsMalcolm GetsHugh Malcolm Gerard Gets 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 director, and choreographer. He has a small part in the film adaptation of...
- The Actress - Michele PawkMichele PawkMichele Pawk is an American actress and singer.-Biography:Born in Butler, Pennsylvania, Pawk attended Allegheny College and the College Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati, after which she spent a year working in a musical revue at Disney World...
- The Senator - John DossettJohn DossettJohn Dossett 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, WMPH, and appeared in student theater productions.-Career:Dossett made his...
2001 London cast
- The Whore - Ellen O'Grady
- The Soldier - Matt Rawle
- The Nurse - Golda Rosheuvel
- The College Boy - Mark Stobbard
- The Young Wife - Jenna RussellJenna RussellJenna Russell 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...
- The Husband - Charles Shirvell
- The Young Thing - Dominic Brewer
- The Writer - Michael Cahill
- The Actress - Anita Louise Combe
- The Senator - Nigel Richards
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
- The Soldier - Max von EssenMax von EssenMax von Essen is an American musical theatre actor and vocalist.A son of Rita and Thomas Von Essen, who was the New York City Fire Commissioner during the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, he is the youngest of four children.Von Essen is a 1992 graduate of South Side High School,...
- The Nurse - Elizabeth Stanley
- The College Boy - Robert Lenzi
- The Young Wife - Alexandra Silber
- The Husband - Bob StillmanBob StillmanBob Stillman is an American actor, singer, and songwriter.He studied piano at Juilliard, and made his broadway debut in Grand Hotel as Erik; was a replacement cast member in Kiss of the Spider Woman; gave a Tony nominated performance as a pianist and actor in Broadway's Dirty Blonde, played a...
- The Young Thing - Blake Daniel
- The Writer - Jonathan Hammond
- The Actress - Rachel Bay Jones
- The Senator - Alan Campbell
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)