Ahrens and Flaherty's Knoxville Sets New Production in Tennessee

The new Ahrens and Flaherty musical Knoxville will receive a new production, running September 4-22 at the Clarence Brown Theatre at the University of Tennessee.

Knoxville features a book and direction by Frank Galati, music by Stephen Flaherty, and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens — the Tony Award-winning creative team behind the musical Ragtime. Based on James Agee’s autobiographical, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, A Death in the Family, the story begins as Agee struggles to write his greatest work — about the event that touched his young life and the effect it had on his mother, his town, and his own future.

The musical premiered at Florida’s Asolo Repertory Theatre in 2022, with Galati directing. Following his passing last year, those duties have been taken up by Josh Rhodes, who also choreographs the production.

Returning cast members for the Tennessee engagement include Jason Danieley as Agee and Hannah Elless are Mary Follet, alongside Alan Chandler and Dwelvan David. New for this run are Nick Barrington, Chris Hoch, Shinnerrie Jackson, Clay Cooper, Lili Thomas, Katy Wolfe, Laura Beth Wells, McKinley Merritt, Evie Andrus, Sammy Pontello, Brian O’Neill. Olivia Birkbeck, Chip Morris, Eric Sorrels, Aliah Mahalati, Deanna Surber, and Matthew E. Mimbs round ou the company.

Knoxville has orchestrations by Bruce Coughlan, scenic and costume design by Robert Perdziola, lighting design by Kenton Yeager, sound design by Joe Payne, music supervision by Caleb Hoyer, and music direction by Ming Aldrich-Gan. Trina Mills is associate director/choreographer.