Artistic Director's Letter: From Barry: Begin Again, A New Musical

San Diego’s stature as an incubator for new works of musical theatre is unparalleled nationwide. The Globe has now sent an extraordinary 27 shows to Broadway. Our excellent producing operation is a key reason: our five shops and their crackerjack crews are best-in-class (scenery, costumes, props, lights, and sound), our producing and production management teams are at the top of the field, and our artistic infrastructure is robust and incisive. The Globe has the institutional muscle to do this work at the highest level.

But what distinguishes the Globe as particularly fertile ground for the development of new musicals is our audience. In my 14 years here, I’ve met thousands of Globe theatregoers, and I’m always blown away by their enthusiasm for brand-new musicals, and their discernment about what makes them work. Globe theatregoers come here to discover, to find delight and surprise. That appetite for excitement is what draws artists here to create. They know that in our seats are people predisposed to appreciate their work. Added to our professional expertise, that affection is what makes our stages safe and nurturing spaces for adventurous art.

Begin Again is certain to reward our audience of seekers. Based on one of the gems of recent independent film, the musical tells a simple story of people who are looking to start anew, who are hungry for a second chance. Gretta and Dan, the unlikely pair who are the protagonists of the story, have known disappointment. But they have never lost faith. The deity in which they believe is music. If new beginnings are the show’s theme, then music is its soul. Gretta is an artist blessed with unique talent but lacking the self-confidence to express it. Dan’s belief in her is the catalyst to her self-discovery, just as her incandescent gift kindles a new light in him. They are true believers in music’s capacity to change lives, and witnessing their beautiful story, we come to share their belief.

A musical about music needs a great score, and Begin Again has one. Our past several seasons have seen a series of experiments in bringing authentic pop and rock music to our stage. We’ve tried to create a sound in our theatre that matches the one we hear all day long in our AirPods. Begin Again manages the feat with stunning success. Pat Monahan and his collaborators in the band Train are celebrated makers of popular music that has an uncanny ability to sweep us up in its brightness and buoyancy. They’ve distilled the essence of their work into the songs in this show. Indeed, it was when I heard the score for the first time that I knew this show simply had to be here. The sound of Begin Again is something that Globe audiences haven’t yet heard: real, genuine pop music in service of a moving, delightful, and meaningful human story.

I’m pleased to welcome the Globe’s good friend Lorin Latarro back to Balboa Park to helm this work. A longtime Broadway dancer turned choreographer and now director, Lorin is a major artist whose vision of musical theatre storytelling is unique and potent. I am very proud to offer her our platform, from which I know she will go on to reshape this art form. She’s gathered amazing collaborators around her, including the brilliant music supervisor, orchestrator, and arranger Brian Usifer, also returning to San Diego; the choreographer David Neumann; and a team of designers including Globe regulars Linda Cho, Derek McLane, and Amanda Zieve—towering figures of the Broadway stage. I’m thrilled to have them, and an exceptional cast of performers, with us.

Most of those 27 shows we launched toward Broadway were created in partnership with producers in the commercial theatre world who regard an out-of-town tryout at the Globe as a necessary and invaluable step in their project’s development. In my tenure here I’ve presided over many of these collaborations with commercial partners; Begin Again is my twentieth such production. Few have been as enjoyable as this one, thanks to the excellence, thoughtfulness, and warmth of our partners. I want to thank Stephanie Kramer, Nicole Kramer, and Tamar Climan for working so closely and creatively with us to help Begin Again delight our audiences as a first step toward delighting Times Square and, we hope, beyond. We’re in a moment of great anxiety about the future of Broadway, but with producers like these leading the way, Broadway’s lights will continue to dazzle.

Thanks for coming. Enjoy the show.

Barry Edelstein is the Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director of The Old Globe.
Any feedback on tonight’s show or any of the Globe’s work?
Email Barry at HiBarry@TheOldGlobe.org and he’ll get back to you!