Hank Williams: Lost Highway (musical)

Hank Williams: Lost Highway is a jukebox style musical stage production written by Randal Myler and Mark Harelik, featuring the music of country legend Hank Williams and telling stories of his life. The show premiered at the Denver Center Theater in 1987.[1]

Hank Williams: Lost Highway
Playbill image for Manhattan Ensemble Theatre Production
MusicHank Williams
LyricsHank Williams
BookRandall Myler & Mark Harelik
SettingFrom the hills of rural southern Alabama to the stage of the Grand Ole Opry
BasisLife & Music of Hank Williams
PremiereApril 13, 1987 (1987-04-13): Denver Center Theatre, Denver, CO
Productions

History

Randal Myler and Mark Harelik first worked together on a Hank Williams musical in 1979, when they premiered "There'll Be No Teardrops Tonight" at the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts (PCPA) in Santa Maria, CA, where Harelik was a regular performer for many years. Myler created and directed the show, with Harelik performing the role of Hank Williams. In the director's notes, Myler described the show as "a collection of actual stories, insights, and bits of poetry and gossip" about Hank Williams. The production also starred Richard Riehle and Powers Boothe and was well received by local critics.[2][3]

In 1982 the show was produced at PCPA again, with a new title "Hank Williams, King of Country Music", with Harelik again in the Hank Williams roll.[4]

In 1985, Harelik & Myler were set to stage the production at the Denver Center Theater when the music company pulled the rights, making it impossible to do the show. As a replacement, Myler and Harelik quickly wrote "The Immigrant - A Hamilton County Album" which ran at the Denver Center for two seasons before moving to the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles.[5]

By 1986 the music licensing rights had been sorted out and the production was set to premiere at the Denver Center in April 1987. Tickets were sold for the show with the title "Lonesome Highway: The Music and Legend of Hank Williams", but the show ultimately opened as "Lost Highway: The Music and Legend of Hank Williams".[6]

Harelik has described the earlier PCPA show as "a musical revue with verbal connective tissue", while Lost Highway is "a play with music".[7]

Synposis

The show opens on the news of Hank's death, with Hank's ghost observing various reactions to the news, then proceeds to tell the story of his life, including his friendship with a bluesman, "Tee Tot" (aka Rufus Payne), who taught him to play; his courting and marriage to first wife Audrey; his rise to stardom; and his struggles with alcoholism as they cause considerable turmoil in his career and personal life.[7]

In addition to Hank, Tee Tot, and Audrey, other real-life characters portrayed in the show include Hank's mother Lilly, and music publishing magnate Fred Rose. Fictionalized versions of Hank's bandmates the Drifting Cowboys are also featured.[8]

Musical Numbers

Productions

The original production opened at the Denver Center Theater on April 13th, 1987. The production was directed by Randal Myler, with Mark Harelik in the lead role.

After a successful season in Denver, the production was mounted at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, CA. The show opened on July 7th, 1988 and ran through August 21st, 1988. The show was again directed by Randal Myler, and Mark Harelik again played the lead role. Other cast members included Ron Taylor as Tee-Tot, Cassie Yates as Audrey, and Molly McClure as Mama Lillie.[9]

Following the run at the Mark Taper Forum, the production was next presented at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, CA, opening August 28th, 1992 and closing on October 4th, 1992. Randal Myler directed and Mark Harelik continued in the lead role (with noted television actor Michael Bryan French subbing two days a week), and Ron Taylor again played Tee-Tot.[10]

In 1996 Lost Highway opened at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, with actor Jason Petty in the lead role. While Petty had portrayed Hank and other country legends in numerous musical revues at Opryland, Lost Highway was his first starring role in a feature production.[11] In the initial run at the Ryman, Petty was described as looking remarkably similar to Williams, and doing an "un-canny job of recreating" Williams' phrasing.[12]

The show ran for two seasons at the Ryman, before going on tour, with Petty continuing in the lead role, playing theaters primarily in the southern, eastern, and midwestern United States from 1998 until 2002 when it opened off-Broadway at the Manhattan Ensemble Theater, and then moved to the Little Shubert where it ran through August 2003. Petty continued in the role of Hank in the Off-Broadway run, winning an Obie award in 2003 for his performance.[13]

Cast Recording

Hank Williams: Lost Highway Original Cast Recording was released by Varese Sarabande records on August 19th, 2003, and features Jason Petty singing the role of Hank and Michael Howell singing Tee-Tot. The recording features 25 tracks, omitting "WPA Blues" and "I'm Gonna Sing, Sing, Sing", and includes acting segments between songs.[14]

gollark: Yes, so 3 of that would be 6 moles Fe2O3.
gollark: Did it *come* with the formula and say "how many moles of O2 do you need to get three 2Fe2O3s", or what?
gollark: ... wait, no, I'm being silly, you'd still have the same ratio of thing to other thing.
gollark: Not sure why, I guess it's more convenient.
gollark: I just use whole numbers for everything myself, but my (GCSE) Chemistry teacher does do stuff like 1/2O2 sometimes.

References
  1. "Harelik play set for Forum". Santa Maria Times. May 9, 1986. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  2. Cox, Susan (March 27, 1979). "Play about singing star Hank Williams excellent". The Lompoc Record (Lompoc, CA). Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  3. Beitiks, Ed (March 27, 1979). "For Williams fans, it's hillbilly heaven". Santa Maria Times (Santa Maria, CA). Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  4. Petrinka, Allen (July 1, 1982). "Theaterfest actor Harelik changes PCPA nightly tune". Santa Ynez Valley News (Solvang, CA). Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  5. Drake, Sylvie (August 21, 1986). "'Immigrant' and Native Son". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
  6. Churnin, Nancy (August 28, 1992). "Hank Shines Through". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
  7. Whiteside, Jonny (August 18, 1988). "Lonseome Cowboy". LA Weekly. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  8. Myler, Randal; Harelik, Mark (2004). Hank Williams: Lost Highway : the Music and Legend of Hank Williams. Dramatists Play Service Inc. ISBN 978-0-8222-1985-9.
  9. Lechman, Don (10 Jul 1988). "'Hank': A Hankering for More". The Daily Breeze (Torrance, CA). Retrieved 3 May 2020.
  10. Drake, Sylvie (1 September 1992). "On the Road Again with Hank Williams". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
  11. Roland, Tom (April 28, 1996). "A Lasting Impression". The Tennessean. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  12. Roland, Tom and Hieronymus, Clara (May 3, 1996). "Williams' Light Returns to Ryman in Highway". The Tennessean. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  13. "2003 Obie Award Winners". obieawards.com.
  14. Johnson, Zac. "Hank Williams: Lost Highway Original Cast Recording". AllMusic.Com. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
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