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Irish filmmaker John Carney\u2019s 2013 movie \u201cBegin Again\u201d will be adapted in a musical that makes its world premiere at San Diego\u2019s The Old Globe in September 2026. (Dave Cleary)<\/p>\nThe Old Globe will close its 2026 season next September with the pre-Broadway engagement of \u201cBegin Again,\u201d a new musical based on John Carney\u2019s 2013 film about a washed-up New York record producer who discovers a struggling young singer. The musical will feature an original score by Pat Monahan, lead singer for the Grammy-winning rock group Train.<\/p>\n
The movie \u201cBegin Again,\u201d which starred Mark Ruffalo and Keira Knightly, was written and directed by Carney, the Irish filmmaker behind the similarly themed movie \u201cOnce,\u201d which was also adapted into a Broadway musical.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce\u201d was about a creatively stuck Irish busker and a Czech immigrant woman who find companionship and healing making music together in Belfast. Carney also created the film \u201cSing Street\u201d and the Amazon Prime series \u201cModern Love.\u201d<\/p>\n
Irish filmmaker John Carney\u2019s 2013 movie \u201cBegin Again\u201d will be adapted in a musical that makes its world premiere at San Diego\u2019s The Old Globe in September 2026. (Dave Cleary)<\/p>\n
\u201cBegin Again\u201d is set in New York City, where record producer Dan is on the brink of burnout when he encounters the talented and unsigned young singer Gretta performing at an open-mic night. He\u2019s hoping for a professional comeback and she\u2019s heartbroken after a breakup. Together, Dan and Gretta collaborate on new music that helps them both pick up the pieces of their lives.<\/p>\n
Barry Edelstein, artistic director for The Old Globe, said he\u2019s thrilled by the veteran Broadway team coming together to create the \u201cBegin Again\u201d musical, which he describes as a story about \u201cpersonal transformation through music, creativity and the magic of New York City.\u201d Edelstein said he\u2019s also excited about composer\/lyricist Monahan, who \u201cbrings a sound to the Globe that our audiences haven\u2019t heard here before.\u201d<\/p>\n
Monahan is the frontman for Train, a San Francisco-born band which has sold more than 10 million albums and 30 million tracks. The band is best known for the songs \u201cDrops of Jupiter\u201d and \u201cHey, Soul Sister.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Jenna Clark Embrey, a veteran Broadway dramaturg, will adapt John Carney\u2019s 2013 movie \u201cBegin Again\u201d into a musical that will make its world premiere at San Diego\u2019s The Old Globe in September 2026. (Grace Brown)<\/p>\n
\u201cBegin Again\u201d will be adapted for the stage by Jenna Clark Embrey, who has worked as a dramaturg on nearly 100 shows on and off Broadway, including Katori Hall\u2019s Pulitzer Prize-winning play \u201cThe Hot Wing King.\u201d She serves as the literary manager for Lincoln Center Theater.<\/p>\n
The musical will be directed by Lorin Latarro, a director and choreographer who choreographed the current Broadway production of \u201cChess\u201d and the current West End production of \u201cThe Producers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brian Unsifer will serve as music supervisor, arranger and orchestrator for \u201cBegin Again.\u201d His Broadway credits include \u201cChess,\u201d \u201cSwept Away,\u201d \u201cThe Heart of Rock and Roll,\u201d \u201cA Beautiful Noise\u201d and Disney\u2019s \u201cFrozen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Show choreographer is David Neumann, whose credits include \u201cSwept Away\u201d and \u201cHadestown.\u201d<\/p>\n
The musical is produced by special arrangement with Stephanie Kramer, Tamar Climan and Nicole Kramer. Casting will be announced at a later date.<\/p>\n