A burned-out record producer and a heartbroken singer-songwriter find each other through music in Begin Again, a new stage musical making its world premiere at the Old Globe Theatre in Balboa Park. The show, based on the 2013 film that starred Mark Ruffalo and Keira Knightley, features a score written largely by Train frontman Pat Monahan. Previews began Sunday and continue through September 16, with the show officially opening September 17 and running through October 11.
The stage adaptation follows Dan, an out-of-work singer-manager, and Gretta, a young struggling singer-songwriter who performs at open-mic nights, as the two form a bond that helps them restart their careers, according to details reported by the San Diego Union-Tribune. Dan hears Gretta sing and the pair's connection unfolds against a New York City backdrop, with the story exploring the power of art and music to change people's lives as Gretta grows increasingly autonomous over the course of the plot. Patrick Heusinger plays Dan and Emma Busse plays Gretta; the pair rehearsed together in Balboa Park in mid-August ahead of the run, per the same account. The original 2013 film is the source material for the stage adaptation.
A Rock Frontman Tackles a Theatrical Score
Monahan wrote music and lyrics for the show alongside fellow Train members Jerry Becker and Matt Musty, with Brian Usifer providing music supervision and orchestral arrangements. Monahan told the Union-Tribune that writing songs for a musical was the most challenging thing he had ever done, and he said he knew the film well and wanted to improve on its music. One of his contributions, the song Fake Flowers, previously appeared on Train's 2022 album Am Gold; Train's current lineup also includes Butch Walker and Hector Maldonado. Monahan, Train's frontman, also performed in the classical-rock hybrid show Rocktopia in 2018, a production that combined 20th-century rock hits with classical music works.
The idea to bring Begin Again to the stage began with producer Tamar Climan, who sought out a composer for the planned adaptation, according to the Union-Tribune's reporting. The show's book was co-written by Jenna Clark Embrey and Molly Beach Murphy. Embrey serves as the Literary Manager and Resident Dramaturg at Lincoln Center Theater in New York and is executive editor of the Lincoln Center Theater Review, according to Dickinson College, giving the production a book writer steeped in high-level New York institutional theater.
Director Lorin Latarro Makes Her Old Globe Debut
Lorin Latarro directs Begin Again, marking her directing debut at the Old Globe after building a choreography résumé that includes Waitress, Into the Woods, The Who's Tommy and Chess, according to Broadway News. Latarro previously directed The Heart of Rock & Roll, which premiered at the Old Globe in 2018, and Almost Famous, which premiered there in 2019. Latarro graduated from the Juilliard School and has 14 Broadway performance credits. David Newman serves as choreographer for Begin Again.
San Diego Musicians Take the Stage Before Every Show
Mirroring the story's open-mic setting, Begin Again performances include brief music sets by changing lineups of San Diego-area musicians, with ticket-holders able to enter the Old Globe 15 minutes before showtime to catch the sets. The Old Globe's pre-show slots feature San Diego-area musicians, according to BroadwayWorld. Ahead of previews, the theater also hosted a free public event called Begin Again: San Diego Sessions on Balboa Park's Copley Plaza on July 20, featuring live performances by 20 San Diego musicians, as reported by KPBS. Onstage, the songs drive the emotional arc of Dan and Gretta's story as music helps Dan heal from his past.
Following a Familiar Path From Balboa Park to Broadway
The production reflects the Old Globe's long history of developing theater in Balboa Park. Both The Heart of Rock & Roll and Almost Famous premiered at the Old Globe, per the Internet Broadway Database. Carney's own track record adds another layer of precedent: his 2006 film Once was adapted into a 2012 stage musical, offering another example of a music-driven film making the leap to the stage, Broadway News notes.
The Old Globe has a long history in San Diego.
Begin Again is staged on the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage at the Old Globe Theatre, located at 1363 Old Globe Way in Balboa Park, and closes out the theater's 2026 season. Performances run at 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and Sundays, and at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Saturdays. Tickets are available. Whether Begin Again eventually follows its Old Globe predecessors to a Broadway transfer remains an open question, as does how critics will judge Monahan's theatrical score once the show fully opens.
