Sarasota’s Asolo Repertory Theatre has taken a revised My Favorite Year to New York City this week. The developmental workshop of the musical by Lynn Ahrens, Stephen Flaherty and Joseph Dougherty runs from September 25 to October 1, directed by Josh Rhodes, with Ben Levi Ross, Chris Hoch and Beth Leavel in the company.
Tony nominee Ben Levi Ross (Ragtime, Dear Evan Hansen) plays the young comedy writer Benjy Stone, opposite Chris Hoch as the film star Alan Swann. Hoch was a Tony nominee this year as co-writer of the book of The Lost Boys.
Tony winner Beth Leavel (The Drowsy Chaperone, The Prom) is Belle Carroca Steinberg, and Tony nominee Brad Oscar (The Producers, Something Rotten!) is King Kaiser. Julie Benko (Ragtime, Funny Girl) plays Alice Miller, and Marina Kondo (Ragtime, the Frozen national tour) plays K.C. Downing.
The rest of the company is Orville Mendoza (Swept Away, Pacific Overtures) as Rookie, Briana Carlson-Goodman (Ragtime) as Aunt Sadie, Robert Anthony Jones (Finding Neverland) as Sy, Lyrica Woodruff (Schmigadoon!, Anastasia) as Tess, Stuart Zagnit (Caroline, or Change) as Uncle Morty and Rob Tucker (Wonder at A.R.T.) as Herb.
The musical comes from the 1982 film. It is 1954 in New York, and live television is in its heyday. Benjy, a junior writer on a comedy hour, is given one job for the week before broadcast: keep the guest star, a hard-drinking screen swashbuckler, sober and out of trouble until the cameras roll. The stage version opened on Broadway at Lincoln Center Theater in 1992.
The workshop version carries new material from Ahrens, Flaherty and Dougherty, written in collaboration with Asolo Rep. The Florida company has worked with the songwriting team before: their Knoxville had its premiere there in 2022, and under its new title, All the Way Home, it is set for a developmental New York production at The York Theatre in April 2027, in the NEW2NY Series.
“We’ve always wanted to take another crack at this show and thanks to the Asolo Rep and our amazing director Josh Rhodes, we’re getting it,” said Ahrens and Flaherty. “We’re really excited to see this new version up and singing!”
Peter Rothstein, Asolo Rep’s producing artistic director, said: “We’re thrilled to be back in the room with Lynn and Stephen and this extraordinary company, to continue developing My Favorite Year. I have long admired this big-hearted story and this stunning score; we are honored to be a part of its evolution.”
David Holcenberg is music director, with Jack Richman as music assistant and James Monaghan as dramaturg. Nia Sciarretta stage-manages, assisted by Esther Chilson. Asolo Rep has not announced production dates for the revised musical.
