Hank Williams: Lost Highway is a stage musical 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.
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 and Myler a resident director. 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.
In 1982 the show was produced at PCPA again, with a new title "Hank Williams, King of Country Music", with TV/film actor Troy Evans as Hoss and Harelik again in the Hank Williams role.
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, the Arena Stage in Washington D.C., the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, and many other regional theatres.
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".
Harelik has described the earlier PCPA show as "a musical revue with verbal connective tissue", while Lost Highway is "a play with music".
Synopsis
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.
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.
Musical Numbers
Act I
"This is the Way I Do" - Tee-Tot
"Message to my Mother" - Hank
"Thank God" - Hank, Mama, and Company
"WPA Blues" - Hank
"Long Gone Lonesome Blues" - Tee-Tot, Hank
"Settin' the Woods on Fire" - Hank & The Drifting Cowboys
"Sally Goodin'" - Leon
"Honky Tonk Blues" - Hank & The Drifting Cowboys
"I'm Telling You" - Audrey & The Drifting Cowboys
"I Can't Help It (If I'm Still in Love With You)" - Hank and The Drifting Cowboys "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" - Hank and The Drifting Cowboys "Jambalaya (on the Bayou)" Hank and The Drifting Cowboys "Move it on Over" - Hank and The Drifting Cowboys "Mind Your Own Business" - Hank and The Drifting Cowboys "Lovesick Blues" - (Hank and The Drifting Cowboys)
Act II
"The Blood Done Sign My Name" - Tee-Tot
"Happy Rovin' Cowboy" - Hank and The Drifting Cowboys
"I'm Gonna Sing, Sing, Sing" - Hank, Audrey, and The Drifting Cowboys
"Long Gone Lonesome Blues (reprise)" - Hank, Tee-Tot, and The Drifting Cowboys
"Way Downtown" - The Drifting Cowboys
"I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry (reprise)" - Hank
"I'm a Run to the City of Refuge/A House of Gold (medley)" - Tee-Tot, Hank
"Hey, Good Lookin'" - Hank and The Drifting Cowboys
"I Saw the Light" - Hank, Hoss
"Lost Highway" - Hank, Tee-Tot
"Your Cheatin' Heart" - Hank and The Drifting Cowboys
"I Saw the Light" - Company
Productions
The original production opened at the Denver Center Theater on April 13, 1987. The production was co-written and directed by Randal Myler, with Mark Harelik in the lead role (and also co-writer).