‘Begin Again’: new world musical with music by Pat Monahan and Train officially opens tonight in San Diego

The newest Broadway musical was born from a love song for New York. The 2013 film ‘Begin Again’, the touching story of a heartbroken songwriter and a record producer on the verge of burnout, is returning as a stage musical — and tonight, September 17, 2026, it officially opens for press at The Old Globe in San Diego, after a pre-Broadway engagement that runs through October 18.

The music and lyrics were written by Pat Monahan, the vocalist of the band Train — the voice behind hits like ‘Drops of Jupiter’ and ‘Hey Soul Sister’ — together with band members Jerry Becker and Matt Musty, Grammy award winners. The book was written by Jenna Clark Embrey and Molly Beach Murphy, while direction is by Lorin Latarro, known on Broadway for ‘Waitress’ and ‘Chess’.

In the lead roles are Emma Busse (‘American Idol’) as Gretta and Patrick Heusinger as Dan, joined by a cast of 19 actors, including Charlotte MacLeod, Kevin William Paul, Adrienne Walker, Nik Walker and Casey Whyland.

The musical comes from the film written and directed by John Carney — the creator of ‘Once’ and ‘Sing Street’ — which at the 2013 Toronto Festival was enthusiastically received by audiences and critics, also receiving an Oscar nomination. The story unfolds against the backdrop of New York and is a hymn to music and to the courage to start over.

Today’s opening marks the production’s first major step toward Broadway, where interest in a new musical with successful pop-rock music is always high.

Source: BroadwayWorld