John Cassavetes' Opening Night (Original West End Live Cast Recording) CD

Track Listing:
1. Overture
2. One Shot
3. Magic
4. Talk to Me
5. Trojan Women
6. A Change of Life
7. I Forgive You
8. Meet Me at the Start
9. Life is Thin
10. Makes One Wonder
11. Moths to a Flame
12. Married
13. This Isn't a Game Anymore
14. The Pantomime
15. There is Something to be Said for Being Young
16. Ready for Battle
17. Finale
18. Talk to Me (Demo)
19. Moths to a Flame (Demo)

John Cassavetes' Opening Night is the first stage musical with music, lyrics, and orchestrations by Rufus Wainwright. It premiered in London at the Gielgud Theater in the spring of 2024. The book and direction were by Ivo van Hove and is based on the 1977 movie Opening Night by American avant-garde director John Cassavetes. It tells the story of an actress, Myrtle Gordon, who is premiering a play written for her that is about a woman coming to terms with aging. Myrtle does not come to terms with her own aging and rebels against the play and throws the entire production into jeopardy. A young female fan asking her for an autograph at the stage door gets killed by a car as she runs off onto the street. Myrtle is being haunted by the ghost of the young girl. On opening night, she arrives completely drunk but ultimately does what she does best: act and improvise. Part All About Eve, Opening Night is the story of an actress who risks madness for her truth.  

The live album features Wainwright’s songs written for the original London West End production performed by the cast including Sheridan Smith, Nicola Hughes, and Benjamin Walker recorded over the last 4 performances of the play at London’s Gielgud Theater.