BLUE MOON (Opening Night Film + Party)

NewFest is committed to making its programming more accessible to our community. ASL interpreters will be present for the Intro and Q+A portion of this program.

Sardi’s Bar. March 1943. Opening night of Oklahoma!. A new cultural sensation is about to be born–and legendary lyricist Lorenz Hart is not happy about it.

As brilliantly played by Academy Award nominee Ethan Hawke, Hart is a uniquely New York creation: brilliant, queer, alcoholic, and nursing a bitter resentment toward his longtime collaborator Richard Rodgers (Andrew Scott, NewFest35’s All of Us Strangers), who has recently left him for the steadier Oscar Hammerstein.

BLUE MOON refracts the glitter of a Broadway smash through the intimate lens of the songwriter left behind, weaving a witty, bittersweet tale of artistic ambition, theater lore, and personal loss. Directed with humanist verve by Academy Award nominee Richard Linklater and scripted with dazzling dialogue by Robert Kaplow, the film features a dynamic ensemble including Scott (winner of the Silver Bear at Berlinale for his performance here), Margaret Qualley, and Bobby Cannavale. Hawke imbues Hart with quippy charm and aching vulnerability, making BLUE MOON an unforgettable ode to artistry and queer resilience.

“It feels only right that NewFest’s Opening Night film is set on Broadway’s most legendary opening night. With Ethan Hawke and Andrew Scott delivering brilliant performances under Richard Linklater’s direction, BLUE MOON is witty, moving, and the perfect way to raise the curtain on this year’s festival.” – David Hatkoff, Executive Director

Richard Linklater

Robert Kaplow

Ethan Hawke, Margaret Qualley, Bobby Cannavale, Andrew Scott