The True Story Behind Blue Moon‘s Glimpse of a Fading Broadway Lyricist

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Richard Linklater, the director of the new film *Blue Moon*, knew from the start what kind of mood he wanted to create for the movie about lyricist Lorenz Hart.

He describes the movie as being similar to a classic Rodgers and Hart song – beautiful, but also deeply sad and melancholic. It’s a memorable story that leaves you feeling heartbroken by the end.

I recently watched *Blue Moon*, and it’s a really moving film. It focuses on a sad night in the life of Lorenz Hart, played by Ethan Hawke, and imagines him at the opening of *Oklahoma!* back in 1943. It’s fascinating because *Oklahoma!* was the first time Richard Rodgers – who used to write with Hart – teamed up with Oscar Hammerstein II. Knowing that Hart passed away only a few months later, and that Rodgers and Hammerstein went on to change Broadway forever, adds a really poignant layer to everything. It’s a beautifully tragic story.

I was completely drawn in by Ethan Hawke’s performance in this film. He plays Hart, and a lot of the story unfolds at a bar – Sardi’s, to be exact – where the bartender, brilliantly played by Bobby Cannavale, clearly worries about Hart’s drinking. Hart spends much of his time talking about this woman, Elizabeth, a college student he’s fixated on, and you can feel the tension building because he’s also waiting for Rodgers, who is understandably frustrated that Hart isn’t getting his work done. I first saw it at the Berlin International Film Festival, where Andrew Scott won a Silver Bear for his role, and it’s been getting amazing reviews and a lot of Oscar talk ever since – and Hawke really deserves it for how completely he transforms into this character.

Linklater describes the film as a passionate outcry from an artist feeling forgotten. He explains that this feeling was true both during the film’s creation and remains true today, and that Ethan Hawke perfectly conveyed it.

Despite appearing to depict real events, *Blue Moon* is actually a fictionalized story, according to director Linklater. While playwright Arthur Hart did attend the premiere of *Oklahoma!*, researcher Robert Kaplow doubts he went to the party shown in the film. Kaplow also questions whether that party even took place at the famous Sardi’s restaurant in New York.

He admits he’s not sure where the idea came from, possibly reading it somewhere or simply imagining it. He felt it was a fitting location for the story. (Interestingly, the entire production took place on a soundstage constructed in Ireland.)

Blue Moon’s decades-long origin story

Louis Kaplow, the author of the novel *Me and Orson Welles* which became a film in 2008, began working on the screenplay for *Blue Moon* around twelve years ago. However, the initial idea for the story came to him much earlier, back in the 1970s, after hearing a lengthy interview with Richard Rodgers – a particular detail from that interview sparked his imagination.

According to Kaplow, Rodgers bluntly discussed wanting to leave Hart, but did so in a detached and impersonal way. Kaplow felt Rodgers was deliberately hiding his true feelings, presenting a guarded front and avoiding any indication of emotional distress. Kaplow described the conversation as unsettlingly cold.

The complicated connection between Hart and Rodgers is a key part of the story in *Blue Moon*, but several other characters also play important roles that night. Kaplow included the writer E.B. White so Hart would have someone to talk to about writing. He also featured Stephen Sondheim, then a young protégé of Oscar Hammerstein, who, just as he did later in life, criticizes Hart’s work. Most importantly, there’s Elizabeth, played by Qualley. While she appears to be a made-up character, she’s actually based on a real person – a bookseller in Nyack provided Kaplow with copies of letters sent to Hart signed by someone named Elizabeth Weiland.

Kaplow felt the situation resembled a song lyric by Larry Hart. He explains it began with a mentor-mentee relationship where she looked up to him for his understanding, but predictably, he developed an illogical and impossible attraction to her. Interestingly, despite the common knowledge that Hart was gay – a fact the script acknowledges – he did propose to two women at different times.

Crafting the Hart of the movie

When Kaplow told Linklater about his project focused on Hart, Linklater immediately became interested – he’d always loved the work of Rodgers and Hart. He shared the script with Hawke, even before considering Hawke for the role of Hart, knowing Hawke was already familiar with and appreciated this type of musical theater.

Ethan Hawke recalls that while they were writing *Before Sunset*, he constantly played Ella Fitzgerald’s recordings of Rodgers and Hart songs. He shared this detail during a recent interview.

After agreeing to the project, Hawke understood he wouldn’t just be performing Hart’s emotional songs – he’d also have to *become* Hart himself. According to Kaplow, Hart was a deeply insecure man who compensated by always trying to be the wittiest and most intelligent person in any room.

For this role, I really admired Ethan Hawke’s commitment. He refused to use any fake hairpieces or bald caps, so he actually shaved his head! He also teamed up with this amazing guy, Latham Gaines – Hawke calls him a ‘height wizard’ – to figure out how to believably portray the character’s shorter stature. It meant Hawke had to set aside his usual acting methods, the techniques he normally relies on – especially when working with director Richard Linklater on films like the *Before* trilogy and *Boyhood*. Linklater himself confirmed that Hawke really had to reinvent his approach.

You know, directing Ethan Hawke in this film meant constantly asking him to dial it *down*. I kept thinking of the character, Larry, as purely intellect – a brain, a voice, a charming personality. But physically, Larry wasn’t Ethan. So, I was really trying to strip away Ethan Hawke, to get to this more… ethereal presence. I’m pretty sure if we hadn’t been friends for so long, he would have actually punched me!

Devotion to the era and the artistic struggle

The movie is packed with hidden references for those familiar with cultural history. For example, a character named George Hill appears – a nod to the director George Roy Hill, who later made *The Sting*. This connection comes from the fact that the film’s creator found a 1943 yearbook on eBay featuring a George Roy Hill. The film also includes subtle musical cues, like transitioning into “It Ain’t Necessarily So” after mentioning George Gershwin.

There’s a touching element to *Blue Moon* that will resonate with anyone who’s worked closely with another creative person – whether they’re the dominant or supporting force in the partnership. Director Linklater shares that he’s experienced similar artistic fallouts due to collaborators’ personal struggles. He notes that all artists tend to believe their creative work will continue indefinitely, but the story of Hart reveals a harsher truth.

We all believe we can continue creating for as long as we live. Artists – painters, sculptors, musicians, writers – never assume there will come a time when they can no longer pursue their craft.

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2025-10-17 15:08