Again Lyrics — A Day in Hollywood / A Night in the Ukraine

Song Overview

Song Title: Again

Musical: A Day in Hollywood / A Night in the Ukraine

Where it lives on stage: Act 2, in the Ukraine half, typically assigned to Nina.

What it does: a comic lament that tightens the romantic screw without slowing the farce.

Review and Highlights

Quick summary

• Act 2 Nina feature: a spiraling complaint that turns frustration into momentum.
• Positioned after the early Act 2 setup songs and before the late-act escalation.
• Common cast-album placement: Track 11, with a widely listed runtime of 3:32.
• Performance pulse: about 103 BPM, brisk enough to keep the jokes airborne.

A Day in Hollywood / A Night in the Ukraine (1980) - stage musical - diegetic. Act 2. The audience has already met the debt-collecting machine of Samovar and watched the household try to keep its dignity from falling apart. Then Nina steps forward and does the thing the show does best: she makes a feeling sound like a routine.

Many musicals hand the young woman a pretty melody and ask her to wait for the plot to rescue her. This show is stingier and funnier. "Again" is written as a pinwheel: the thought returns, the rhyme returns, the annoyance returns, and each return lands a little sharper. It is not a pause. It is a shove.

The number also announces a key stylistic principle of the Ukraine half: the Chekhov base is real, but the surface behaves like a classic screen comedy. According to the Concord Theatricals synopsis, the second act is a rambunctious Marx Brothers-style farce. That is why Nina's heartbreak arrives with bite, speed, and a faint sense she would like to win the argument as much as win the boy.

Creation History

The Broadway production opened on May 1, 1980. Theatre databases and published song lists place "Again" in Act 2, and stage breakdowns commonly assign it to Nina. Cast recordings circulated through DRG releases and later digital editions that sometimes attach modern metadata in confusing ways. When you see clashing songwriter credits on streaming pages, trust the theatrical sources first: they consistently attribute the show score to Dick Vosburgh and Frank Lazarus.

Song Meaning and Annotations

Plot

Act 2 presents a staged "movie" set in a Ukrainian household before the Revolution, loosely based on Chekhov's one-act play The Bear. A lawyer arrives to collect a debt from Madame Pavlenko, tempers flare, and the confrontation tilts toward romance and ridiculous honor rituals. Nina and Constantine function as the household's weather vane: they show how the chaos spreads into private relationships.

Song Meaning

"Again" is Nina's way of saying, "I recognize this pattern and I am tired of it." The title word is her drumbeat. Each repetition makes the complaint more pointed, as if she is forcing the room to hear what it keeps dodging. In a farce, repetition is usually a joke. Here, it is also a diagnosis: the same mistake, the same excuse, the same bruise to pride.

Annotations

1. Oh, Constantine, you've broken every bone in my heart.

   It is not subtle, and that is the point. The lyric starts at full theatrical volume, which lets the performer play the line as both melodrama and mockery. Nina is hurt, but she is also staging her hurt, and the show encourages that double awareness.

2. Again I'm on the shelf and up a tree now.

   Old-fashioned idioms do quick work here. Nina speaks in stock phrases because the situation feels stock: she has heard the speech before, she has lived the loop before. The humor comes from how neatly the clichés fit the mess.

3. Nina, if you'd only let me explain - I told you before, there's nothing to be explained.

   This is the farce engine in miniature: a man tries to negotiate reality; a woman refuses the premise. The scene flips from singing to dialogue without losing tempo, which keeps the number from becoming a concert piece. It stays theatre.

4. Why you're so sweet that I could eat your heart, dear.

   Darkly playful, almost too charming for its own good. The line hints at how affection and aggression share a room in this show. Even the compliments come with teeth.

Genre fusion and rhythm

The Ukraine half is built as a film-parody farce, and "Again" follows the rule: text first, pace always. With an estimated 103 BPM, it wants forward motion - not a slow burn, but a quick boil. The accompaniment can be as pointed as a raised eyebrow, and the singer should treat consonants like punch lines.

Emotional arc

The emotional shape is a staircase. Nina starts with grievance, climbs into full complaint, then lands on a hard boundary. That boundary is the joke and the character truth. In a Marx Brothers world, people talk fast because they are afraid silence will reveal something. Nina is afraid silence will let Constantine rewrite the story.

Cultural touchpoints

If Act 1 plays with Hollywood nostalgia, Act 2 plays with comic archetypes: the fast-talking pursuer, the stubborn refuser, the household caught in the crossfire. The number uses those archetypes without turning Nina into a prop. She is allowed to be witty and wounded in the same breath.

Technical Information (Quick Facts)

• Artist: Original Broadway Cast recording (solo feature typically attributed to Nina)
• Featured: Nina (stage assignment)
• Composer: Frank Lazarus
• Lyricist: Dick Vosburgh
• Producer: Cast-album producer credit varies by release listing
• Release Date: May 1, 1980 (Broadway opening reference); January 1, 1991 (common digital catalog date for a DRG edition)
• Genre: Musical theatre; comedy-farce; character song
• Instruments: Pit orchestra; vocal-forward arrangement
• Label: DRG Records (cast recording)
• Mood: Tart, restless, wounded-but-armed
• Length: 3:32 (widely listed on major streaming editions)
• Track #: 11 (common digital track lists)
• Language: English
• Album (if any): A Day in Hollywood / A Night in the Ukraine (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
• Music style: Dialogue-driven phrasing with repeated hook word as a comic engine
• Poetic meter: Accentual, shaped by patter timing and repeated cadences
• Tempo: 103 BPM

Frequently Asked Questions

Who sings "Again" in the show?

In commonly cited stage breakdowns, Nina sings it as a featured moment within Act 2.

Where does it fall in the Act 2 sequence?

It typically comes after the initial Act 2 setup numbers and before the late-act escalation that leads to the duel material.

Is it played for laughs or played straight?

Both. The text is comic, but the intention should be real. Nina is funny because she is furious, not because she is winking at the audience.

What is the main dramatic action of the song?

To refuse the cycle. The repeated title word functions as a verdict: the pattern is visible and the patience is gone.

Does it connect to Chekhov directly?

Indirectly. Act 2 is based on The Bear, but the musical treatment is a film-parody farce, so the emotions arrive with sharpened timing.

Why do some streaming pages show odd songwriter credits?

Because modern metadata can be messy. Theatre sources credit the show score to Vosburgh and Lazarus, while some music services attach unrelated credit lines to tracks with common titles.

How fast should it feel?

Brisk. A tempo reference of 103 BPM supports a forward-driving delivery rather than a slow lament.

Is there a known pop-chart history for this track?

No reliable chart history is commonly documented for the cast-album track as a stand-alone single.

What is the best acting note for Nina?

Do not sing regret. Sing decision. Each return of the title word should land as a new tactic: accuse, dismiss, dare, then close the door.

Awards and Chart Positions

"Again" is not documented as a charting pop single in the usual public references. Its profile comes from the show that carries it. As stated in the Internet Broadway Database production record, the Broadway run opened May 1, 1980 and closed September 27, 1981 after 588 performances. The production won two Tony Awards, and the London run won a major comedy prize.

Additional Info

One small delight: the song is a complaint that behaves like a machine. The repetitions do not wallow. They tighten. If you are staging the Ukraine half in a small space, this is the moment to let Nina take the room and rearrange it. A chair becomes a boundary. A doorway becomes a threat. The farce gets cleaner when the anger is specific.

Also, a practical note for collectors: cast-album timings vary by release. Disc listings and streaming editions do not always agree on the exact duration, even when the track title and order match. Keep the track number and Act 2 placement as your anchor.

Key Contributors

Sources

Sources: Internet Broadway Database production record and tour song list, Concord Theatricals show page, StageAgent song list, Shazam track page (tempo and track metadata), Apple Music track list snippet, Discogs release track list, Wikipedia show entry