Aviation pioneer. Hollywood mogul. Billionaire recluse. Howard Hughes conquered the impossible—setting flight records, revolutionizing cinema, and building an empire—yet remained tragically blind to how his own ambitions were destroying him. His multifaceted genius and profound contradictions demand the full emotional range that only musical theater can provide. TRULY, HOWARD HUGHES is a musical that transforms Hughes' epic triumphs and intimate demons into soaring melodies and raw, honest storytelling. This isn't just Hughes' story. It's a mirror reflecting our own choices and consequences, asking the haunting question: If you could do it over, would you?
TRULY, HOWARD HUGHES…
is an unconventional love story and a reminder that money can never buy (or substitute for) what love can offer. It's about winning—but at what cost? It's about decisions, choices, ideas, and incredible intuition. Through a score reminiscent of the golden age of Broadway, TRULY, HOWARD HUGHES delves into the unique life and times of one of the most fascinating individuals of the 20th Century, a human being who shaped the world of aviation, film, business, and Hollywood gossip: Howard Robard Hughes, Jr.
"I want to be remembered for only one thing: my contribution to aviation."
THE LIFE OF HOWARD HUGHES
Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (1905-1976) was one of America's most fascinating and enigmatic figures: a business mogul, aviation pioneer, Hollywood producer, and one of the world's most famous recluses.
Early Fortune and Hollywood
After both parents died by 1924, Hughes inherited immense wealth from his father's revolutionary oil drilling invention. He dropped out of college to build Hughes Tool Company into a multibillion-dollar empire while simultaneously pursuing filmmaking in Hollywood. His ambitious films pushed boundaries and often lost money, despite earning Academy Award nominations.
AVIATION LEGEND
Hughes' true passion was aviation—including aeronautical engineering and aircraft performance. He advanced the art and science of aviation with innovations, and set multiple world records.
- 1935: World landplane speed record of 352.46 mph in his self-designed H-1 Racer
- 1937: Transcontinental flight record of 7 hours, 28 minutes from Los Angeles to Newark
- 1938: Circled the globe in 91 hours with a four-person crew, beating the previous record by nearly four days
THE CRASH THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING
On July 7, 1946, Hughes's experimental XF-11 aircraft crashed in Beverly Hills after hydraulic failure. The crash left him with devastating injuries: crushed bones, a collapsed lung, and severe burns. Following his recovery, Hughes's behavior became increasingly erratic, driven by worsening Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, chronic pain, and an intense fear of germs.
DESCENT INTO ISOLATION
Hughes retreated to hotel penthouses, rarely leaving his rooms and issuing complex instructions for handling everyday objects. His servants had to wrap spoon handles in multiple layers of tissue and cellophane before he would touch them. In his final decade, he worked for days without sleep in blackened rooms, survived on a meager diet while battling codeine addiction, and stopped cutting his fingernails.
PERSONAL LIFE
Hughes's relationships included brief marriages and affairs with Hollywood actresses. He married Ella Botts Rice in 1925 and largely ignored her while pursuing stars like Billie Dove and Jean Harlow. His second marriage to actress Jean Peters (1957-1971) remained shrouded in secrecy. He also had a notable romance with the fiercely independent Katharine Hepburn.
When Hughes died at the age of 70, his body was so emaciated and unrecognizable that he had to be identified by fingerprints: a tragic end to one of history's most paradoxical figures.
MORE INFO ABOUT HOWARD HUGHES
Born
Howard Robert Hughes Jr. was born on December 24, 1905 to Howard R. Hughes Sr. and Allena Stone Gano.
Childhood
Howard Robard Hughes Jr. was the only child of Allene Stone Gano (1883–1922) and of Howard R. Hughes Sr. (1869–1924), a successful inventor and businessman from Missouri. At a young age, Hughes Jr. showed interest in science and technology. In particular, he had a great engineering aptitude, and built Houston’s first “wireless” radio transmitter at age 11.
Education
Hughes attended math and aeronautical engineering courses at Caltech. Hughes later attended Rice University but withdrew shortly after his father’s death.
Career
Hughes enjoyed a highly successful business career beyond engineering, aviation and film-making; many of his career endeavors involved varying entrepreneurial roles.
Plane Crash
Hughes was almost killed on July 7, 1946, while performing the first flight of the XF-11 near Hughes Airfield in Culver City, California. Hughes extended the test flight well beyond the 45-minute limit decreed by the USAAF, possibly distracted by landing gear retraction problems. An oil leak caused one of the contra-rotating propellers to reverse pitch, causing the aircraft to yaw sharply and lose altitude rapidly. Hughes attempted to save the aircraft by landing it at the Los Angeles Country Club golf course, but just seconds before reaching the course, the XF-11 started to drop dramatically and crashed in the Beverly Hills neighborhood surrounding the country club.
Movie Director/Producer
Directed by Howard Hughes
- Hell’s Angels (1930) – A massive pre-Code war epic featuring groundbreaking aerial combat sequences.
- The Outlaw (1943) – A Western that famously launched Jane Russell’s career, which Hughes also produced.
Note: He also directed portions of other films or took over uncredited direction on projects like The Racket (1928) and Vendetta (1950).
Produced by Howard Hughes
- Two Arabian Knights (1927) – An early silent comedy film that won an Academy Award.
- The Racket (1928) – A silent crime drama about police corruption and organized crime.
- The Front Page (1931) – The acclaimed original adaptation of the famous newspaper stage comedy.
- Scarface (1932) – The iconic pre-Code gangster film starring Paul Muni and directed by Howard Hawks.
- The Sin of Harold Diddlebock / Mad Wednesday (1947) – A comedy collaboration with star Harold Lloyd.
- The Conqueror (1956) – A controversial historical epic starring John Wayne as Genghis Khan.
- Jet Pilot (1957) – A Cold War aviation romantic drama starring John Wayne and Janet Leigh.
Past Productions
According to Howard
The York Theater • April 5-13, 2025
PHOTO CREDIT: David Engel