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The MusicalsThough HAIR is known as a musical of the late 60's, it questions the standards of morality, sexuality, individualism, racism, violence, drug use, loyalty, and social acceptance which remain problems in the America of today.
Prologue
The "year" is 1968. The "place" is a park in Greenwich Village, NYC. Claude is seated alone on center stage. An altar and a flame are set before him. The Tribe slowly congregates on stage. Berger and Sheila join Claude, cut a lock of his hair, and put it in the fire as the Tribe opens the show with "Aquarius."
Act I
Berger introduces himself, and sings about "Donna," his lost love. The Tribe follows this number with "Hashish," while Woof pays homage to all things sexual with "Sodomy." Hud enters, hanging upside down from a pole, and sings "Colored Spade." Finally, Claude introduces himself ("Manchester, England") and says, "I'm Aquarius--destined for greatness or madness." The Tribe follows with "I'm Black" and "Ain't Got No." They add to the list of their "can't do's" with "Dead End." Sheila, the politically active NYU student, is carried in to a fanfare while she sings, "I Believe in Love." She leads the Tribe in a peace rally ("Ain't Got No Grass," "Air"). Jeanie, who sings "Air" with friends Dionne and Crissy, reveals that she's pregnant (by some "speed freak") but she's in love with Claude. The Tribe sings "Initials." Berger then announces, "This, folks, is the psychedelic Stone Age." Claude is confronted by three sets of "parents" (played by the Tribe) who batter him with their Work Ethic, American Values, and tell him his Vietnam draft notice has come in the mail. A conflict between "1968 and 1948" ensues ("I Got Life," "Ain't Got No," reprise). Later, Berger tells the Tribe about Claude having to go before the draft board. Berger has also just been expelled from high school ("Goin' Down") and is attacked by three Hitler-esque "principals." Claude returns, having passed his Army physical. Berger, Woof, and Hud try to develop ideas for freeing him from service in Vietnam. Claude burns his draft card, but the Tribe discovers that in fact it's his library card. A woman and her husband (tourists in a land of hippies) talk to the group. Claude, Berger, and the rest of the Tribe sing "Hair" for them. The woman, impressed, responds with "My Conviction," and then reveals that she is not a "she" at all, but a transvestite! Sheila joins the group, and she's still "spreading the groovy revolution." She talks about how she lives with Claude and Berger, and takes out a yellow satin shirt she's brought for Berger. Berger begins to fool around--"slapping" her, stomping on the shirt, and yelling. Claude and Sheila try to quiet him by covering his head with the shirt when Berger snatches it away from them and rips it. Sheila, upset by this, sings "Easy to Be Hard." Berger takes the shirt and leaves to sew it back together. Claude and Sheila talk, and he gets her to admit that she's "hung up" on Berger. Berger and Woof then give their musical salute to the American flag ("Don't Put it Down"). It's time for the Be-In! "Tourists . . . come to the orgy!" Jeanie tries to get together with Claude, but he rebuffs her. She is about to follow him to the Be-In when she spies Crissy. Crissy says that she's staying there, to wait for "Frank Mills." Back at the Be-In, the Tribe is singing "Hare Krishna" and getting high on love, life, and pot. Claude, about to burn his draft card, suddenly changes his mind ("Where Do I Go"). The police intervene and "arrest" the audience--signaling intermission.
Act II
Crissy tries to listen to a song on a Victrola, but it is drowned out by the "Electric Blues." The Tribe calls for "Oh Great God of Power," but all they get is Claude dressed up in a gorilla suit. He's just come from the induction center, and Berger and some Tribe members describe their version of the encounter. Three of the women in the Tribe sing the virtues of "Black Boys," and are countered by three blond-wigged Supreme-lookalikes with "White Boys" (see photo). Berger really starts things rolling by passing out the joints, and soon the Tribe is "Walking in Space." The action then focuses in on Claude's trip. General Washington appears, at war with a group of Indians. They are joined by Abraham Lincoln ("Abie, Baby"), John Wilkes Booth, Ulysses S. Grant, Calvin Coolidge, and Scarlett O'Hara. Buddhist monks and Catholic nuns appear, and an all-out war ensues. This segues into "3-5-0-0," and the ugliness of war against the Viet Cong. The Tribe invokes the words of Shakespeare ("What a Piece of Work is Man") to try and rationalize this. Then, the trip ends ("How Dare They Try"), and the Tribe tries to call Claude back to reality, however he has some problems getting back into the present day. The Tribe divides into groups to sleep under the light of the moon, and Sheila sings, "Good Morning, Starshine." A mattress is brought out "The Bed" and the Tribe celebrates it (after all, "Never can you sin in bed"). They separate from Claude, and gather in a mass of Flower Power, banging sticks and pots and shouting anti-war chants. They call for Claude, but he's nowhere to be found. Claude appears in Army uniform, unseen by his friends, and explains, "I'm right here. Like it or not, they got me." ("The Flesh Failures"). Still unable to see him, the Tribe sings "Eyes, Look Your Last" in counterpoint with Claude's final "Manchester, England." Sheila reprises "The Flesh Failures," leading the Tribe into "Let the Sun Shine In." At the close, Claude is again lying alone center stage. With his sticks, Berger forms a cross and lays it on Claude's body.
Classic fairy tales (Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Ridinghood and others) are woven with the tale of a Baker and his Wife, who seek to break a spell of childlessness laid upon them by a crabby Witch. In Act One, a farcical, hilarious romp, the characters plot to get their wishes by whatever means necessary. All seems rosy until Act Two, when a furious Giantess arrives by beanstalk to seek revenge for her husband, whom Jack killed. Events turn serious as the characters learn about community responsibilities, the penalties of greed and the consequences of their actions.
Cast Size: Medium (11-20) Orchestra Size: Medium (12-17)
In one of the American musical greats, milkman/philosopher Tevye schemes to marry off his five daughters in pre-Revolutionary Russia. The traditions of his ancestors are shattered as the daughters assert their independence and when government troops brutally force Tevye and his fellow villagers from their homes. The curtain falls on Tevye's uplifting determination to make a brand new life in the New World.
Cast Size:Large (over 20) Orchestra Size:Medium (12-17) Chorus Required: large
This is a simple story of a young man who climbs to a position of great power and the girl who loyally hangs on during his climb and eventually wins him. In this wonderful musical satire on the Organization Man, his success is due neither to hard work nor any other ancient prescriptions for success. He gets ahead following the simple rules detailed in a book entitled How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying." Our hero, J. Pierrepont Finch, runs into many obstacles and overcomes them like a modern, comic Siegfried: there's his rival (the boss's nephew), the mailroom trap, the office wolf, the office party, the dangerous secretary, the board meeting, jealous executives and, of course, the big boss himself. From the first coffee break to the last elevator load on Friday night, office life is never the same once "Ponty" Finch settles in for the trip to the top."
Cast Size:Large (over 20) Orchestra Size:Large (17+) Chorus Required: small
Characters:Special Requirements:
In the song "Paris Original" all the singers wear the same costume.
Top of PageDamn Yankees opens in 1956 Washington, DC, where Meg Boyd and other "baseball widows" around the nation's capital lament about losing their husbands, who can be found doing nothing but watching TV or going to Griffith Stadium, all to cheer their beloved Washington Senators to victory over the New York Yankees Six Months Out of Every Year. Disheartened by another loss for the Senators, Meg's husband, Joe, mutters that he would sell his soul to the devil for "one long ball hitter" on the Senators. As soon as the words come out of his mouth, he is greeted by Satan himself in the form of the charismatic conman Mr. Applegate. Applegate claims he can make not only Joe's wish come true but he can also make Joe that ballplayer to fulfill his one lifelong dream. Using his real-estate business tactics, Joe talks Applegate into giving him an escape clause should he not like being a ballplayer. Applegate agrees to give Joe until the day before the season ends, September 24th at 9:00 PM, to get out of the deal at any time. Should Joe decide to play in the final game on the 25th, he will belong to Applegate. Joe says his final farewells to Meg while she is sleeping (Goodbye, Old Girl) and is magically transformed into 22-year-old Joe Hardy, the greatest ballplayer in history.
The next day, after a discouraging practice with many errors (Blooper Ballet), Benny Van Buren, the team manager, gives his team a pep talk, saying the thing that they really need against the Yankees is Heart. During the practice, Applegate has arrived and tries to demonstrate Joe Hardy's talents before Van Buren. His impressive hitting and fielding give Van Buren and the Senators no choice but to accept him on the team. While Joe Hardy is taken up to meet the commissioner, Gloria Thorpe, a reporter from the Washington Post, conspires with the team on how to make Shoeless Joe from Hannibal, MO well-known to the public.
After the first game with Joe At Bat, Joe Hardy becomes an instant idol and hero. The Senators' record dramatically improves over one month, with a chance at the Senators even winning the pennant. However, Joe is miserable without his wife Meg and is caught by Applegate sneaking back to his old neighborhood every now and then. To keep Joe Hardy's mind off Meg and perhaps increase the chances of him not using the escape clause, Applegate summons his seductive right-hand girl from hell, Lola. Once the ugliest woman in 18th-century Rhode Island, Lola sold her soul to Applegate for eternal youth and beauty. Lola boasts that with A Little Brains--A Little Talent, she can make Joe Hardy forget all about Meg.
Meanwhile, Joe Hardy finally gets the nerve to ask Meg if he can rent a room and live with her on the weekends where he doesn't travel for games. Meg agrees, noticing that he seems to miss someone he loves dearly, just like she misses her Joe (A Man Doesn't Know). Meg's best friends, Sister and Doris Miller, are anxious to meet Meg's new boarder and grow wild with excitement that Meg has taken in baseball legend Joe Hardy. Applegate tries to put a damper on Joe Hardy's plans to live with Meg and comes to the door dressed as a city official passing a new zoning law prohibiting renters. Joe Hardy shoos away Applegate and returns to the house to find Sister and Doris decorating his new room with some of Joe Boyd's old baseball memorabilia. After a tiring baseball game a week later, Joe Hardy is alone in the locker room getting undressed when Applegate comes in with Lola, dressed in her voluptuous Miss-Banana-from-South-America outfit. Lola tries every trick she has to seduce Joe Hardy (Whatever Lola Wants (Lola Gets)). However, Joe Hardy's love for Meg is too strong and he leaves without giving in to Lola. An angered Applegate sends Lola back to hell temporarily and decides to get Joe Hardy out of Meg's house by spreading a scandalous rumor about Joe Hardy and Meg which forces Joe Hardy to live in Applegate's apartment.
A month later, Mr. Welch, the team owner, decides to throw a party in Joe's onor. The Senators have had their best season yet and need to win one of the next two games for the pennant. Lola arrives at the party, wishing Joe Hardy good luck and stating her intentions to be his friend despite other orders from Applegate. She prepares a fan club to create a comical song-and-dance for Joe called Who's Got the Pain? While Joe Hardy is enjoying the party and some of the fan club acts (Heart (Reprise)), Gloria Thorpe comes up to Applegate, saying that she found no records of Joe Hardy in Hannibal, MO. Applegate spreads the rumor that Joe Hardy is really Shifty McCoy. When Gloria learns that Shifty McCoy threw baseball games in the Mexican league a few years back, she sends a paper on the street with the information. Upon hearing the information, the commissioner calls a hearing for the next day, September 24th. An outraged Joe Hardy tells the public that he will clear his name and win the final game as the curtain closes to end Act One.
Act Two opens on the discouraged Senators, the next day, who think that they will lose the game without Joe Hardy. Finally, they pull themselves together, saying they will win as long as they keep their minds on The Game. Meanwhile, Joe has agreed to meet Meg in the park before the hearing. Meg tries to comfort Joe about the upcoming hearing but at the same time realizes her confusion and bewilderment about the strange resemblance between her Joe and Joe Hardy. As Joe Hardy tries to cheer her up with the idea that Joe Boyd will come back again someday, Meg tries to imagine being in the arms of her own Joe (Near to You).
Back at his apartment, Applegate gloats to Lola about how he is so close to owning Joe. However, witnessing her sympathy towards Joe Hardy, Applegate begins to wonder what is wrong with his right-hand girl. Joe Hardy shows up after his rendezvous with Meg and decides that he wants out. There are more important things to him than being a baseball star. Applegate agrees to change him back at 9:00. If the hearing is still going on, he will pull Joe into another room and make the transformation. While getting dressed for the hearing, Applegate reminisces about fond memories of world disasters he caused (Those Were the Good Old Days).
During the hearing, which drags on for hours, no evidence is found proving that Joe Hardy is who he says he is. However, no evidence is found against Joe Hardy neither as a testimony from Senora McCoy (Lola in disguise under Applegate's orders) is dismissed. Finally, Sister, Doris, and Meg come in to save the day and testify that they are from Hannibal and Joe Hardy grew up with them. Although the hearing tries to find more evidence from a stalling Applegate, Joe Hardy asks Applegate not to stall so he can help the Senators win the game before he becomes Joe Boyd again at 9:00. Suddenly, Applegate spirits him away into Limbo far from The Trial.
Lola finds Joe Hardy in Limbo and guides him to the stadium where the Senators are losing 4-0 to the Yankees. She stalls a fanatic Applegate in limbo by putting on a pseudo-romantic routine for which he almost falls (Two Lost Souls). Suddenly, Applegate returns to his senses and realizes he has a game to throw. Not only will he have Joe Hardy for keeps but also the forty thousand Senators fans who would die to see Washington win the pennant. Lola tries to escape, not wanting to be there when Applegate throws the game. However, Applegate takes her to the game, furious at her betrayal.
When they get there, Washington is winning 5-4 at the top of the ninth. Applegate swears Washington will lose even if he has to change Joe Hardy back into Joe Boyd on the field. After two outs for the Yankees, Mickey Mantle hits a long fly to Joe Hardy in right field. While Joe Hardy runs for the ball, Applegate transforms him back into Joe Boyd just as the clock strikes nine. Joe Boyd gives one last lunge and catches the ball, winning the pennant for the Senators!
Before anyone can catch him, Joe Boyd runs out of Griffith Stadium. Just as the news bulletin about the mysterious disappearance of Joe Hardy comes on, Joe Boyd walks through the door into the loving arms of his Meg, happy upon his return. However, Applegate, who has just realized his mistake, is also waiting for Joe Boyd. As Meg holds Joe Boyd tight with enduring love (A Man Doesn't Know (Reprise)), Applegate tries to entice Joe Boyd back into his clutches with promises of having him win the World Series for the Senators as Joe Hardy. But Joe Boyd is no longer under Applegate's power, finally realizing the deep, true love he held for Meg. He kisses Meg as an oblivious Applegate throws a tantrum and screams, "You robbed me, you robbed me!"
Top of PageWho's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Edward Albee Drama. A husband and wife, George and Martha, battle each other with words. Not merely the typical adversarial banter one would expect, but true attacks. Both have some psychological problems, and have learned to exploit these weaknesses in attacking the other. They invite an unsuspecting young couple to dinner and quickly turn them into weapons. Martha tries to upset George by flirting with the young man, then becomes panicked when George shows approval. George brings up their son in conversations, while Martha claims they don't have a son and never did. A feeling that something is dreadfully wrong in this household becomes gradually apparent, until climactic revelation occurs in the end. Very powerful drama.Top of Page
"Loves Labor's Lost" - A comedy by WIlliam Shakespeare. Providing an insider's look at court life, "Loves Labor's Lost" follows a quartet of courtiers, led by the King of Navarre, who vow to live scholarly, monastic lives for three years. Their resolution is immediately put to the test by the arrival of the Princess of France and her beautiful ladies-in-waiting. Hilarious amorous escapades ensue, as the men woo the women while pretending to keep their vows. The play ends on a bittersweet note, unusual for a Shakespeare comedy. Cast of Characters: Ferdinand, King of Navarre Biron Longaville lords serving the King Dumain Princess of France Rosaline Maria ladies attending the Princess Katherine Boyet, a lord attending the Princess Marcade, a messenger Costard, a clown Jaquenetta, a "dairymaid" Anthony Dull, a constable Don Adriano de Armado, a Spanish knight and braggart Moth, his page Sir Nathaniel, a curate Holofernes, a schoolmaster A Forrester, Lords, and assorted AttendantsTop of Page
"She Stoops to Conquer" - by Oliver Goldsmith. Comedy in five acts by Oliver Goldsmith, produced and published in 1773. This comic masterpiece mocked the simple morality of sentimental comedies. Subtitled "The Mistakes of One Night," the play is a lighthearted farce that derives its charm from the misunderstandings which entangle the well-drawn characters. Mr. Hardcastle plans to marry his forthright daughter Kate to bashful Marlow, the son of his friend Sir Charles Marlow. Mrs. Hardcastle wants her recalcitrant son Tony Lumpkin to marry her ward Constance Neville, who is in love with Marlow's friend Hastings. Humorous mishaps occur when Tony dupes Marlow and Hastings into believing that Mr. Hardcastle's home is an inn. By posing as a servant, Kate wins the heart of Marlow, who is uncomfortable in the company of wellborn women but is flirtatious with barmaids. Through various deceptions, Tony releases himself from his mother's clutches and unites COnstance with Hastings. CAST OF CHARACTERS: Sir Charles Marlow Young Marlow, his son Mr. Hardcastle Mr. Hastings, Young Marlow's friend Diggory, the butler Mrs. Hardcastle Miss Katherine Hardcastle (Kate) Miss Constance Neville Pimple, the maid Landlord, Servants, etc.Top of Page
"The Good Doctor" - a comedy by Neil Simon.
This Broadway hit is a composite of Neil Simon and Anton Chekhov. In one
sketch a harridan storms a bank and upbraids the manager for his gout and
lack of money. In another, a father takes his son to a house where he will
be initiated into the mysteries of sex, only to relent at the last moment and
leave the boy even more perplexed than ever. In another sketch, a crafty
seducer goes to work on a wedded woman, only to realize that the woman has
been in command from the first overture. Let us not forget the classic tale
of a man who offers to drown himself for three rubles. The stories are
droll, the portraits affectionate, the humor infectious and the fund unending.
Originally this play was presented on Broadway with two men and three women
portraying 25 roles over 12 sketches. The most common method for production
(especially for little theater and college groups) is to cast the roles using
as many actors as possible, doubling only if necessary. Here are the skits
broken down with the character roles:
"The Writer"
Writer (who becomes the Narrator and ties all the stories together)
"The Sneeze"
Husband
Wife
General
General's Wife
"Surgery"
Patient
The Doctor's Assistant
"Too Late For Happiness" (a musical interlude)
Old Woman
Old Man
"The Seduction"
Husband
Wife
Lover
"The Drowned Man"
Writer
Drowned Man
Policeman
"The Audition"
Actress
"A Defenseless Creature"
Banker
Assistant
Woman
"The Arrangement"
Father
Son
Prostitute
"A Quiet War"
Man (Retired Army)
Man (Retired Navy)
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