Category Archives: Musicals

A Christmas Carol by Tom Smith

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A Christmas Carol

Drama with Music/ 5+ males, 5+ females (10-35+ performers possible)/ Full Length, Two Acts

Synopsis: An enchanting adaptation of Dickens’ classic tale of Ebenezer Scrooge and his redemption from a life of greed and sadness. When four ghosts visit Scrooge, he is forced to look at his life-past, present and future-and witness the effect he has on others. A “play with music,” the script includes four songs.

Most of A Christmas Carol may be read by clicking on the “Read It Now” button above. To obtain a complete reading copy, please see the Contact Information on this page.

Published by arrangement with YouthPLAYS

 

Read it Now
Performance rights must be secured before production
Contact information:
Amateur and Professional Rights:
YouthPLAYS
7119 W Sunset Blvd #390
Los Angeles, CA
USA 90046
E-mail: info@youthplays.com
Website: www.youthplays.com

About the Playwright: Tom Smith’s published plays include The Wild and Wacky Rhyming Stories of Miss Henrietta Humpledowning, ESL, What Comes Around, A Christmas Carol and Johnny and Sally Ann… (YouthPLAYS);Marguerita’s Secret Diary (Baker’s Plays); Gray (Original Works Online); andThe Pathmaker, Comedy of Errors (editor), Much Ado About Nothing (editor),Two Gentlemen of Verona (editor), and Love’s Labour’s Lost (editor) for Encore Performance Publishing as well as Dangerous, The Odyssey and Drinking Habits, published by Playscripts. His other plays have received productions both nationally and internationally. Tom is the recipient of the Robert J. Pickering Award for Excellence in Playwriting, the ATHE Playworks Award, the Orlin R. Corey Outstanding Regional Playwright Award, the Richard Odlin Award, a Seattle Footlights Award, and has been a selected participant in numerous playwriting festivals across the country. He is a proud member of the Dramatists Guild. Feel free to check out his website at www.tomsmithplaywright.com.

About the Composer: Roger Butterley has worked with artists ranging from Michael McDonald and Phoebe Snow, to Gavin DeGraw and Jill Sobule, and has appeared on more than 20 albums. He has a longstanding relationship with Sh-K-Boom Records, having music directed many of the Sh-K-Boom Room concert series, as well as music directing and co-producing the CD of Paul Scott Goodman’s Bright Lights, Big City. As a composer, he has written three full length musicals: Fallen Angel and Eagle Song (both with Justin Murphy), and Turandot: The Rumble For The Ring with Randy Weiner and Diane Paulus. Roger has also composed music for commercials and industrials for clients including Avis, Symbol Technologies, and Chase Manhattan. He recently completed music for a new ride at Hershey Park, The Reese’s Extreme Cup Challenge.

A Christmas Carol was first produced by American Southwest Theatre Company (Las Cruces, NM) in 2000.


A Night In The Kremlin — Book by Bernard Besserglik, Music & Lyrics by Bob Barton

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Musical Comedy/ Multiple characters, playable by 10 Men, 2 Women/ Full Length, Two Acts

Synopsis (from newyorktheatre.com): “A Night in the Kremlin is a wonderfully imaginative look at what happens when Harpo Marx travels to Moscow in 1933 amidst the building of the Soviet Union’s ‘Utopia.’ Once Harpo arrives he receives an interpreter, Valentina, and he befriends the Foreign Diplomat’s English wife, Ivy. After the two women take him to an audition at the Chekhov Theater (a hilarious moment), Valentina breaks down with unbearable grief. She shares with Harpo and Ivy that her boyfriend, Igor, is going to have to stand before the Party Committee to be judged and that it is likely he may be sent away. After getting all the details Harpo and Ivy both decide that Igor is being treated unfairly and that they will do whatever it takes to ensure that Valentina and Igor can live together without corrupt politics. So they go to Stalin!

“Stalin is deeply concerned with maintaining the Soviet Union and ensuring that it is for the working people. It is as he receives the good news that the US is recognizing the USSR that he encounters Harpo and Ivy. Unaware of the duo’s mission to challenge the Party Committee’s decision, Stalin starts to fall in love with Ivy. In turn, Ivy, uses her feminine ways to try to sway Stalin to reverse the committee’s eventual decision to send Igor away. Meanwhile Harpo attempts to use his comedic antics to trick and confuse Stalin into signing official papers to release Igor.”

Harpo met Stalin? Well, actually no. But he did visit Moscow in November 1933 as a kind of goodwill ambassador following the opening of US-Soviet diplomatic relations. We can imagine the rest.

Although Harpo is clearly the main character, Stalin runs him a close second. A set-piece scene at the close of the first act plays on Stalin’s (approximate) physical resemblance to Groucho Marx and the fact that Stalin was known to have a wicked sense of humour — of the dark variety, obviously.

Though the play’s humour is often farcical, the story structure is firmly based on historical reality and many of the events portrayed — for example, Stalin kissing ambassador Bullitt full on the lips — actually happened. Though enjoyment is the ultimate goal, the show aims also to cast a shaft of light on one of the great tragedies of the 20th century.

“A wonderfully imaginative look at what happens when Harpo Marx travels to Moscow in 1933 amidst the building of the Soviet Union’s “Utopia” . . . Although it would be very easy to assume that a musical about the Soviet Union might be dark, the musical numbers are primarily light and fun . . . Then there are sweet love songs . . . Overall a great time. I had a wonderful night at the Kremlin!”
– Michael Lockley, nytheatre.com


Bernard Besserglik interviewed about A Night in the Kremlin

Read it Now
Performance rights must be secured before production
Contact information:
Amateur and Professional Rights:
Bernard Besserglik
E-mail: besserglik@wanadoo.fr
Production website: www.a-night-in-the-kremlin.com
Address: 21 rue Eugène et ML Cornet
PANTIN
93500 France

About the Playwright: Bernard Besserglik was born in London and lives in Paris. A former foreign correspondent (and still a regular film critic), he spent four years in Moscow and is interested in all things Russian. For the past 10 years he has written screenplays, mostly in French but also some in English. He has a short film currently in production and several other projects under option. He is currently writing I Spied for Stalin, a love-story set in wartime Moscow, for Lark Productions (UK). He first collaborated with Bob Barton on the musicalLash Me to the Mast, Adrian Mitchell’s take on the Odyssey.

About the Composer/Lyricist: Bob Barton studied musical theory when young and has played jazz as a solo artist and with bands since his teens, touring the US extensively. He has written original scores and lyrics and arranged existing music ranging stylistically from pop to classical for publicity and educational films and videos. He is adept in all styles, ranging from blues and boogie to pop and rock. His influences come from the great tradition of jazz piano players: Fats Waller, Earl Hines, Bud Powell, Oscar Peterson, etc., but he has developed his own unmistakeable personal style.

A Night In The Kremlin premiered at the Midtown International Theatre Festival, New York in August, 2009.

Sample songs:

All Dolled Up by Shannon and Paige Underwood, music and lyrics by Will Hegarty

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A young girl in a "Darbie" doll box, with two others beside her, excited.

All Dolled Up
Paige Productions
Fountain Hills, Arizona

Comedy/ 26+ character, 13 female, 4 male, others various/ One Act

Synopsis: Darbie dolls have a pretty good setup. A dream house, endless wardrobe, and non-stop dance parties. Until, that is, a squad of third-graders set out to destroy everything.

But they’re no match for Darbie and her sisters. Move over mean girls, the original Plastics are back.

Buckle up for this wild ride through childhood in our modern world. A campy, witty, fun show with a record number of female and male lead roles for all ages.

Character Descriptions

“I loved being in this play. It was happy and funny and I wish it would never end”- Aubrey Erdos, an actor

“This play made people from age 5 to age 90 laugh and root for the characters” – Lara Palles, an actor’s mom

Read it Now
Performance rights must be secured before production
Contact information:
Amateur and professional rights:
Shannon Underwood
newyouthmusicals@gmail.com
Ph: 480-206-5343
newyouthmusicals.com

About the Playwrights/ Composer: Shannon Underwood is a professional speech and marketing writer in the wedding industry for over 15 years.

Paige Underwood is a 13-year-old co-writer and co-director of ALL DOLLED UP, the musical. She is the first-place winner of East Valley’s Got Talent and a second-place winner of Drama Notebook. Paige is the playwright of Shades of Green and Escape Room. Her goal is to make theater more accessible for everyone, and she is working on starting a non-profit to fund theater programs for schools that can’t afford them. Paige has acted in 35 plays, with her favorite roles being Ursula in The Little Mermaid, Emily Hobbs in Elf, and The Cat in the Hat in Seussical.

Will Hegarty is a professional songwriter specializing in creating songs for life’s key events, such as weddings, funerals, and birthdays. He has also written numerous college fight songs. Will has a background in business and journalism.

All Dolled Up was first produced by Paige Productions, Fountain Hills Arizona in June, 2023.

The cast of "An Enchanted April: The Musical" are arrayed across the stage, against a backdrop of gently glowing umbrellas hung mid-air.

An Enchanted April: The Musical by Elizabeth Hansen & C. Michael Perry

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A dark-haired woman in a gray coat and gloves points excitedly while sitting beside a blonde woman in a navy blue outfit who looks surprised. Both hold hats on their laps, with soft green projections on umbrellas glowing in the background.

An Enchanted April: The Musical
Theatre Row
New York City

Based on the novel by Elizabeth von Arnim

Musical/ 8 Characters, 5 Women, 3 Men (no doubling)/ Full Length, Three Acts

Synopsis: London, 1922. It’s a miserable, rainy, dreary day and LOTTY WILKINS, a dowdy woman of about 30, is miserable and dreary in it. Longing for a respite from the rain, Lotty finds refuge in her women’s club where she happens upon an ad in the “Agony Column” of the London Times that reads: “To Those who Appreciate Wisteria and Sunshine. San Salvatore, a small medieval Italian castle on the shores of the Mediterranean to be let furnished for the month of April.” Lotty longs to be basking in wisteria and sunshine and leave her drab and tedious life behind, if only for a month

Lotty befriends ROSE ARBUTHNOT, a rigid, reserved and sad sort of woman in her 30s, who yearns for a rest from her stifling duties and distant husband as much as Lotty. But they can’t possibly afford the castle by themselves, so advertise for companions to share the expense and are joined by two other ladies: MRS. FISHER a formidable and disapproving woman in her 60s, who wants only to sit in the sun to read and remember her receding youth, and LADY CAROLINE DESTER who longs for a place she can ponder life’s questions without the distraction of adoring suitors.

They all agree to rent the castle for a month of blissful privacy. But it’s more than they bargained for, and the castle’s wondrous enchantment affects Lotty immediately.

Only in dreams has she dared to imagine such a place as she transforms from a mousey, stuttering housewife and blooms into a radiant, confident “seer of all things.”  Wanting to share this “tub of love,” she writes to her husband, MELLERSH, an ambitious solicitor, and invites him to join her. He finds himself charmed by not only by the castle and its surroundings, but by his wife.

Meanwhile, Rose is tormented by the beauty of the place, for it only reminds her of the rift between her and her husband, FREDRICK, a middle-aged writer of lurid novels. While on a book tour, Fredrick serendipitously arrives at San Salvatore to visit Lady Caroline, not even aware that Rose is at the castle.

Amid the blossoms of fragrant wisteria, the hazy heat and sensuous silence, Lotty innocently and lovingly guides each lady through the charms of the castle and past their loveless lives to rediscover their hearts. Rose reunites with the husband she had distanced herself from after the loss of their child; Mrs. Fisher embraces the present and the love and kindness it affords as she lets go of her past; and Lady Caroline finds a soulmate who sees her for what she finally admits she is: a stunning, yet spoilt, sour, suspicious and selfish spinster, and loves her despite it.

In just a month — one short, Enchanted April — the lives and hearts of four women are transfigured by wisteria . . . sunshine . . . and a small medieval castle.

The show is about the redemptive power of love and friendship, and having faith that the people around us can better their lives and be happier than they are, through introspection, and because we believe in them.

“A tremendous success” – Peter Filichia, Broadway Radio

“An uplifting reminder that the joys of life can overcome times of adversity” – dctheaterarts.org

Read it Now

The first two acts of An Enchanted April: The Musical may be read by clicking on the “Read It Now” button above. To obtain a complete reading copy, contact the playwright at cmichaelperry53@gmail.com

Contact Information:
Amateur and professional rights:
C. Michael Perry.
cmichaelperry53@gmail.com
Ph.: 801-550-7741

About the Creators:

C. Michael Perry (Music, co-lyricist) was born in Colorado and raised in Chicago. He discovered theatre in high school and has built a lifelong career in theatre, film, and television. A graduate of Brigham Young University with a BA in Theatre, he has worked on more than 25 major network television shows, 300 commercials, and two feature films. On stage, he has performed before over 2,000 live audiences across the United States and Europe, earning multiple acting awards for his leading and supporting roles.

As a director, he has helmed over 40 productions at the community, educational, and professional levels and choreographed more than 50 shows. His work has also been recognized for excellence in lighting and scenic design.

An Emmy Award–winning composer, playwright, and lyricist, Perry has written or co-written over 30 musicals and 20 plays produced nationally and internationally. His credits include Cinderabbit (PBS), Entertaining Mark Twain, Anne with an ‘e’, Great Expectations, and The Miracle of Mirador. In addition to his theatre work, he is the author of several fantasy-adventure novels, including The Miracle of Mirador and The Blood Rose of Panador, the first two installments of his Daniel Light and the Children of the Orb series.

Perry is the founder of Leicester Bay Theatricals, which publishes and licenses nearly 500 plays and musicals worldwide. He lives in Newport, Maine, with his wife, Sharon, and is the proud father of four grown children.

Elizabeth Hansen (Book, co-lyricist) is a Writers Guild Award winner and Emmy-nominated screenwriter, playwright, and consultant whose dynamic career spans writing, directing, and acting. After graduating with honors from the University of Utah, she studied musical theatre performance at the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera Musical Theatre Workshop and acting technique with Charles Nelson-Reilly before moving to New York to train with the legendary Uta Hagen.

Her Broadway credits include A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine and Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up? She has starred opposite Milton Berle in Guys and Dolls, James Mason in A Partridge in a Pear Tree, Carol Channing in Hello, Dolly!, and Rudolf Nureyev in The King and I, along with numerous Off-Broadway and regional productions.

Transitioning from stage to screen, Hansen earned her MFA in Screenwriting from the American Film Institute’s prestigious Center for Advanced Film and Television Studies. Her work spans feature and short films, television, corporate and documentary writing, and theatre. She has also served as a script consultant for the Pasadena Playhouse and Entertainment Business Group, and directed productions including Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn for Sundance Summer Theatre.

In addition to her Writers Guild Award and Emmy nomination, Hansen was a finalist for the Humanitas Prize, received a Telly Award for her work with the Foundation for a Better Life, and has earned two Crystal Awards for excellence in corporate video writing.

An Enchanted April: The Musical was first produced by Utah Lyric Opera in association with Thunder Media Group at Theatre Row’s Theatre Two, New York City, in November, 2019.

“The score is luscious and lyrical” – theaterlife.com

“I loved it. Don’t miss it!” – Peter Filichia, Broadway Radio

Belles of the Mill — Book by Rachel Rubin Ladutke, Music & Lyrics by Jill Marshall-Work

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Musical Drama/ 14 Characters, 7 Women, 6 Men, 1 Boy, plus chorus of 3 to 6 Women/ Full Length, Two Acts

Synopsis: (From The Off-Off-Broadway Review [oobr.com]): “Out of the dark rises the rhythmic sound of machines at work. The lights fade up on a slow-motion tableau of women miming working in a mill. They start to sing, inaudible over the machines until with a collective stamp of the foot the machines stop and we are treated to the opening number, ‘Pennies in our Pay,’ leading into the defiant ‘We Strike.’

“It’s a strong, effective opening to a show with a strong, serious subject. The musical is an adaptation by Rachel Rubin Ladutke of her own play; this in turn is based on the real-life events of 1912 when immigrant female workers in the mill-town of Lawrence, Massachusetts decided to strike for decent pay in the face of police brutality, the National Guard, and town officials. Ultimately successful, their victory came at a great personal cost to the families involved.

“Ladutke’s musical tells this story through the experiences of a few individual characters, although a handful of smaller roles and the chorus of mill-workers help to suggest the wider community. The story follows two main families — first that of Sarah, the midwife whose license is revoked due to her support of women’s suffrage, her shopkeeper brother-in-law Hiram, and her nephew Jacob. Into their life comes Irish teenager Bridget.

“In a sense, her journey is that of the show: first introduced as the sexual victim of her boss Albert, she seeks help from Sarah; confronts the entrenched ideas of her uncle Father Paul; talks back to the unsympathetic chief of police; confronts her romantic feelings for Sean, the Irish policeman; and ends up as a spokesperson for downtrodden workers through the encouragement of union organizer Elizabeth Gurley Flynn.”

The first act of Belles of the Mill may be read by clicking on the “Read It Now” button above. To obtain a complete reading copy, please see the Contact Information.

“If you’re familiar with The Pajama Game, you’re probably aware that a musical comedy about labor relations can be entertaining. But you might not be aware of how much entertainment can be wrung from what is otherwise a musical drama . . . . Ladutke has highlighted many of the subject’s strong dramatic possibilities, and brought the conflicting emotions of all the characters to the forefront. The book is swift and compact, covering an amazing amount of ground in two hours . . . . the strike numbers are particularly strong and explosive.”
– Talkin’Broadway.com

A “Best of the ‘Fest” selection at the 2002 Midtown International Theatre Festival

Read it Now
Performance rights must be secured before production
Contact information:
Amateur and professional rights:
Rachel Rubin Ladutke
Tel.: 212-875-7785
Email: rachel@rachelwrites.com
www.rachelwrites.com
or
Jill Marshall-Work
MusicalMakers@yahoo.com
http://www.musicalmakers.org/
jillmarshallwork.html

About the Playwright: Rachel Rubin Ladutke is a playwright based in New York City. Grace Notes, her first full-length drama, has been widely excerpted in various monologue and scene anthologies. As one of four winners of the Pittsburgh New Plays Competition, it premiered at Pittsburgh’s Gemini Theatre in February 2000. Later that same year, it was staged at The Looking Glass Theatre in NYC.

The Belles of the Mill, a fact-based historical epic, was a stageplay Finalist in the 2001 Moondance Film Festival, and Runner-Up in the Coe College Playwriting Symposia and in America’s Best Writing Competition. It has been excerpted in three anthologies. Her latest full-length play, Clary’s Exodus, was awarded Honorable Mention in the prestigious Jane Chambers competition.

Rachel is a member of the Looking Glass Theatre Playwrights’ Lab, Membership Director of the International Centre for Women Playwrights, and an Associate Member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers and of the Dramatists’ Guild.

Belles of the Mill was first produced at the RAW Space as part of the Midtown International Theatre Festival in July, 2002. It was directed by Arlene Schulman.

Delphi or Bust — Libretto by Michael Colby, Music by Gerald Jay Markoe

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Delphi or Bust

Musical Comedy/ 8 Characters, 4 Women, 4 Men/ Full Length, Two Acts

Synopsis:
A musical satire of Greek mythology and epic adventure, written in the style of Greek allegory, except that most of its characters are original inventions.

Taking place in Ancient Greece, Delphi or Bust revolves around Candora — a young prophetess whose truthfulness gets on everyone’s nerves. She ends up competing with a pair of lovely and loony aspiring seers — Zircony and Nebula — to become the new Oracle at Delphi. Along the way, she is romanced by both a narcissist (Asphodel) and a dashing Cyclops (Cy), and almost murdered by Hernia, the Greek Goddess of Inner Disorder.

The first act of Delphi or Bust may be read by clicking the Read It Now button. For a complete reading copy, please see the contact information on this page.

“A DELICIOUS MUSICAL ROMP. Colby’s witty and pun-filled books and lyrics are in the style of Ira Gershwin and Cole Porter. All members of the cast have show-stopping numbers.” – Victor Gluck, Backstage

“VILLAGE VOICE THEATRE CHOICE: A witty spoof of Greek myths, invoking the incisive anarchy of Aristophanes and the Marx Brothers.” – Laurie Stone, Village Voice

“IDEAL ENTERTAINMENT FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY. A charming musical celebrating Greek mythology and the very act of story-telling, performed by an appealing cast. Delightful fun.” – Martin Denton, nytheatre.com

Read it Now
Performance rights must be secured before production
Contact information:
Amateur and professional rights:
Steele Spring Theatrical Licensing
3845 Cazador St.
Los Angeles, CA 90065
(323) 739-0413 / fax (818) 232-9158
http://www.steelespring.com

About the playwright: Michael Colby is the librettist/lyricist of such musicals as Charlotte Sweet (Drama Desk Award nomination), Tales of Tinseltown (Coconut Grove Playhouse), North Atlantic (Show Business Award), Mrs. McThing (Goodspeed), and Ludlow Ladd (New American Theatre). He was chief writer for the Drama Desk Award-winning New Amsterdam Theatre Company, and has written special material for numerous celebrities and Theatre by the Blind. He is a member of the BMI and The Dramatists Guild.

About the composer: Gerald Jay Markoe studied at the Manhattan School of Music and the Juilliard School, receiving Master and Bachelor of Music Degrees. His musicals include Charlotte Sweet (Drama Desk nomination), Delphi or Bust, Happy Haunting, and Ludlow Ladd. In addition to his theatre scores, he is the widely acclaimed composer of numerous CD’s which have topped the New Age best-seller charts. These include Music From the Pleiades, Music of the Angels, Zen Meditations and Celestial Mozart Volumes I and II.

Delphi or Bust was first produced by AMAS Musical Theatre, NYC in December, 1998.

Dinosaur Rock by Shari and Jerry Tallon

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Dinosaur Rock

Musical / Multiple Characters, 2 Female, 2 Male, other characters can be played by males or females / One Act

Synopsis: This delightful story is a musical theatrical performance packed with original songs as well as hits such as “Wooly Bully,” “Alley Oop,” and “Louie Louie.” As the characters journey back in time to find the missing rock from “rock ‘n roll,” you will be transported to the wild world of dinosaurs, learn important lessons, and participate in the adventure. Special segments about bullying, life lessons, and fun information about dinosaurs are included.

Dinosaur Rock is more than a play; it is a musical theatre romp with songs, dancing, live music, and tons of audience participation.

Production notes & school kit

“Terrific . . . . The children enjoyed participating with the songs, especially “The Bird Dance.” And they loved Bonehead!”
– J.R. Henderson School, Kingston, Ontario

Read it Now
Performance rights must be secured before production
Contact information: Amateur and professional rights:
Shari Tallon
PO Box 414
Sharbot Lake Ontario
K0H 2P0
(613) 876-0293
Email: shari.tallon@gmail.com

About the Playwrights: Shari & Jerry have been performing to family audiences for more than two decades. They have performed their own music, as well as favorite audience standards, on tours that have spanned North America and Europe. They have also performed widely on TV and radio. Their CDs include “Simple Songs For Circle Time,” “In My Backyard,” “Songs For Every Season,” and “Birthday Blast!”

Running since 1985, Dinosaur Rock has been performed throughout Canada, most notably at the Ottawa Children’s Festival in 1992.

Ichabod — by Phillip C. Wagner (Book & Lyrics) and Elizabeth DeVolder (Music & Lyrics)

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Ichabod, Tragically Comic Players, Vernon, BC

Musical Comedy/ 8 Characters, 4 Men, 4 Women/ Full Length, Two Acts

Synopsis: A family musical set in the 1780s in the eerie Dutch settlement of Sleepy Hollow along the Hudson River. The jealous Brom cannot stand the graceful, educated Ichabod winning over his girl, Katrina, and will have none of Ichabod’s flirting with the ladies. Determined to rid Sleepy Hollow once and for all of Master Ichabod’s superior airs, Brom does not stop at just smashing pumpkins!

Children from five to 95 will enjoy the lively music and spirited antics of all the characters. Everyone sings and dances — even the “horses.” As in the classic Disney animated film, the “Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” the chase is the climax. Watch out for Brom Bones’ horse, Dare Devil, as he gallops after Ichabod Crane’s horse, Gunpowder!

“The kids nearly fell out of their chairs with laughter during the second half.”
– Shoe String Children’s Theatre

Read it Now
Performance rights must be secured before production
Contact information:
Amateur and professional rights:
Phillip C. Wagner
Artistic Director
Tragically Comic Players
1552 Creighton Valley Road
Lumby, BC, Canada
V0E 2G1
E-mail: phillipcwagner99@hotmail.com
Ph: (250) 547-6045

About the Playwright: Actor, director, musician, and playwright Phillip C. Wagner studied playwriting at the University of Iowa, and both playwriting and directing at the University of Alberta. His play Murder at the Empress was first performed in Victoria by the Vancouver Island Players in 1979, and later adapted for a summer run at the Jasper Lodge in Jasper, Alberta.

Ichabod and the Headless Horseman premiered at the Four Seasons Musical Theatre in Victoria in 1986. Later it toured to 14 schools in Greater Victoria. In 2009, Phil joined forces with lyricist and composer Beth DeVolder to rewrite the music. The new Ichabod debuted at the Schubert Centre in Vernon, B.C. in 2009, and was remounted the next year at the Powerhouse Theatre in Vernon.

Currently the artistic director of the Tragically Comic Players in Lumby, BC, Canada, Phil is also a screenwriter and story editor.

Ichabod was first produced under the title Ichabod and the Headless Horseman by the Four Seasons Musical Theatre Company, Victoria, BC, Canada in 1986. The current version, with new music, was first produced by the Tragically Comic Players at the Schubert Centre, Vernon, BC, in 2009.

Jack and the Beanstalk — Libretto by Marcy Telles, Music by Jason Sherbundy

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Children’s Musical/ 4 Characters, 2 Men, 2 Women/ One Act

Synopsis: A musical version of the classic tale about a boy who must travel to the fair to sell his beloved cow. After a run-in with some buyers who think his cow is too scrawny, Jack meets an Old Woman who buys the cow for three beans. The beans, she promises, will allow him to ascend to the sky, where he’ll find a giant’s castle full of riches stolen from his late father.

When Jack angrily throws the beans aside, they grow into a giant beanstalk, which he climbs. At the top, he meets the Giant’s Sister, who hides him just in time: The Giant comes home and demands that his treasure — a goose, a purse filled with gold, and a singing Harp — be brought to him. Listening to the Harp, he falls asleep, and Jack and the Giant’s Sister escape down the beanstalk.

Home again, Jack is overjoyed to discover that his cow has been returned to him and, even better, they all learn a wonderful secret about the Giant’s Sister!

 

Read it Now
Performance rights must be secured before production
Contact information: Amateur and professional rights: Alan Rossett Amateur and Professional Rights:
Marcy Telles
754 Bamboo Terrace
San Rafael, CA 94903
Ph. 415-472-7639
mtelles@sbcglobal.net
About the Playwright: Composer and lyricist Marcy Telles has created scores for the musicals The Toymaker and the Elves (Das Puppenspeil, 1974) and The Three Golden Hairs(Morning Glory Theater, 1981). She has provided lyrics and librettos for two children’s operas Jack and the Beanstalk and Brementown Musicians (Cinnabar Theater, 1990 and 1997), and several children’s musicals: The Snow Queen, It’s a Wonderful Life (Cinnabar Theater, 1992 and 2001), Remote Control, Plants, and Princess Goodenough (1998, 2001, and 2002, various). In addition to her theatrical work, Marcy has provided compositions and lyrics for the Occidental Community Choir, Viva! Musica (a Japanese musical circus), and recording artists and groups such as A Few Good Friends, Biaja, Blake Derby, Michael Smolens, Randal Collen, and others. Marcy makes her home in Northern California and is always interested in new projects.Jack and the Beanstalk was first produced by the Cinnabar Opera Theatre, Petaluma, California.

 

Ludlow Ladd — Libretto by Michael Colby, Music by Gerald Jay Markoe

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Ludlow Ladd

Christmas Musical/ 8 Characters, 4 Men, 4 Women/ One Act

Synopsis: Part Dickens, part Gilbert and Sullivan, part Fractured Fairy Tale, this family operetta evolves through mock-Christmas carols. It centers on Ludlow Ladd, a poor young orphan in Victorian Liverpool. It’s Christmas night and his birthday, as Ludlow wanders the streets, searching for a home. The eccentric Grimbles take him to their house, already crammed with animals, plants, and Prudence, their bratty daughter. After annoying the Grimbles, Ludlow is left alone with their Christmas tree. He dreams of the tree turning into the magical Misssus Pinecones, who whisks him to the Land of Yuletime Cheer. The dream becomes a nightmare. But, once he wakes, a miracle leads Ludlow to become the Grimble’s son.

The first half of Ludlow Ladd may be read by clicking on the “Read It Now” button. For a complete reading copy, please see the Contact Information elsewhere on this page.

“Musical of the week. A jolly romp.”
– Show Business

“A fascinating prize. Plays off all the gooey sentiment that has been built up around the modern Christmas in story and song. Energetic, charming fun.”
– The Rockford Register

“Really wonderful.”
– Bill Thompson, Literary Manager, Actors Theatre of Louisville

Read it Now
Performance rights must be secured before production
Contact information:
Amateur and professional rights:
MIRACLE OF 2 PRODUCTIONS
330 West 42nd Street, 18th Floor
New York, NY 10036
(212) 757-6466
E-mail: info@miracleor2.com
Playwright’s website:
http://www.michaelcolby.com

About the playwright: Michael Colby is the librettist/lyricist of such musicals as Charlotte Sweet (Drama Desk Award nomination), Tales of Tinseltown (Coconut Grove Playhouse), North Atlantic (Show Business Award), Mrs. McThing (Goodspeed), and Ludlow Ladd (New American Theatre). He was chief writer for the Drama Desk Award-winning New Amsterdam Theatre Company, and has written special material for numerous celebrities and Theatre by the Blind. He is a member of the BMI and The Dramatists Guild.

About the composer: Gerald Jay Markoe studied at the Manhattan School of Music and the Juilliard School, receiving Master and Bachelor of Music Degrees. His musicals include Charlotte Sweet (Drama Desk nomination), Delphi or Bust, Happy Haunting, and Ludlow Ladd. In addition to his theatre scores, he is the widely acclaimed composer of numerous CD’s which have topped the New Age best-seller charts. These include Music From the Pleiades, Music of the Angels, Zen Meditations and Celestial Mozart Volumes I and II.

Ludlow Ladd was first produced by New American Theatre, Rockford, Illinois in December, 1982.