Small Treasures
Small Treasures
When considering staging a musical for your local company or school, there are many factors to take into account. One of the most important will be the size of your cast. How many actors do you want or need and how do you best utilise them?! Not every musical needs an ensemble of all singing, all dancing triple threats, so I thought I might draw your attention to the catalogue of some of our incredible shows for smaller ensemble casts.
Archy and Mehitabel is an off-beat musical with a book by comic legend Mel Brooks. With a jazz score that remains one of the only examples of this genre in commercial music theatre, it tells the story of Archy, a poet and philosopher…and also a cockroach, and his desire to bring alley cat Mehitabel off the back fence and into the house as a ‘respectable’ house cat. Versatile actors play a variety of urbane, non-human city dwellers and designers will have a field day with the set of oversized props and set pieces. A true gem of the golden age, Archy and Mehitabel is a show not to be overlooked.
Daddy Long Legs is a charming two-hander with soaring melodies featuring music by Tony Award-nominated composer/lyricist, Paul Gordon (Jane Eyre), and Tony-winning libbretist/director, John Caird (Les Miserables). Based on the classic novel, which inspired the 1955 movie starring Fred Astaire, Daddy Long Legs tells a “rags-to-riches” tale of newfound love, in the spirit of Jane Austen, The Bronte Sisters and “Downton Abbey.” An all too rarely performed piece, it is a wonderful choice for college programs and community theatres with a sophisticated audience base.
The winner of the 2009 Tony Award for Best Musical Score, and the 2010 Pulitzer Prize, Next to Normal tells the story of a suburban household and how it copes with crisis and mental illness. With book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey and music by Tom Kitt, Next to Normal is a deeply moving piece of theatre that provides a wonderful opportunity for a small company of performers to explore dramatic material and showcase vocal talents with an energetic pop/rock score. An emotional powerhouse that addresses such issues as grieving a loss and ethics in modern psychiatry, Next to Normal is ideal for community theatres, as well as colleges and regional theatre companies.
A review style show, Closer Than Ever is filled to the brim with the songs of musical theatre giants Richard Maltby, Jr, and David Shire (Big, Starting Here, Starting Now, Baby.) Each song is a unique story told by a new character, taking audiences not only into the songbook of Mr Maltby and Mr Shire, but into the minds of individuals in a nonstop exploration of everyday struggles in the modern world. Whether presented as a fully realised production or a simple concert piece, Closer Than Ever is an alternative to the usual book musical, and a superb choice for companies that wish to inspire audiences to pause for self-reflection.
Other treasures from our catalogue for smaller casts include The Fantasticks, I Do! I Do! I Do! I Do!, John and Jen, and The Apple Tree.
Share
Callboard
-
Gift packs and awards all ready for tonights Schools on Stage presented by City of Casey (VIC). Wishing all participating schools the very best. How special to gather together in person once more to celebrate the joy of making theatre! #cityofcasey #schoolsonstage #theatreeducation #joyoftheatre #studentsrock
View on Instagram -
The Red Velvet Cake War by Jones Hope Wooten In this riotously funny Southern-fried comedy, the three Verdeen cousins - Gaynelle, Peaches, and Jimmie Wyvette - could not have picked a worse time to throw their family reunion. Their outrageous antics have set tongues wagging in the small town of Sweetgum (just down the road from Fayro) and the eyes of Texas are upon them, as their self-righteous Aunt LaMerle is quick to point out. Having "accidentally" crashed her minivan through the bedroom wall of her husband's girlfriend's doublewide, Gaynelle is one frazzled nerve away from a spectacular meltdown. Peaches, the saucy number one mortuarial cosmetologist in the tri-county area, is struggling to decide if it's time to have her long-absent trucker husband declared dead. And Jimmie Wyvette, the roughhewn store manager of Whatley's Western Wear, is resorting to extreme measures to outmaneuver a priss-pot neighbor for the affections of Sweetgum's newest widower. But the cousins can't back out of the reunion now. It's on and Gaynelle's hosting it; Peaches and Jimmie Wyvette have decided its success is the perfect way to prove Gaynelle's sanity to a skeptical court-appointed psychologist. Unfortunately, they face an uphill battle as a parade of wildly eccentric Verdeens gathers on the hottest day of July, smack-dab in the middle of Texas tornado season. Things spin hilariously out of control when a neighbor's pet devours everything edible, a one-eyed suitor shows up to declare his love and a shocking high-stakes wager is made on who bakes the best red velvet cake. As this fast-paced uproarious romp barrels toward its surprising climax, you'll wish your own family reunion was this much fun! License today! #joneshopewooten #dramatistplayservice
View on Instagram