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.