Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board: Looking for a Musical

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weagz
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Joined: 7/27/05
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Topic: Looking for a Musical
Posted: 6/09/06 at 3:48pm

We are currently selecting plays for our next season. We are in need of some recommedations for musicals. Any size cast, but not soemthing that is too big. We are open to anything, so what have you done that worked well for your company or group?

Thanks!

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Playwright
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Joined: 4/01/06
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Posted: 6/09/06 at 6:23pm

Godspell is small size cast that can have as many additional cast as you want. It can be done in many different styles(genres) and has a small band instead of a big orchestra.

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alice
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Joined: 5/15/05
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Posted: 6/09/06 at 8:05pm

I did Radio Gals. It is a darling show. The music is great. We had a blast. The audience LOVED it. If fact we are thinking about redoing it with the old cast. Everyone is on board, except me, the director. I would love to do it, but I have a new job and I don't think I have the time. My set was really busy, and I don't think I have the strength to do that again. Anyway, look at it. It is wonderful. Alice

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tristanrobin
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Joined: 4/25/05
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Posted: 6/09/06 at 10:22pm

We had a great audience reaction to both "Wierd Romance" and "The Baker's
Wife." ("Weird Romance" is Samuel French; "Baker's Wife" is MTI).

Both medium sized cast - moderate set requirement (though "Weird
Romance" is fun because it's science fiction romance, and there are some
cool special effects to play with) - both have dynamite scores that can really
show off good voices. Neither are really shows for kids - though there's
nothing particularly 'adult' about them.

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Gaafa
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Posted: 6/10/06 at 12:28pm

This may not help but you could look at Irma La Douce;-
a play with music;-
http://www.nodanw.com/shows_i/irma_la_douce.htm

It?s rarely done by CT mainly because there is 28 roles for blokes & 1 women in the cast!
Of which only 9 are principle parts. But it was a great show to do!
As you would possibly be short on blokes, you could substitue them for women in certain roles?

Joe
Western Gondawandaland
turn right @ Perth.
Hear the light & see the sound.
Toi Toi Toi Chookas {{"chook [chicken] it is"}
May you always play
to a full house}

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pauliebonn
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Posted: 6/13/06 at 1:21am

Man of La Mancha is not too big of a cast, and is always a fan favorite. You could also try Urinetown, Bells are Ringing, Nine, and my personal fav, Little Me!

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jcorkran
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Posted: 6/16/06 at 10:16am

We just finished "Lucky Stiff" which can be done with various sized casts. It requires very little set, moves very quickly, and was very well received by our audiences. I'm not sure who handles it. I was opposed to it in the beginning, but it was great fun. It's zany, with people coming and going in different costumes all the time. The music tells most of the story, but uses character voices as opposed to grand opera.

Simply put, "Lucky Stiff" is sort of a musical "Weekend at Bernie's" involving a man who takes his dead uncle to Monte Carlo in order to inherit a promised fortune.

Jeff

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Cogsworth
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Joined: 7/05/06
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Posted: 7/05/06 at 9:11pm

Once On This Island is a fairly small cast. In fact, when we did it, the cast was a total of twenty people. The audiance loved it, and the majority response was that it was the best show we had done in a long time.

The show itself is very unique with a heartwarming story of a girl wanting more for her life. There is a lot of calypso style music seeing as the setting is an island in the Antilles. The original cast did contain an all African-American cast, but no one that was African-American tried out. There are simple changes that can be made to fit the cast.

I highly support this musical. Oh, and when it comes to props and set, there was no need for props and the set remained the same. We used platforms and a large set of stairs with a combination of plants and paper mache to create rocks.

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KudzuJoe
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Joined: 7/11/06
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Posted: 7/19/06 at 2:45pm

"Lucky Stiff" is a fun show....MTI handles it.

"Cotton Patch Gospel" is a great show.Music and Lyrics by Harry Chapin (yes, the "Cats in the Cradle" and "WOLD" Harry Chapin). When we did it, we had a cast of about 10-12. Dramatic Publishing handles this one.

Hope you find great stuff for your season

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B-M-D
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Posted: 7/20/06 at 12:18am

Originally posted by Cogsworth

I believe Once On This Island calls for a cast of around 12. I've seen it done with a cast of 20+ and I wouldn't recommend doing it with more than is required. With the production I saw it it took several seconds to figure who was singing or talking. Very disconcerting. This is one instance where I'd suggest if it ain't broke don't fix it. The writers, at least for this show, knew what they were doing in keeping the cast small.

"Dying is easy, comedy is hard."

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Topic: Looking for a Musical( Topic Closed)
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