Small Cast Musicals
Printed From: Community Theater Green Room
Category: Producing Theater
Forum Name: Play Suggestions
Forum Discription: Need help finding a show that's right for your theater? Ask here.
URL: http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=5420
Printed Date: 11/22/24 at 5:30am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 8.05 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Small Cast Musicals
Posted By: JGrigsby
Subject: Small Cast Musicals
Date Posted: 12/05/12 at 8:32pm
Good evening my fellow thespians.
I'm toying around with bringing a musical to the stage where I teach. I've been hounded by the kids to do one. However, I don't trust their commitment levels. I had to kick out four students due to lack of attendance in the fall play I just finished (one was two weeks before opening and one was a week and a half before opening). I fear they won't be willing to put in the time for vocal, acting, and choreography rehearsals.
That all said ... are there any good musicals out there that could fly with a dedicated group of 10 to 12 students? The show would need to be female heavy - I only have six males who are active in the school plays.
Thanks for any and all insight.
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Replies:
Posted By: edh915
Date Posted: 12/06/12 at 2:18pm
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Although I haven't personally seen it, there's a musical version of Little Women that's supposed to be pretty good. And there's always Dames at Sea.
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Posted By: directorjm
Date Posted: 12/06/12 at 4:50pm
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Assuming you have the singing voices for it, I'll second the idea of "Little Women - The Broadway Musical." It had a surprisingly short Broadway run especially considering that Sutton Foster played the lead. I love the show although like many shows based on novels it is a bit choppy.
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Posted By: diburbano
Date Posted: 12/08/12 at 2:13pm
We have an unpublished small cast version of http://www.caddiewoodlawnmusical.com - Caddie Woodlawn the Musical .
8 performers, any ethnicity.
Please contact us for the script!
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Posted By: KeeKeeDee
Date Posted: 12/08/12 at 8:03pm
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Ｗｅdid "Zombie Prom" with a small group, and R and H"Cinderella" with 14.
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Posted By: edh915
Date Posted: 12/10/12 at 3:49pm
Four more shows come to mind - mainly because they're ensemble type shows that you can fill with male or female characters as you desire:
Godspell
Stop the World, I Want to Get Off
The Roar of the Greasepaint, The Smell of the Crowd
Celebration (by Jones and Schmidt, the "Fantasticks" guys)
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Posted By: edh915
Date Posted: 12/10/12 at 3:54pm
Another popped into my mind just as I clicked "Post Reply" above:
You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown
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Posted By: JGrigsby
Date Posted: 12/10/12 at 4:04pm
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Thank you for your input. I greatly appreciate it. I don't know where I'll end up by the end of January. I would hate to get started with a musical and then I have kids miss vocal practice, blocking/acting, and choreography. I love musicals, some kids want me to do one, but I'm not sure. I'll look in to all of these suggestions.
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Posted By: edh915
Date Posted: 12/10/12 at 4:08pm
Then there are the review type shows like Songs for a New World
Or put together your own review with a Best of... theme:
Best of Broadway
Best of Cole Porter
Best of Steven Schwartz
Best of Sondheim
etc., etc.
Or how about Songs From Shows That Are Too Big and Too Expensive for Us To Do On Our Tiny, Little Stage,
and include songs from Phantom, Evita, Cats, Wicked, Les Miserables, Spiderman, Starlight Express, etc.
When you get to the world of reviews, anything is possible.
Break some legs!!!
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Posted By: edh915
Date Posted: 12/10/12 at 4:44pm
One last thought:
Grandma and Grandpa Were Hippies!
featuring songs from:
Hair
Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Tommy
Days of Future Passed
anything that was played at the Woodstock Festival,
or sung by Bob Dylan or Simon and Garfunkle
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Posted By: falstaff29
Date Posted: 12/11/12 at 6:35pm
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Little Shop of Horrors has a small cast. On the male side, Seymour, The Voice, Mushnik, and Orin (plus additional roles if you split up the Orin actor's Act II parts). On the female side, Audrey and the Greek Chorus (I forget their names, but there are three of them). You also need a puppeteer and a couple of other actors for Skid Row bums.
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Posted By: MusicManD
Date Posted: 2/21/13 at 9:06am
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This one's a bit of a stretch, but if your kids are all solid, the Seussical For Young Audiences edition only uses 12 actors and is in one act. After doing the full length version with a high school cast of 30, I can absolutely say the FYA version would have been much easier.
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Posted By: Rorgg
Date Posted: 3/06/13 at 2:26pm
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Last Five Years is awesome, and has a cast of two.
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Posted By: bunny
Date Posted: 9/24/13 at 3:49pm
I have the same situation as the OP and you mentioned Zombie Prom. How did y'all like that show? It's one I've been looking at.
Also, I love the review idea - are there parameters with licensing or royalties for performing songs from those shows?
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