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Three former college friends try to navigate adult life and relationships in the city. Married father Jack pursues affairs, Phil struggles with insecurity, and Don gambles a steady relationship on another conquest, exposing the prolonged adolescence beneath their claims to maturity.
Inside a lively casino near the French Riviera ("Overture"), con-artist Lawrence Jameson is tricking wealthy women out of their money with the help of his "bodyguard" Andre ("Give Them What They Want"). Muriel Eubanks and a few other women express their devotion and amorous feelings for Lawrence, who has conned them ("What Was a Woman To Do"). Andre warns Lawrence about a highly successful con-artist known as "The Jackal", who is said to be visiting the area. Later, aboard a train, Lawrence watches an American named Freddy Benson (who he figures is The Jackal) swindle a woman, but notes that Freddy makes much less money than Lawrence does. Lawrence brings Freddy to his lavish mansion, where Freddy envies Lawrence's success as a swindler and describes everything he'll have when he's rich ("Great Big Stuff"). Freddy asks Lawrence to show him his ways. Andre thinks Freddy is unworthy of Lawrence's attention and compares Freddy to a chimp in a suit ("Chimp in a Suit"). Lawrence is reluctant Freddy's request until Jolene Oakes, a woman he's conned, informs him at gunpoint that he's going to marry her and move with her to Oklahoma ("Oklahoma?"). Lawrence decides to use Freddy's help: Freddy poses as Lawrence's repulsive brother Ruprecht. Seeing that Lawrence plans to make Ruprecht a large part of their life together, Jolene calls off the wedding and leaves him behind. ("All About Ruprecht") After the pair argue over who did the most work, Lawrence begins to think that there isn't enough room in town for both him and Freddy. They make a bet: the first to swindle a woman out of $50,000 gets to stay in town, while the other has to leave. Immediately after they agree on this, the arrival of "The American Soap Queen" is announced. Her name is Christine Colgate, and she is optimistic, naive and hopelessly clumsy, constantly bumping into people ("Here I Am"). Both con men decide to target her. Freddy presents himself as a war veteran paralyzed from the waist down to win Christine's sympathy and get close to her. Christine and Freddy discuss his medical options and he explains that only one therapist, Dr. Shuffhausen, can help him, but he can't afford Dr. Shuffhausen's $50,000 fee. Christine tells him to keep his hopes up ("Nothing Is Too Wonderful To Be True") and offers to pay for the therapy just as Freddy had hoped ("The Miracle"). She reveals that Dr. Shuffhausen is at the hotel, and Freddy is shocked to discover that Lawrence is posing as Shuffhausen. After a short introduction ("Entr'acte"), Lawrence as Shuffhausen performs several torturous tests on Freddy's legs ("Ruffhousin' Mit Shuffhausen"), who has to endure them without complaint. In the side show Muriel meets Andre and the two fall in love ("Like Zis/Like Zat"). Taking Christine to a dance, Lawrence makes every effort to get close to her while Freddy helplessly watches ("The More We Dance"). When he realizes that Christine is not as rich as the men thought after she tells him she sold her possessions to afford the fee, Lawrence tells Freddy that they should call off their $50,000 bet. Freddy reluctantly agrees and they agree on new terms: whoever beds Christine gets to stay. Freddy convinces two sailors to kidnap Lawrence so that he can have Christine to himself. Freddy meets with Christine at the hotel where he tells her his condition isn't physical, but he needs emotional motivation to get out of his chair. She says she'll be his motivation ("Love Is My Legs"). She sits on the bed until he is finally able to stand up out of his chair and walk to her on the bed (where he "accidentally" falls on top of her in exhaustion). Lawrence then shows up and it turns out to be a test planned by him and Christine. Afterwards, Lawrence has the same two sailors kidnap Freddy while he takes Christine to the train station so she can leave, though feels conflicted after seeing how virtuous she was ("Love Sneaks In"). Freddy shows up, having escaped the sailors too late to get to Christine. The next day Freddy meets Christine back at the hotel, who says she couldn't leave without seeing him again. When the two agree to have sex, Freddy is excited over it and winning the bet, but realizes he has real feelings for Christine ("Son of Great Big Stuff"). The two get in bed together before the scene is switched to Lawrence's mansion where Christine arrives, telling him tearfully how she came back to see Freddy, how they had sex, and then when she woke up all her money was gone: “I’m beginning to think he was never really paralyzed.” Out of remorse and believing Freddy was responsible, Lawrence packs 50 thousand dollars in a suitcase and tells her to take it. Christine takes it, but returns and gives him back the suitcase saying, "I’ll have something so much better to remember you by" before leaving. A few minutes later Freddy shows up in his underwear. Lawrence is angry at him for taking Christine's money, but Freddy claims that they never had sex at all; they were about to when she knocked him out, and when he woke up all his belongings were gone. Lawrence then opens up the suitcase to find the money gone, replaced by Freddy's clothes and a note that reads, “Goodbye boys. It was fun! Love, 'The Jackal'”, thus revealing that she knew about their scam the entire time, and instead ended up scamming them ("The Reckoning"). The two men reflect on the events at Lawrence's chateau, agreeing that despite what happened, the entire thing was a ton of fun ("Dirty Rotten Number"). A while later Christine shows up, posing as a real-estate agent and bringing a group of tourists with her. After distracting the tourists, she reunites with Lawrence and Freddy, telling them that although she's made millions from scams in the past year, taking their money was the most fun. The men join Christine's scheme to scam the crowd of people together in the "Finale".
The Band’s Visit opens with a message on a projector screen that displays during the overture, reading: "Once, not long ago, a group of musicians came to Israel from Egypt. You probably didn’t hear about it. It wasn’t very important." In 1996, the Alexandria Ceremonial Police Orchestra, just arrived in Israel, are waiting in Tel Aviv's central bus station. They expect to be welcomed by a representative from a local Arab cultural organization, but no one shows up. The group's leader and conductor, the reserved and dignified Colonel Tewfiq Zakaria, gets annoyed with the behavior of Haled (the young trumpet player and ladies’ man of the band). He explains to the band that they will act with professionalism and avoid any embarrassments, lest they give their critics and sponsors ammunition against them. Tewfiq decides that the group will take the bus and instructs Haled to purchase the group's bus tickets. At the ticket office, Haled asks the clerk for a ticket to the city of Petah Tikvah, but due to his Egyptian accent, she misunderstands him and sells him tickets to the isolated desert town of "Bet Hatikvah". The scene shifts to Bet Hatikvah, where the residents bemoan the boring and monotonous lives they lead in the desert ("Waiting"). When the band arrives in Bet Hatikvah to blank stares, they approach two café workers, Papi and Itzik, to ask for directions to the Arab Culture Center for their performance the next day. Unsure who these men are and what they're asking about, they call for the café's owner, a charismatic woman named Dina. Tewfiq again asks for directions to the Culture Center before Dina realizes that they think this is Petah Tikvah, and explains that this is the wrong place, and they must have taken the wrong bus ("Welcome to Nowhere"). Tewfiq gives Haled an earful for the humiliation he has caused them, then asks Dina if the band can dine at the café on what little Israeli money they have left. As the rest of the band eats, the band’s assistant conductor and clarinetist, Simon, plays his original concerto (which he never finished). Dina returns and tells the group that the next bus does not arrive until the following day. After Camal, the band’s violinist, suggests contacting the Egyptian embassy, Dina begins to understand how much of a tight spot the band is in. She offers to have her, Papi, and Itzik house them for the night; Tewfiq is hesitant, but seeing no other option, he agrees. Dina brings Tewfiq and Haled back to her apartment for a place to sleep. In her kitchen, Dina inquires about Alexandria and muses that the big city must make you feel like you’re alive. Haled asks her why she stays in Bet Hatikvah if she wants more out of life, and Dina tells how she was once married and naïve, but nothing panned out the way she ideally hoped ("It Is What It Is"). She asks Tewfiq if he has a wife back in Egypt, and he responds that he did at one time but not anymore, leading Dina to believe that they are in the same boat. Dina then draws their attention to the only pay phone in town, which is guarded over every night by a man (known only as the "Telephone Guy") who obsessively waits for his girlfriend to call him, even though it has been a month. Dina convinces Tewfiq to let her show him around the town and buy him dinner, and Haled chooses to stay behind and let them enjoy each other’s company. Meanwhile, Itzik allows Simon and Camal to stay with him and his family, consisting of his wife Iris and their baby, as well as his father-in-law, Avrum, who is visiting for the night. Itzik and Iris sit in awkward silence at the dinner table; Itzik tells the officers that it is his wife’s birthday today, while Iris silently fumes. When asked about his café job, Itzik responds that he is in between jobs, and Iris bluntly states that her job is to "care for invalids". Avrum tells his guests that he is a musician as well, and despite Iris’s protests brings up how he met her mother that way. Camal asks what happened to Avrum's wife, and Avrum replies that she died last year. Simon rebukes Camal for his prying, but Avrum insists that it is healthy for him to talk about it. He tells the story of how he met his wife many years ago at a club, and remembers how music had been the foundation for their entire relationship ("The Beat of Your Heart"). Itzik, Simon, and Camal are touched by the story, but Iris continues to eat silently, avoiding all interaction as her father reminisces. As Dina and Tewfiq prepare to head out, Camal uses the pay phone to call the Egyptian embassy as the Telephone Guy watches him aggressively. Papi lets the rest of the band sleep in the café while he goes out; he has been invited by his friend Zelger and Zelger’s girlfriend Anna on a double date with Anna’s cousin Julia, but has anxiety about going out with her. Against Papi’s wishes, Haled tags along. Dina and Tewfiq sit down for dinner at a nearby cafeteria and quickly become the center of attention among the locals. Dina tells Tewfiq to ignore them and asks him what style of music his band plays; he claims that they are a traditional orchestra that sticks to classical Arab music. Dina recalls her childhood, and how every week she would listen to music on Egyptian radio stations from the likes of Umm Kulthum and watch Egyptian movies starring Omar Sharif. Tewfiq quotes one of the movies in question and they bond over the shared memories ("Omar Sharif"). Just then, Dina’s ex-lover Sammy enters with his family; it is implied that Dina is still having an affair with him. After an awkward greeting where Dina introduces Tewfiq, Sammy leaves with his family in a huff. Tewfiq suggests that it might be a good time for them to leave as well, but Dina decides to lighten the mood by putting on an Umm Kulthum song and having Tewfiq repeat his Omar Sharif quote. Back at Itzik and Iris’s apartment, Simon plays his concerto at Avrum and Itzik’s request. Itzik asks Simon why it was never completed, to which Simon replies that his life got too busy after he started it. Itzik relates to Simon’s writer’s block with a story about how as a child he missed his own birthday because he had climbed a tree, staying there all day because it was too relaxing to leave. Iris retorts that in actuality Itzik is afraid of growing up and is still hiding in his tree, and she grabs her coat and heads for the door. When Itzik tries to calm her down, Iris declares that she has fallen out of love with him, and storms outside. At the roller skating rink, Haled watches from afar as Papi ignores Julia and clumsily skates on his own. Papi stops a security guard from harassing Haled outside the rink, and as Julia passes him again, Papi remarks that he could never get girls the way Haled can. Upon hearing this, Haled reveals to Papi his impending arranged marriage back at home; the reason behind his Casanova attitude. Papi in turn explains his romantic anxieties to Haled, specifically that he can’t stop hearing the sea when his nerves kick in ("Papi Hears the Ocean"). After accidentally causing Julia to slip on her skates and fall down, as well as subsequently getting chewed out by Anna, Papi is petrified yet again. Haled helps to boost Papi's confidence and encourages him to "walk into the sea", which leads to Papi and Julia finally embracing each other ("Haled's Song About Love"). After their dinner, Dina takes Tewfiq to "The Park", which is just a bench in the middle of Bet Hatikvah. She asks him what it is like to have an orchestra and play music for an audience. He initially has trouble describing it, but soon he begins to show her what it's like to be a conductor by allowing her to mimic his arm motions. The topic shifts and Tewfiq opens up about his late wife, who he mentions died three years ago. Dina persuades Tewfiq to sing her the song that he sang before his wife many years ago while she conducts ("Itgara’a"). Despite not being able to understand his Arabic lyrics, she remains mesmerized by him for reasons she cannot fully explain, and wonders if his visit to Bet Hatikvah was meant for her by fate ("Something Different"). Dina asks Tewfiq if he had any children with his wife, and Tewfiq tells her that they had a son together. Their conversation is interrupted when Sammy returns to chastise Dina for their interaction at dinner, causing his current wife to ask questions. Tewfiq breaks up their argument and defiantly implores Dina to forgive Sammy for his mistakes. Sammy warns Dina before exiting, and a fatigued Tewfiq demands to leave the park; Dina reluctantly agrees. As Camal accompanies outside the scene, Itzik sings his son to sleep, lamenting that he never follows through with his plans but his patience is what gets him through life ("Itzik's Lullaby"). Simon is still concerned about Iris leaving, but Itzik tells him that this happens often and she always returns. Soon, she does, and their son begins to cry. Simon is able to soothe the infant by playing his incomplete concerto again, this time finally finishing it. Iris has a tearful reconciliation with Itzik; Avrum takes this as his cue to leave, and Simon says goodbye to him before going to bed. The Egyptian embassy calls back about sending a bus and Camal responds, afterwards letting the Telephone Guy return to his post. Dina and Tewfiq approach her apartment, and Dina makes a romantic advance toward Tewfiq, telling him that she wants to live the love that their Arab songs and movies portray despite her fears and doubts. Tewfiq refuses, informing Dina that his wife died because of him. He goes on to clarify that he never understood his son and was unnecessarily harsh with him, leading his son to take his own life, breaking his wife’s heart beyond repair. Haled returns, and they all enter the apartment in silence. Tewfiq and Haled share an uncharacteristic moment of bonding before Tewfiq heads off to bed without another word.
While relocated to Buffalo, New York, the musical closely follows the film. In depressed Buffalo, New York, the once-successful steel mills have grown brown with rust, rolling equipment has been removed, and the lines are silent. Best friends Jerry Lukowski and Dave Bukatinsky, along with the other unemployed mill workers, collect unemployment checks and ponder their lost lives ("Scrap"). Elsewhere, Dave's wife Georgie and her friends are celebrating their newfound independence and wealth as the sole earners of their families by attending a Chippendales performance ("It's a Woman's World"). While hiding in the bathroom of the strip club, Jerry and Dave hear how unhappy Georgie is over Dave's insecurities (in part because of his weight) and Pam, Jerry's ex-wife, laments the loss of her marriage and her plans to take court action against him for the child support payments that he's failed to make since losing his job. Compromising the situation further is Jerry's son, Nathan, who reluctantly spends time with him; he has grown tired of his father's seeming lack of motivation. After talking to the stripper in the Chippendales act, Jerry and Dave are intrigued by the women's willingness to pay for a striptease act. Jerry is convinced that his ship has finally come in: he decides to organize a similar act of his own, with the intent to earn enough money to pay for his child support obligations ("Man"). The first to join the act is gauche and lonely Malcolm, a security guard at the steel mill where Dave and Jerry once worked. Malcolm tries to commit suicide by asphyxiating himself in his car through carbon monoxide poisoning. Dave pulls him out, and Jerry and Dave discuss various methods to commit suicide ("Big-Ass Rock"). Malcolm ultimately joins in and with the reassurance of his new-found friends behind him, he joins the fledgling lineup. His rescue and inclusion in the group gives him a newly optimistic and confident outlook on life. He also starts to grow more independent from his domineering, invalid mother, Molly. Next on Dave and Jerry's list is their former foreman, the middle-class aspirant Harold Nichols, who is taking a ballroom dance class with his immaculately groomed wife, Vicki. While Harold explains that he has concealed his unemployment from his materialistic wife, Vicki blithely sings about their marriage ("Life with Harold"). Dave and Jerry tell him of their scheme; with literally no options left, Harold agrees to be the act's choreographer. In a sequence of scenes, former co-workers perform strip-tease auditions. One of the auditionees is invited to sit down after he flunks; he declines, saying that his children are outside waiting 'in the car' and that 'this is no place for kids' before glancing over at Nathan before leaving. Other auditioners are, hired: Noah 'Horse' Simmons, for his comprehensive dance knowledge (while overlooking evidence of advanced arthritis), and Ethan Girard, who longs to dance like Donald O'Connor in Singin' in the Rain and has a jaw-dropping, euphemism-inducing penis ("Big Black Man"). They are also joined by Jeanette Burmeister, a tough, seen-it-all showbiz musician who "shows up, piano and all" to accompany the boys' rehearsals. Elsewhere, Dave contemplates his weight and Harold contemplates Vicki's spending habits ("You Rule My World"). At the first rehearsal, Harold feels the men are hopeless, but Jerry fires them up, encouraging them to think of it not as dance, but as sports moves ("Michael Jordan's Ball"). As the men practice, doubts continue to creep in about whether this is the best way to make some money, due to their individual insecurities over their appearances. Jeanette is particularly straightforward ("Jeanette's Showbiz Number"). Requiring a deposit at the club, Jerry tries to get seed money from Pam, which she denies. Nathan eventually provides some college funds, and Jerry is moved by Nathan's growing belief in his father ("Breeze Off the River"). Later, as the men are rehearsing at Harold's house, they undress in front of each other for the first time, and have nightmare visions that the women of the town will find them inadequate ("The Goods"). They are interrupted by repossessors who are scared off by the scantily clad men; their mutual friendships continue to grow. During a dress rehearsal, the boys get literally caught with their pants down wearing thongs, causing Jerry, Horse, Harold, Jeanette, and Nathan to be brought into a police station. Malcolm and Ethan successfully escape, and fall into a homoerotic embrace after they climb through the window of Malcolm's house. They are interrupted by the sudden illness of Molly. After Pam tearfully picks up Nathan ("Man (Reprise)"), the boys are brought together at the funeral of Malcolm's mother, where he is joined by Ethan in subtly announcing their relationship ("You Walk with Me"). Later, the men are approached on the street by local women acquaintances who have heard of their show. Jerry declares that their show will be better than the Chippendales dancers because they'll go "the full monty"—strip all the way. Dave, meanwhile, quits less than a week before the show, deprecating himself as a 'fat bastard' whom no one would want to see in the nude—including his wife, Georgie. Their secret out, all seems lost for the members of Hot Metal—their "stage name". But Georgie and Vicki reconfirm their love for their husbands despite their failures ("You Rule My World (Reprise)"). It is also revealed the arrest publicity has spiked ticket sales. With not much left to lose, and a sold-out show, the men decide to go for it for one night, including Harold, who has finally gotten a job. Dave finds his confidence and joins the rest of the group, but Jerry has a last minute loss of his. Nathan convinces him to go on and he joins the boys for the final performance. With the support of friends, family, and townspeople, the boys perform one final show ("Let It Go").
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown is a musical with music and lyrics by David Yazbek and a book by Jeffrey Lane. Based on the Pedro Almodóvar film Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988), the musical tells the tale of a group of women in late 20th-century Madrid whose relationships with men lead to a tumultuous 48 hours of love, confusion and passion. The original Broadway production opened at the Belasco Theatre in October 2010, but received mostly negative reviews and closed in January 2011 after 30 previews and 69 performances. It was nominated for 3 Tony Awards and 6 Drama Desk Awards. With new direction and production design, the musical transferred to London and opened at the Playhouse Theatre in January 2015, where it received mixed to positive reviews and 2 Laurence Olivier Award nominations. It closed in May of that year.
Three former college friends try to navigate adult life and relationships in the city. Married father Jack pursues affairs, Phil struggles with insecurity, and Don gambles a steady relationship on another conquest, exposing the prolonged adolescence beneath their claims to maturity.
Inside a lively casino near the French Riviera ("Overture"), con-artist Lawrence Jameson is tricking wealthy women out of their money with the help of his "bodyguard" Andre ("Give Them What They Want"). Muriel Eubanks and a few other women express their devotion and amorous feelings for Lawrence, who has conned them ("What Was a Woman To Do"). Andre warns Lawrence about a highly successful con-artist known as "The Jackal", who is said to be visiting the area. Later, aboard a train, Lawrence watches an American named Freddy Benson (who he figures is The Jackal) swindle a woman, but notes that Freddy makes much less money than Lawrence does. Lawrence brings Freddy to his lavish mansion, where Freddy envies Lawrence's success as a swindler and describes everything he'll have when he's rich ("Great Big Stuff"). Freddy asks Lawrence to show him his ways. Andre thinks Freddy is unworthy of Lawrence's attention and compares Freddy to a chimp in a suit ("Chimp in a Suit"). Lawrence is reluctant Freddy's request until Jolene Oakes, a woman he's conned, informs him at gunpoint that he's going to marry her and move with her to Oklahoma ("Oklahoma?"). Lawrence decides to use Freddy's help: Freddy poses as Lawrence's repulsive brother Ruprecht. Seeing that Lawrence plans to make Ruprecht a large part of their life together, Jolene calls off the wedding and leaves him behind. ("All About Ruprecht") After the pair argue over who did the most work, Lawrence begins to think that there isn't enough room in town for both him and Freddy. They make a bet: the first to swindle a woman out of $50,000 gets to stay in town, while the other has to leave. Immediately after they agree on this, the arrival of "The American Soap Queen" is announced. Her name is Christine Colgate, and she is optimistic, naive and hopelessly clumsy, constantly bumping into people ("Here I Am"). Both con men decide to target her. Freddy presents himself as a war veteran paralyzed from the waist down to win Christine's sympathy and get close to her. Christine and Freddy discuss his medical options and he explains that only one therapist, Dr. Shuffhausen, can help him, but he can't afford Dr. Shuffhausen's $50,000 fee. Christine tells him to keep his hopes up ("Nothing Is Too Wonderful To Be True") and offers to pay for the therapy just as Freddy had hoped ("The Miracle"). She reveals that Dr. Shuffhausen is at the hotel, and Freddy is shocked to discover that Lawrence is posing as Shuffhausen. After a short introduction ("Entr'acte"), Lawrence as Shuffhausen performs several torturous tests on Freddy's legs ("Ruffhousin' Mit Shuffhausen"), who has to endure them without complaint. In the side show Muriel meets Andre and the two fall in love ("Like Zis/Like Zat"). Taking Christine to a dance, Lawrence makes every effort to get close to her while Freddy helplessly watches ("The More We Dance"). When he realizes that Christine is not as rich as the men thought after she tells him she sold her possessions to afford the fee, Lawrence tells Freddy that they should call off their $50,000 bet. Freddy reluctantly agrees and they agree on new terms: whoever beds Christine gets to stay. Freddy convinces two sailors to kidnap Lawrence so that he can have Christine to himself. Freddy meets with Christine at the hotel where he tells her his condition isn't physical, but he needs emotional motivation to get out of his chair. She says she'll be his motivation ("Love Is My Legs"). She sits on the bed until he is finally able to stand up out of his chair and walk to her on the bed (where he "accidentally" falls on top of her in exhaustion). Lawrence then shows up and it turns out to be a test planned by him and Christine. Afterwards, Lawrence has the same two sailors kidnap Freddy while he takes Christine to the train station so she can leave, though feels conflicted after seeing how virtuous she was ("Love Sneaks In"). Freddy shows up, having escaped the sailors too late to get to Christine. The next day Freddy meets Christine back at the hotel, who says she couldn't leave without seeing him again. When the two agree to have sex, Freddy is excited over it and winning the bet, but realizes he has real feelings for Christine ("Son of Great Big Stuff"). The two get in bed together before the scene is switched to Lawrence's mansion where Christine arrives, telling him tearfully how she came back to see Freddy, how they had sex, and then when she woke up all her money was gone: “I’m beginning to think he was never really paralyzed.” Out of remorse and believing Freddy was responsible, Lawrence packs 50 thousand dollars in a suitcase and tells her to take it. Christine takes it, but returns and gives him back the suitcase saying, "I’ll have something so much better to remember you by" before leaving. A few minutes later Freddy shows up in his underwear. Lawrence is angry at him for taking Christine's money, but Freddy claims that they never had sex at all; they were about to when she knocked him out, and when he woke up all his belongings were gone. Lawrence then opens up the suitcase to find the money gone, replaced by Freddy's clothes and a note that reads, “Goodbye boys. It was fun! Love, 'The Jackal'”, thus revealing that she knew about their scam the entire time, and instead ended up scamming them ("The Reckoning"). The two men reflect on the events at Lawrence's chateau, agreeing that despite what happened, the entire thing was a ton of fun ("Dirty Rotten Number"). A while later Christine shows up, posing as a real-estate agent and bringing a group of tourists with her. After distracting the tourists, she reunites with Lawrence and Freddy, telling them that although she's made millions from scams in the past year, taking their money was the most fun. The men join Christine's scheme to scam the crowd of people together in the "Finale".
The Band’s Visit opens with a message on a projector screen that displays during the overture, reading: "Once, not long ago, a group of musicians came to Israel from Egypt. You probably didn’t hear about it. It wasn’t very important." In 1996, the Alexandria Ceremonial Police Orchestra, just arrived in Israel, are waiting in Tel Aviv's central bus station. They expect to be welcomed by a representative from a local Arab cultural organization, but no one shows up. The group's leader and conductor, the reserved and dignified Colonel Tewfiq Zakaria, gets annoyed with the behavior of Haled (the young trumpet player and ladies’ man of the band). He explains to the band that they will act with professionalism and avoid any embarrassments, lest they give their critics and sponsors ammunition against them. Tewfiq decides that the group will take the bus and instructs Haled to purchase the group's bus tickets. At the ticket office, Haled asks the clerk for a ticket to the city of Petah Tikvah, but due to his Egyptian accent, she misunderstands him and sells him tickets to the isolated desert town of "Bet Hatikvah". The scene shifts to Bet Hatikvah, where the residents bemoan the boring and monotonous lives they lead in the desert ("Waiting"). When the band arrives in Bet Hatikvah to blank stares, they approach two café workers, Papi and Itzik, to ask for directions to the Arab Culture Center for their performance the next day. Unsure who these men are and what they're asking about, they call for the café's owner, a charismatic woman named Dina. Tewfiq again asks for directions to the Culture Center before Dina realizes that they think this is Petah Tikvah, and explains that this is the wrong place, and they must have taken the wrong bus ("Welcome to Nowhere"). Tewfiq gives Haled an earful for the humiliation he has caused them, then asks Dina if the band can dine at the café on what little Israeli money they have left. As the rest of the band eats, the band’s assistant conductor and clarinetist, Simon, plays his original concerto (which he never finished). Dina returns and tells the group that the next bus does not arrive until the following day. After Camal, the band’s violinist, suggests contacting the Egyptian embassy, Dina begins to understand how much of a tight spot the band is in. She offers to have her, Papi, and Itzik house them for the night; Tewfiq is hesitant, but seeing no other option, he agrees. Dina brings Tewfiq and Haled back to her apartment for a place to sleep. In her kitchen, Dina inquires about Alexandria and muses that the big city must make you feel like you’re alive. Haled asks her why she stays in Bet Hatikvah if she wants more out of life, and Dina tells how she was once married and naïve, but nothing panned out the way she ideally hoped ("It Is What It Is"). She asks Tewfiq if he has a wife back in Egypt, and he responds that he did at one time but not anymore, leading Dina to believe that they are in the same boat. Dina then draws their attention to the only pay phone in town, which is guarded over every night by a man (known only as the "Telephone Guy") who obsessively waits for his girlfriend to call him, even though it has been a month. Dina convinces Tewfiq to let her show him around the town and buy him dinner, and Haled chooses to stay behind and let them enjoy each other’s company. Meanwhile, Itzik allows Simon and Camal to stay with him and his family, consisting of his wife Iris and their baby, as well as his father-in-law, Avrum, who is visiting for the night. Itzik and Iris sit in awkward silence at the dinner table; Itzik tells the officers that it is his wife’s birthday today, while Iris silently fumes. When asked about his café job, Itzik responds that he is in between jobs, and Iris bluntly states that her job is to "care for invalids". Avrum tells his guests that he is a musician as well, and despite Iris’s protests brings up how he met her mother that way. Camal asks what happened to Avrum's wife, and Avrum replies that she died last year. Simon rebukes Camal for his prying, but Avrum insists that it is healthy for him to talk about it. He tells the story of how he met his wife many years ago at a club, and remembers how music had been the foundation for their entire relationship ("The Beat of Your Heart"). Itzik, Simon, and Camal are touched by the story, but Iris continues to eat silently, avoiding all interaction as her father reminisces. As Dina and Tewfiq prepare to head out, Camal uses the pay phone to call the Egyptian embassy as the Telephone Guy watches him aggressively. Papi lets the rest of the band sleep in the café while he goes out; he has been invited by his friend Zelger and Zelger’s girlfriend Anna on a double date with Anna’s cousin Julia, but has anxiety about going out with her. Against Papi’s wishes, Haled tags along. Dina and Tewfiq sit down for dinner at a nearby cafeteria and quickly become the center of attention among the locals. Dina tells Tewfiq to ignore them and asks him what style of music his band plays; he claims that they are a traditional orchestra that sticks to classical Arab music. Dina recalls her childhood, and how every week she would listen to music on Egyptian radio stations from the likes of Umm Kulthum and watch Egyptian movies starring Omar Sharif. Tewfiq quotes one of the movies in question and they bond over the shared memories ("Omar Sharif"). Just then, Dina’s ex-lover Sammy enters with his family; it is implied that Dina is still having an affair with him. After an awkward greeting where Dina introduces Tewfiq, Sammy leaves with his family in a huff. Tewfiq suggests that it might be a good time for them to leave as well, but Dina decides to lighten the mood by putting on an Umm Kulthum song and having Tewfiq repeat his Omar Sharif quote. Back at Itzik and Iris’s apartment, Simon plays his concerto at Avrum and Itzik’s request. Itzik asks Simon why it was never completed, to which Simon replies that his life got too busy after he started it. Itzik relates to Simon’s writer’s block with a story about how as a child he missed his own birthday because he had climbed a tree, staying there all day because it was too relaxing to leave. Iris retorts that in actuality Itzik is afraid of growing up and is still hiding in his tree, and she grabs her coat and heads for the door. When Itzik tries to calm her down, Iris declares that she has fallen out of love with him, and storms outside. At the roller skating rink, Haled watches from afar as Papi ignores Julia and clumsily skates on his own. Papi stops a security guard from harassing Haled outside the rink, and as Julia passes him again, Papi remarks that he could never get girls the way Haled can. Upon hearing this, Haled reveals to Papi his impending arranged marriage back at home; the reason behind his Casanova attitude. Papi in turn explains his romantic anxieties to Haled, specifically that he can’t stop hearing the sea when his nerves kick in ("Papi Hears the Ocean"). After accidentally causing Julia to slip on her skates and fall down, as well as subsequently getting chewed out by Anna, Papi is petrified yet again. Haled helps to boost Papi's confidence and encourages him to "walk into the sea", which leads to Papi and Julia finally embracing each other ("Haled's Song About Love"). After their dinner, Dina takes Tewfiq to "The Park", which is just a bench in the middle of Bet Hatikvah. She asks him what it is like to have an orchestra and play music for an audience. He initially has trouble describing it, but soon he begins to show her what it's like to be a conductor by allowing her to mimic his arm motions. The topic shifts and Tewfiq opens up about his late wife, who he mentions died three years ago. Dina persuades Tewfiq to sing her the song that he sang before his wife many years ago while she conducts ("Itgara’a"). Despite not being able to understand his Arabic lyrics, she remains mesmerized by him for reasons she cannot fully explain, and wonders if his visit to Bet Hatikvah was meant for her by fate ("Something Different"). Dina asks Tewfiq if he had any children with his wife, and Tewfiq tells her that they had a son together. Their conversation is interrupted when Sammy returns to chastise Dina for their interaction at dinner, causing his current wife to ask questions. Tewfiq breaks up their argument and defiantly implores Dina to forgive Sammy for his mistakes. Sammy warns Dina before exiting, and a fatigued Tewfiq demands to leave the park; Dina reluctantly agrees. As Camal accompanies outside the scene, Itzik sings his son to sleep, lamenting that he never follows through with his plans but his patience is what gets him through life ("Itzik's Lullaby"). Simon is still concerned about Iris leaving, but Itzik tells him that this happens often and she always returns. Soon, she does, and their son begins to cry. Simon is able to soothe the infant by playing his incomplete concerto again, this time finally finishing it. Iris has a tearful reconciliation with Itzik; Avrum takes this as his cue to leave, and Simon says goodbye to him before going to bed. The Egyptian embassy calls back about sending a bus and Camal responds, afterwards letting the Telephone Guy return to his post. Dina and Tewfiq approach her apartment, and Dina makes a romantic advance toward Tewfiq, telling him that she wants to live the love that their Arab songs and movies portray despite her fears and doubts. Tewfiq refuses, informing Dina that his wife died because of him. He goes on to clarify that he never understood his son and was unnecessarily harsh with him, leading his son to take his own life, breaking his wife’s heart beyond repair. Haled returns, and they all enter the apartment in silence. Tewfiq and Haled share an uncharacteristic moment of bonding before Tewfiq heads off to bed without another word.
While relocated to Buffalo, New York, the musical closely follows the film. In depressed Buffalo, New York, the once-successful steel mills have grown brown with rust, rolling equipment has been removed, and the lines are silent. Best friends Jerry Lukowski and Dave Bukatinsky, along with the other unemployed mill workers, collect unemployment checks and ponder their lost lives ("Scrap"). Elsewhere, Dave's wife Georgie and her friends are celebrating their newfound independence and wealth as the sole earners of their families by attending a Chippendales performance ("It's a Woman's World"). While hiding in the bathroom of the strip club, Jerry and Dave hear how unhappy Georgie is over Dave's insecurities (in part because of his weight) and Pam, Jerry's ex-wife, laments the loss of her marriage and her plans to take court action against him for the child support payments that he's failed to make since losing his job. Compromising the situation further is Jerry's son, Nathan, who reluctantly spends time with him; he has grown tired of his father's seeming lack of motivation. After talking to the stripper in the Chippendales act, Jerry and Dave are intrigued by the women's willingness to pay for a striptease act. Jerry is convinced that his ship has finally come in: he decides to organize a similar act of his own, with the intent to earn enough money to pay for his child support obligations ("Man"). The first to join the act is gauche and lonely Malcolm, a security guard at the steel mill where Dave and Jerry once worked. Malcolm tries to commit suicide by asphyxiating himself in his car through carbon monoxide poisoning. Dave pulls him out, and Jerry and Dave discuss various methods to commit suicide ("Big-Ass Rock"). Malcolm ultimately joins in and with the reassurance of his new-found friends behind him, he joins the fledgling lineup. His rescue and inclusion in the group gives him a newly optimistic and confident outlook on life. He also starts to grow more independent from his domineering, invalid mother, Molly. Next on Dave and Jerry's list is their former foreman, the middle-class aspirant Harold Nichols, who is taking a ballroom dance class with his immaculately groomed wife, Vicki. While Harold explains that he has concealed his unemployment from his materialistic wife, Vicki blithely sings about their marriage ("Life with Harold"). Dave and Jerry tell him of their scheme; with literally no options left, Harold agrees to be the act's choreographer. In a sequence of scenes, former co-workers perform strip-tease auditions. One of the auditionees is invited to sit down after he flunks; he declines, saying that his children are outside waiting 'in the car' and that 'this is no place for kids' before glancing over at Nathan before leaving. Other auditioners are, hired: Noah 'Horse' Simmons, for his comprehensive dance knowledge (while overlooking evidence of advanced arthritis), and Ethan Girard, who longs to dance like Donald O'Connor in Singin' in the Rain and has a jaw-dropping, euphemism-inducing penis ("Big Black Man"). They are also joined by Jeanette Burmeister, a tough, seen-it-all showbiz musician who "shows up, piano and all" to accompany the boys' rehearsals. Elsewhere, Dave contemplates his weight and Harold contemplates Vicki's spending habits ("You Rule My World"). At the first rehearsal, Harold feels the men are hopeless, but Jerry fires them up, encouraging them to think of it not as dance, but as sports moves ("Michael Jordan's Ball"). As the men practice, doubts continue to creep in about whether this is the best way to make some money, due to their individual insecurities over their appearances. Jeanette is particularly straightforward ("Jeanette's Showbiz Number"). Requiring a deposit at the club, Jerry tries to get seed money from Pam, which she denies. Nathan eventually provides some college funds, and Jerry is moved by Nathan's growing belief in his father ("Breeze Off the River"). Later, as the men are rehearsing at Harold's house, they undress in front of each other for the first time, and have nightmare visions that the women of the town will find them inadequate ("The Goods"). They are interrupted by repossessors who are scared off by the scantily clad men; their mutual friendships continue to grow. During a dress rehearsal, the boys get literally caught with their pants down wearing thongs, causing Jerry, Horse, Harold, Jeanette, and Nathan to be brought into a police station. Malcolm and Ethan successfully escape, and fall into a homoerotic embrace after they climb through the window of Malcolm's house. They are interrupted by the sudden illness of Molly. After Pam tearfully picks up Nathan ("Man (Reprise)"), the boys are brought together at the funeral of Malcolm's mother, where he is joined by Ethan in subtly announcing their relationship ("You Walk with Me"). Later, the men are approached on the street by local women acquaintances who have heard of their show. Jerry declares that their show will be better than the Chippendales dancers because they'll go "the full monty"—strip all the way. Dave, meanwhile, quits less than a week before the show, deprecating himself as a 'fat bastard' whom no one would want to see in the nude—including his wife, Georgie. Their secret out, all seems lost for the members of Hot Metal—their "stage name". But Georgie and Vicki reconfirm their love for their husbands despite their failures ("You Rule My World (Reprise)"). It is also revealed the arrest publicity has spiked ticket sales. With not much left to lose, and a sold-out show, the men decide to go for it for one night, including Harold, who has finally gotten a job. Dave finds his confidence and joins the rest of the group, but Jerry has a last minute loss of his. Nathan convinces him to go on and he joins the boys for the final performance. With the support of friends, family, and townspeople, the boys perform one final show ("Let It Go").
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown is a musical with music and lyrics by David Yazbek and a book by Jeffrey Lane. Based on the Pedro Almodóvar film Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988), the musical tells the tale of a group of women in late 20th-century Madrid whose relationships with men lead to a tumultuous 48 hours of love, confusion and passion. The original Broadway production opened at the Belasco Theatre in October 2010, but received mostly negative reviews and closed in January 2011 after 30 previews and 69 performances. It was nominated for 3 Tony Awards and 6 Drama Desk Awards. With new direction and production design, the musical transferred to London and opened at the Playhouse Theatre in January 2015, where it received mixed to positive reviews and 2 Laurence Olivier Award nominations. It closed in May of that year.