Ruthless! The Musical
Act I The show begins with Sylvia St. Croix asking the audience where talent comes from. She introduces Judy Denmark, a bland housewife with no talent whatsoever, who’s the mother of a very talented eight-year-old, Tina Denmark (“Prologue”/“Tina’s Mother”). Sylvia enters the Denmark household, asking Judy if she can meet her daughter because she was impressed by her talent after seeing her performance at an elderly home. Judy calls in Tina to meet Sylvia, proclaiming that she is “born to entertain (“Born to Entertain”). Impressed by her abilities, Sylvia states that she wants to become Tina’s talent agent to make her a star. Judy is conflicted, wanting her daughter to have a normal childhood. Sylvia explains to her that Tina is no ordinary child, and she will become a musical sensation (“Talent”). Judy agrees to let Sylvia become Tina’s acting coach, but only after school. Sylvia wants to start today, but Tina objects because she has auditions for her elementary school’s musical, Pippi in Tahiti. After school, Tina auditions for the musical, but her classmate Louise Lerman is cast instead of her, and Tina is to play Puddles the dog (“To Play This Part”). Tina is very upset by this, stating that Louise is “too Jewish-looking” to play Pippi. Later, Miss Thorn comes to the Denmark residence. Judy explains to her that Tina is awfully upset about not playing Pippi. Miss Thorn tells her that Tina will get over her disappointment one day and find a more rewarding career, even though Miss Thorn hates her job and wishes she was able to become an actor after failing prior (“Teaching Third Grade”). Sylvia suggests that Tina could be Louise's understudy, and Miss Thorn agrees. The next day, Sylvia tells Judy about her daughter, who was extremely untalented. Judy, who was adopted, wonders how Tina inherited so much talent, while Sylvia tells her it doesn’t matter (“Where Tina Gets It From”). Louise and Tina rehearse for their school’s musical (“The Pippi Song”), where they do nothing but fight with each other. After exchanging insults, Louise hands Tina a jump rope, giving her a wicked idea (“To Play This Part– Reprise”). Later, Sylvia and Judy hear that Louise Lerman “accidentally” hung herself with a jump rope. Tina is dismissed from school early, and Judy attempts to comfort her daughter, although Tina is seemingly unphased by the tragedy (“Kisses and Hugs”). Miss Thorn suggests to Judy that Tina may have killed Louise because Louise's wig is found in her backpack. She tells Judy that as Louise’s understudy, she will have to fill in for her at the show tonight (“Teaching Third Grade– Reprise”). After interrogating Tina, she admits she hung Louise so she could be the lead in the play instead. Judy punishes Tina by making her go to her room, but Sylvia enters, excited for Tina’s debut tonight (“Talent– Reprise #1”). Judy’s adoptive mother Lita Encore, a show critic who hates musicals, arrives at the house, ready to review Tina’s show (“I Hate Musicals”). Judy begs Lita to tell her who her biological parents are, but Sylvia interrupts them. Judy refuses to let Tina participate in show business anymore, much to Sylvia’s dismay. She accuses Judy of only doing so because she is jealous of Tina’s success. She quotes a passage from Lita’s book, “Ruthless: The Life and Times of Ruth DelMarco”, an incredibly talented woman who killed herself after Lita’s bad review of her show, even though Lita believes she is alive and faked her death. This only confuses Judy about her biological parents even more, and Lita admits that Ruth DelMarco is Judy’s biological mother and her real name is Ginger. Tina reenters, ready to go on stage as Pippi. Sylvia and she practice her songs, but Judy, with her newfound confidence and talent, coaches Tina instead. Tina asks Judy to show her how to sing the Pippi Ballad, and Judy is blown away by her own talent (“Angel Mom”). Act II Judy writes to her husband, Frederick, that she has turned Tina in for murder. Four years later and "two Tony Awards later", Judy Denmark has completely rebranded into Ginger DelMarco, a self-centered diva who has completely abandoned her old ways as a housewife (“Montage”). She lives in a penthouse apartment with her devoted personal assistant, Eve, who secretly resents Ginger and is waiting for the moment she gets to take her place as a broadway star (“A Penthouse Apartment”). Sylvia barges into Ginger’s apartment, informing her that today is the day Tina is going to be released from prison. Ginger laments about her old ways as a housewife (“It Will Never Be That Way Again”). Sylvia demands to become Tina’s agent again, even though Ginger wants Tina nowhere near the business (“I Want The Girl”). She refuses to leave until they have a deal. Tina enters her mother’s apartment. The two barely recognize each other. Ginger still refuses to let Tina become an actress with her because she understands how dangerous the business can be. Tina doesn’t accept this explanation, convinced that Ginger only turned her in for murder so she could steal her career (“Parents And Children”). Ginger says that she is only doing this to Tina because it’s what her mother, Ruth did to her as a child. Sylvia is very proud of her, and reveals that she has been Ruth DelMarco all along. Ginger forgives Ruth for abandoning her as a child, and they embrace. Ginger tells Ruth that she’ll get to direct her new show, and that Tina will be the child lead’s understudy. Ginger tells Tina that to make it in show business, she will have to be ruthless (“Ruthless!”). Eve returns in Ginger’s dress to tell her that she should have fun at Sardi’s while she fills in for her in her new show, claiming that she is her understudy. Ginger immediately fires Eve as her assistant, causing Eve to pull a gun on Ginger and reveal she is Betty Lerman, Louise’s mother, and has been plotting revenge on her since Louise's death. Tina tells Eve that she has learned there is more to life than being a star, seemingly to had learn her lesson. But she was being disingenuous and was only distracting Eve so Ginger could take the gun from her. After scuffling, Eve is shot dead by Ginger, and Tina takes the gun. Unexpectedly, Lita enters the apartment to see her granddaughter. While she’s distracted, Ruth steals the gun from Tina, and after a brief altercation, Ruth is shot. Lita comments that Ruth could never sing anyway, so Ruth shoots her dead right before she passes away. Ginger is so traumatized by the deaths that she returns to being Judy Denmark, a bland, untalented housewife. She and Tina reconcile and decides to give up show business and return to their normal lives as mother and daughter. Tina states that there is no money on Broadway anyway and she wants her own TV series, then shoots Judy. Miss Thorn, having given up teaching, is back in New York to become an actor, but Tina shoots her too. Finally, Tina’s father, Frederick, comes back home after being gone the entire musical, and Tina shoots him (“Talent– Reprise #2”).