Musicals

Anything Goes

Musical · 1934

Five versions of the libretto of Anything Goes exist: the original 1934 libretto, the 1962 off-Broadway revival libretto, the 1987 revival libretto, the 2011 revival libretto, and the 2022 revised libretto. The story has been revised, though all involve similar romantic complications aboard the SS American and feature the same major characters. The score has been altered, with some songs cut and others reassigned to different scenes and characters, and augmented with various Porter songs from other shows. Billy Crocker, a young Wall Street broker, has fallen in love with a beautiful girl he met at a party and spent the evening with in a taxi. His boss, Elisha J. Whitney, is preparing to make a business deal and is going to travel to London aboard the SS American. Evangelist-turned-nightclub singer Reno Sweeney will be traveling aboard the same ship. Billy sees Reno as a friend, but she obviously has feelings for him ("I Get a Kick Out of You"). Billy goes to the dock to say farewell to his boss and Reno ("Bon Voyage"), and glimpses the mysterious girl again. He learns that she is the heiress Hope Harcourt and, escorted by her mother Mrs. Harcourt, is on her way to England with her fiancé Lord Evelyn Oakleigh, a handsome but stuffy and hapless British nobleman. Billy stows away on the ship with a plan of winning Hope's heart. "Moonface" Martin, a second-rate gangster labeled "Public Enemy 13", and his girlfriend, Bonnie, have disguised themselves as a minister and a missionary and, innocently aided by Billy, board the ship under their assumed identities, stranding the ship's real chaplain back at the port. Moonface and Bonnie mistakenly leave behind their leader, "Snake Eyes" Johnson, Public Enemy 1. To thank him, Bonnie and Moonface let Billy have Snake Eyes Johnson's passport and ticket without telling him to whom they belong. Billy cons Evelyn into leaving him alone with Hope, by convincing him he is very ill. When he goes to get some air, Billy and Hope meet again, and it turns out she has been unable to stop thinking about him as well ("All Through the Night"). Though Hope prefers Billy, she insists she must marry Evelyn. Unbeknownst to Billy, her family's company is in financial trouble and a marriage to Evelyn would promote a merger and save it. The ship's crew gets a cable from New York saying that Public Enemy 1 is on board. Moonface admits his true identity to Billy and he and Bonnie conspire to disguise Billy as a crew member since he is now presumed to be Snake Eyes Johnson. A quartet of lovelorn sailors comfort themselves with the thought of romance when they reach shore ("There'll Always Be a Lady Fair"). On deck, Bonnie lures the sailors to her ("Where Are the Men?"), then steals the clothes of one of the men for Billy. Hope discusses her impending marriage with Evelyn and discovers that he is not particularly pleased with the engagement either. Billy asks Reno to help separate Evelyn and Hope, and she agrees. Billy and Reno reaffirm their friendship ("It's Friendship"). Reno tries to charm Evelyn; she succeeds and he invites her for a drink in his cabin. She and Moon plot that Moon should burst into the cabin and discover Reno half-naked in Evelyn's arms, providing sufficient reason for breaking off the engagement. However, when Moon breaks into the room, machine gun in tow, he instead sees Reno fully dressed and Evelyn nearly undressed. Moon tries to invent some indecent explanation for the situation, but Evelyn insists that he would be quite pleased by any rumor depicting him as a passionate lover, especially if Hope heard it. Moon admits that the plot has failed. The crew discover that Billy is not a sailor, and Moon and Reno create a new disguise for him from a stolen pair of trousers, a jacket taken from a drunken passenger, and hair cut from Mrs. Harcourt's Pomeranian and made into a beard. Reno tells Billy that Evelyn has kissed her, and she is sure she will be Lady Oakleigh soon, since love moves so quickly these days ("Anything Goes"). Mrs. Harcourt, recognizing her dog's hair, angrily pulls off Billy's beard and the crew and passengers realize he must be the wanted man. As Snake Eyes Johnson, Billy is an instant celebrity. Billy is honored by both crew and passengers as "Public Enemy Number One". He tells the Captain that Moon (who is still disguised as a minister) is helping him reform from his wicked ways. Moon is asked to lead a revival in the ship's lounge. The passengers confess their sins to the "Reverend", and Lord Evelyn admits to a one-night stand with a young Chinese woman, Plum Blossom. Hope is not impressed with Billy's charade, and to please her, he confesses to everyone that he is not really Snake Eyes Johnson. Moon attempts to compensate by revealing that he is not a minister; he is Public Enemy Number Thirteen. The captain sends them both to the brig. Reno restores the mood of the Revival ("Blow, Gabriel Blow"). Moon tries to cheer Billy up ("Be Like the Bluebird"). Billy doubts he will ever see Hope again; he and Moon cannot leave their cell until they return to America. Their card-playing Chinese cellmates Ching and Ling, imprisoned for conning all the third class passengers out of their money, will be put ashore in England. Moon and Billy challenge them to a game of strip poker, win their clothes, and disguise themselves again. Billy, Moon, and Reno show up at the Oakleigh estate in Chinese garb. Billy and Moon tell Oakleigh's uncle that they are the parents of "Plum Blossom" and threaten to publicize Evelyn's indiscretion if he does not marry her. Oakleigh offers to buy them off and Moon gleefully accepts the cash, much to Billy and Reno's chagrin. Billy and Reno find Hope and Evelyn, who are both unhappy with the prospect of their matrimony. Hope declares that she desperately wants to marry Billy ("The Gypsy in Me"). Billy spots Whitney and finally learns that Evelyn and Hope's planned marriage is really an awkward business merger. Billy realises that Oakleigh is manipulating them all; Hope's company is really worth millions and Billy informs Whitney of that fact. Whitney offers to buy the firm from Hope at an exorbitant price, and she accepts. The marriage is called off since a merger is now impossible. Billy and Hope get married, as do Reno and Evelyn. A cable from the U.S. government fixes Billy's passport problems and declares Moon "harmless". Moon indignantly pockets Oakleigh's check and refuses to return it. Young Wall Street broker Billy Crocker helps his boss Elisha J. Whitney prepare for his trip to London. Eli tells Billy the next morning he is to make a huge sale of a sinking asset. Billy then runs into his friend; evangelist turned night club singer Reno Sweeney who is leaving on the same ship to London. Reno tries to convince Billy to join her, but he refuses and she laments her unrequited love for him ("I Get A Kick Out Of You"). Billy then reveals to Reno he has fallen in love with someone else and she berates him, believing he led her on before sadly reaffirming her feelings for him after he leaves ("I Get A Kick Out Of You - Reprise"). The next morning the crew of the SS American prepare to set sail ("There's No Cure Like Travel") as Reno and the other passengers board. Among them is debutante Hope Harcourt, the subject of Billy's infatuation. She is joined by her wealthy English fiancé Lord Evelyn Oakleigh and her mother Evangeline, who has set her daughter up to be married in order to solve their family's recent financial struggles. Billy comes aboard to give Eli his passport and spots Hope. Upon hearing that she is to be wed, he stays on the ship in order to pursue her. Also sneaking on to the American is Public Enemy No. 13 Moonface Martin, who is disguised as a priest. He is joined by Erma, the promiscuous girlfriend of Public Enemy #1 Snake Eyes Johnson, who is nowhere to be found. Billy inadvertently helps Moonface evade the FBI. Moonface returns the favor by giving Billy Snake Eyes' ticket as the ship leaves the dock ("Bon Voyage"). Later that night, Billy bumps into an apologetic Reno who encourages him to go after his real love. When Billy starts to express insecurities about being with Hope, Reno builds up his confidence while playfully putting herself down, and he returns the favor ("You're The Top"). Billy then scares off a seasick Evelyn so he can court Hope away from him ("So Easy To Love"). Though she returns Billy's feeling, Hope insists on maintaining her duty and marrying Evelyn. Once alone though, she repeats his romantic words ("So Easy To Love - Reprise"). Eli drunkenly sings about his excitement for the trip, reminisces on his days in Yale, and unsuccessfully invites Hope's mother, Evangeline, to spend the night with him ("The Crew Song"). In the next room over, Moonface and Erma are visited by Billy, who hides when the ship's captain comes in and reveals that Billy is believed to be Snake Eyes Johnson. The next morning a quartet of sailors sing about the joy of seeing women as they come ashore ("There'll Always Be a Lady Fair") while Erma steals another seaman's clothes to disguise Billy from the crew and his boss. Reno then encounters her old friend Moonface, shortly after which Evelyn approaches her and reveals himself to be a huge fan. Evelyn invites Reno for tea in his room, which Moonface convinces her to accept so she can seduce Evelyn, which they'll use to blackmail him and break up his engagement. Reno agrees to his plan and they sing about what great friends they are, only to descend into bickering ("Friendship"). The attempted extortion proves to be a failure, with Reno and Evelyn instead finding themselves utterly charmed by each other. Billy and Moonface then try to frame Evelyn as a madman to Evangeline only for Hope to step in and expose Billy's identity. The crew pursues him while Reno reprimands Hope for ignoring her own happiness and chasing away the man she loves.

Applause

Musical · 1970

Middle-aged actress Margo Channing presents the Tony Award to rising star Eve Harrington, who graciously thanks "my producer, my director, my writer and above all, Margo Channing". In flashback, Margo recalls the opening night for one of her plays a year-and a-half before, when Eve entered her life. Margo's admirers crowd her dressing room and fill the air with "Backstage Babble". Among the admirers is Eve, a young woman who says that she, alone and friendless in New York, has found solace in watching her hero, Margo, perform. As soon as Margo can be alone with Bill Sampson, her director and fiancé, she tries to convince him to stay with her and not go to Rome to direct a movie. Bill firmly but lovingly tells her goodbye ("Think How It's Gonna Be"). Margo dreads facing the opening night party alone, and, wanting to have a good time, she persuades Duane, her gay hairdresser, to take her and Eve to a gay nightclub in Greenwich Village ("But Alive"). The lively evening ends back at Margo's apartment. Eve declares that it has been the best time she's ever had ("The Best Night of My Life"). Margo, seeing her 19-year-old self in one of her old movies on TV, senses the impact her increasing age will have on her career and sarcastically asks, "Who's That Girl?". Four months later, Eve has become Margo's indispensable assistant, impressing Margo's close friends, including her producer, Howard Benedict. Howard takes Eve to a "gypsy" hangout. "Gypsy," Howard explains, "is the name dancers affectionately give themselves as they go camping from show to show." The "gypsies", led by one of their own, Bonnie, celebrate "the sound that says love" – "Applause". That night, at three a.m. after a phone call from Bill in Rome, Margo longingly wishes he would "Hurry Back". Bill arranges to hurry back two weeks later, but at Margo's welcome home party for him, a misunderstanding leads to a disastrous evening ("Fasten Your Seat Belts"). Eve, as Margo's ever-present assistant, knows Margo's part in the play completely, and Eve contrives to get herself hired as Margo's understudy. Margo, feeling betrayed and threatened, faces Eve with an ironic "Welcome to the Theatre". Bill accuses her of being paranoid about Eve, and after a bitter fight, he says goodbye to Margo, ending his relationship with her. Margo is left alone on an empty stage. Margo is visiting her friends, playwright Buzz Richards and his wife Karen, in their Connecticut home. Karen, thinking Margo behaved unfairly to Eve, arranges for Margo to miss a performance by draining the car's gas tank so they cannot return to New York in time for the evening's performance. Stuck in the country for the night, they express their warm feelings as "Good Friends". Back in New York, Eve gives a triumphant performance in Margo's role. Howard again takes Eve to the "gypsy" hangout where she snubs Bonnie and her friends, who do a scathing parody of a girl who becomes an overnight star ("She's No Longer a Gypsy"). Margo is devastated when she reads a nasty interview that Eve has given in which she refers to "aging stars." Bill now realizes what Eve's true intentions are and rushes back full of love for Margo, telling her she's "One of a Kind". Margo, though, is too focused on her career to want to return to Bill. Eve, who has made an unsuccessful pass at Bill, ensnares the playwright, Buzz, and she rejoices that she now has a man who can help her career ("One Hallowe'en"). Her plans with Buzz are crushed by Howard who claims her for himself, telling her "We both know what you want and you know I'm the one who can get it for you" – Eve needs Howard's influence as a producer as well as his silence concerning her devious rise to stardom. Margo seems to have lost everything because of Eve, but suddenly she realizes she could be the winner because she now has a chance at "Something Greater" – a life with Bill. In the finale, she and Bill join with everybody answering the question "why do we live this crazy life?" – "Applause".

Apple Blossoms

Musical · 1919

Apple Blossoms is a 1919 operetta with music by Fritz Kreisler and Victor Jacobi; and a libretto by William LeBaron. Apple Blossoms opened at the Globe Theatre on Broadway on October 7, 1919, and closed on April 24, 1920, after 256 performances. The original production was staged by Fred G. Latham and Edward Royce.

Aranyvirág

Musical · 1903

Neapolitan girl Aranyvirág and wealthy American tourist Ellen agree to exchange places for a day. Aranyvirág enjoys the Americans’ comfortable life, but misses her friends and invites them to a festival. They reject her when she claims to be one of them. Harry tells her he has fallen in love with her, while Ellen and Beppo prepare to leave for America. Just before departure, Aranyvirág sings to Beppo and wins him back.

Are You There?

Musical · 1913

Sylvia takes a job at a telephone exchange to obtain government secrets and help secure a baronetcy for her father, who works as a mechanic in a building. Gregory Lester hears Sylvia’s voice over the telephone and comes to find her. After locating her at the exchange, he takes her to a casino in Nice.

Are You with It?

Musical · 1945

Are You with It? is an American musical with music by Harry Revel and lyrics by Arnold B. Horwitt. The musical book by Sam Perrin and George Balzer is based on the novel Slightly Perfect by George Malcolm-Smith. The production opened on Broadway at the New Century Theatre where it ran from November 10, 1945, through April 27, 1946. The show then moved to the Shubert Theatre where it played from April 30 through June 29, 1946, closing after a total of 264 performances.

Arizona Lady

Musical · 1954

Hungarian immigrant Lona Farrell runs the Sunshine Ranch and hires Roy Dexter as foreman, though Sheriff Sullivan suspects Roy is an outlaw. Roy is actually the Colorado Kid, pursuing Burt Morton, who killed his father. After a sabotaged horse race and Roy’s arrest, he escapes to a border bar and reveals his identity. The Sheriff discovers that ranch foreman Jim Slaughter is the real Morton and recovers Lona’s horse, Arizona Lady. At the Kentucky Derby, the horse wins a wager, and the Sheriff recognizes that Lona loves Roy, so he changes the bridegroom.

Arms and the Girl

Musical · 1950

Arms and the Girl is a 1950 Broadway musical with a book by Herbert Fields, Dorothy Fields, and Rouben Mamoulian, music by Morton Gould, and lyrics by Dorothy Fields. The show is based on the play The Pursuit of Happiness by Lawrence Langner and Armina Marshall. It opened at the 46th Street Theatre on February 2, 1950, and closed on May 27 after 134 performances.

Around the Clock

Musical · 1906

Around the Clock had a loose plot that centers around the young Philadelphia lawyer Tom Wilson. Tom's uncle, Hank Wilson, is currently residing in a remote part of Asia and is engaged to Nellie who lives in the same city as Tom. Hank tasks Tom with assisting him in courting Nellie while he is abroad, and the two attend a music hall performance where they end up falling in love. Nellie marries Tom instead of Hank, and conflict ensues upon Hank's return; with all issues resolving happily by the end of act 2. The drunk Billie Smith provides humorous commentary and physical comedy throughout and is the true star of the show. The final act is essentially a show within a show, with the characters viewing a vaudeville production.

Around the World

Musical · 1946

Around the World is a musical based on the 1873 Jules Verne novel Around the World in Eighty Days, with a book by Orson Welles and music and lyrics by Cole Porter. It involves an around-the-world adventure by Phileas Fogg. The expensive musical extravaganza opened on Broadway in May 1946 but closed after 75 performances. As he did with his unsuccessful 1938 stage production of Too Much Johnson, Welles shot film sequences that were integrated into Around the World. This footage is lost.

As the Girls Go

Musical · 1948

In 1953 (four years ahead), a woman (Lucille Thompson Wellington) is elected President of the United States. The First Husband (Waldo Wellington) gets around town quite a bit, presiding at events, receiving honorary degrees, and making a mess of protocol. The first female president's foes try to cook up a scandal by throwing women into the path of the flirty First Spouse, but they have no luck.

Aspects of Love

Musical · 1988

At a train station in Pau, France in 1964, 34-year-old Alex Dillingham reflects on his love life over the past 17 years ("Love Changes Everything"). A woman (Giulietta Trapani) replies to him that "it's all in the past." Flashing to 1947, Rose Vibert, a 25-year-old actress, complains that their production of The Master Builder is a flop. The producer, Marcel, tries to placate Rose by introducing her to a fan, 17-year-old Alex ("A Small Theatre in Montpellier"). Alex and Rose have a brief tryst at his uncle George's villa in Pau ("Seeing is Believing", "The House in Pau"). George Dillingham, in Paris with his mistress, Giulietta Trapani, an Italian sculptor, returns to his villa to see for himself what Alex and Rose are doing ("An Art Exhibition in Paris", "A Memory of a Happy Moment"). Rose is attracted to George, who is overcome when he sees Rose dressed in a gown belonging to his beloved late wife, Delia, also an actress, and remarks how much Rose resembles Delia ("In Many Rooms in the House at Pau"). He advises Alex that all good things have to end, and that his interlude with Rose will be a memory. Alex insists that his relationship with Rose is real love ("On the Terrace"). George leaves, and Rose leaves to rejoin Marcel. Alex realizes that Rose had never taken him seriously ("At the House at Pau"). Two years later, Alex, now a soldier, visits his uncle in Paris, and is shocked to find that Rose is now George's mistress. He accuses her of chasing his uncle's money, but Rose protests that she really loves George. She admits that she did love Alex once, and the two, drawn to each other again, fall into bed ("George's Flat in Paris"). The next morning, an agitated Rose tells Alex to leave before George returns. Alex, enraged, pulls out his gun. Rose throws a candlestick at Alex, and the gun goes off, shooting Rose in the arm, and she faints ("First Orchestral Interlude"). After George arrives, he and Alex each try to convince the other that the other is the right man for Rose. George wins the debate, insisting that Alex should begin a new life with Rose, and Alex finally agrees ("She'd Be Far Better Off With You"). George then heads to Venice to see his former mistress, Giulietta. However, Rose orders Alex to leave, having chosen to stay with George. Alex leaves, and Rose and Marcel follow George to Venice. Rose intends to confront Giulietta and reclaim George. In Venice, Giulietta and Rose bond while discussing George's foibles. They both express surprise that the other woman is not at all what they'd imagined. George returns and says that he has lost most of his money ("Stop. Wait. Please"). Rose then asks George to marry her and he agrees. At the wedding, Giulietta shocks everyone by claiming her best man's rights and kissing Rose on the mouth. George, however, is delighted ("A Registry Office"). At "A Military Camp in Malaya", Alex receives a letter from Rose telling him that she married George, and they are expecting a child. Twelve years later at a theatre in Paris, Rose has risen to stardom and has a young lover, Hugo. Marcel and the rest of the cast celebrate the latest hit (A Month in the Country) ("Leading Lady"), but Rose insists that she must return to the villa at Pau and to her husband George and their 12-year-old daughter, Jenny. Marcel reintroduces her to the 32-year-old Alex ("At the Stage Door"). Rose is delighted and insists that he come with her to Pau. At the villa, Jenny is excited by the prospect of her mother's return. George is happy to see Alex, returning with Rose, and Jenny, who has heard much about him, meets him for the first time. Rose and George insist that Alex should stay with them ("Other Pleasures"). Meanwhile, in Venice, George's former mistress, Giulietta, ponders the meaning of stable, long-lasting love versus romantic infatuation ("There Is More to Love"). Two years later, Alex suggests that Jenny needs a Paris education, which upsets Rose, who suspects that her daughter has developed an unhealthy crush on Alex ("The Garden at Pau (Version 2)"). That evening Jenny appears wearing Delia's gown, much as Rose did ("On the Terrace (Version 2)"); George happily dances with his daughter. Jenny tries to draw Alex into the dance, but Alex politely refuses ("The First Man You Remember"). Later, Jenny and Alex are left alone, and Jenny finally convinces Alex to give her the last dance. Rose catches Jenny clasping Alex in a very adult fashion, and Alex leaves. Jenny tells her mother that Alex is the first to make her feel like a woman. Rose confronts Alex, who admits to having feelings for Jenny, but insists that he would never harm her ("The Vineyard at Pau"). Later, Jenny tells Alex that she loves him. She begs him to be honest, then kisses him ("Up in the Pyrenees"). George plans his wake, insisting that there should be dancing and fun. Rose tells him that he's bound to outlive them all ("George's Study at Pau"). At a circus in Paris, George, Rose, Alex, and Jenny are celebrating Jenny's fifteenth birthday ("Journey of a Lifetime"). George becomes agitated as he watches Jenny talking with Alex ("Falling"). Later, Alex puts Jenny to bed. Jenny tries to convince him that she's really in love with him, but Alex insists that they're just cousins. Jenny falls asleep, and Alex reflects that he knows he must not love her, but cannot help loving her. George overhears Alex and is enraged, suspecting the worst. He collapses, and Alex comes out of Jenny's room to find him dead ("Jenny's Bedroom"). At George's wake, Giulietta gives a eulogy celebrating George's unconventionality and his belief in living life to the fullest ("Hand Me the Wine and Dice"). Giulietta and Alex join in the dancing and are attracted to each other, eventually trysting in a hayloft. Jenny spies on them, while Marcel tries to comfort the grieving Rose. Alex, alone with Giulietta, wonders how to end his relationship kindly with Jenny. He returns to the villa for one last confrontation. Alex tries to explain to Jenny that their relationship was unnatural. She reminds him that he was only seventeen when he met Rose, and that she is no younger than Shakespeare's Juliet ("On the Terrace (Version 3)"). Rose bids Alex farewell, but then breaks down and begs Alex not to leave her. Alex, unsure of how to reply, leaves ("Anything But Lonely"). At the train station at Pau, as Alex and Giulietta wait for the train, Giulietta wonders what will happen when Jenny reaches legal majority in three years. Alex, unable to reply, reflects once more on how love changes everything ("It Won't be Long till Jenny's a Woman").

Assassins

Musical · 1990

This synopsis reflects the current licensed version of the show. The published script of the 1992 Off-Broadway production is slightly different. The show opens in a fairground shooting gallery where human figures trundle past on a conveyor belt. One by one, a collection of misfits enters, where the Proprietor of the game entices them to play, promising that their problems will be solved by killing a president ("Everybody’s Got the Right"). Leon Czolgosz, John Hinckley, Charles Guiteau, Giuseppe Zangara, Samuel Byck, Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme, and Sara Jane Moore are given their guns one by one. John Wilkes Booth enters last and the Proprietor introduces him to the others as their pioneer before he begins distributing ammunition. The assassins take aim as "Hail to the Chief" heralds Abraham Lincoln's offstage arrival. Booth excuses himself, a shot rings out and Booth shouts, "Sic semper tyrannis!" The Balladeer, a personification of the American Dream, appears and begins to tell Booth's story ("The Ballad of Booth") as the scene changes to Richard H. Garrett's barn in 1865. Booth, mudstained and with a broken leg, is attempting to write his reasons for killing Lincoln in his diary but cannot hold the pen. He forces his associate David Herold to write for him at gunpoint. As Booth dictates, blaming Lincoln for the Civil War and for destroying the South, the Balladeer interjects that Booth's motives really had more to do with his personal problems, much to Booth's annoyance. When a Union soldier calls for Booth's surrender, Herold abandons him and surrenders. In desperation, Booth throws the Balladeer his diary so that he can tell his story to the world. The Balladeer reads out Booth's justifications, and Booth laments that his act will not be enough to heal the country. As the Union soldiers set fire to the barn, Booth commits suicide, and the Balladeer concludes that Booth was a madman whose treacherous legacy only served as inspiration for other madmen. The Balladeer rips Booth's diary and burns the pages. The Assassins gather in a bar. Guiteau toasts to the U.S. presidency, speaking of his ambition to become Ambassador to France. Hinckley accidentally breaks a bottle, and Czolgosz flies into a rage, describing the bottle factory he works in and how many men die or are injured just to make a bottle. Guiteau jokingly tells Czolgosz to find another job, and the two begin to argue about the American Dream, with Guiteau defending America and Czolgosz dismissing it as a lie. Czolgosz grabs a bottle, barely stopping himself from throwing it. Booth urges Czolgosz to take control of his fate by breaking a bottle himself, but Czolgosz cannot. Zangara complains about his stomach pains, and Booth suggests fixing them by shooting Franklin D. Roosevelt. A radio broadcast, narrated by the Proprietor, describes Zangara's failed attempt to assassinate Roosevelt at Bayfront Park in Miami. He misses Roosevelt and accidentally kills Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak instead. Five bystanders are interviewed in turn, telling the audience their versions of the event; each is convinced that they personally saved the president ("How I Saved Roosevelt"). From an electric chair, Zangara sings his refusal to be afraid and that he did not care whom he killed as long as it was one of the men who control the money. Peeved that as an "American nothing" he has no photographers at his execution, Zangara is electrocuted as the bystanders preen for the cameras. American anarchist Emma Goldman gives a lecture from offstage as Czolgosz listens, enraptured. He introduces himself to her and declares his love, but she tells him to redirect his passion to social justice. She gives him a leaflet that she tells him contains an idea that is "not mine alone, but mine". As she prepares to leave, Czolgosz offers to carry her bag, to which Goldman protests. Czolgosz, in his first display of assertiveness, still insists. Fromme and Moore meet on a park bench and share a joint. Fromme speaks of the apocalyptic preachings of Charles Manson, remembering how they met and declaring herself his lover and slave. Juggling her purse, a can of Tab and a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken, Moore claims she is an informant for the FBI (or used to be), has been a CPA and had five husbands and three children. They connect over their shared hatred of their fathers, and using Colonel Sanders as a graven image, they give the bucket of chicken the evil eye and then shoot it while laughing. Moore realizes that she knew Manson in high school, and the women scream in delight over their memories of him. Czolgosz reflects on how many men die just to make a gun. Booth, Guiteau and Moore enter one by one and join him in a barbershop quartet in which they honor a single gun's power to change the world ("The Gun Song"). Czolgosz decides to shoot the president. Czolgosz arrives at the 1901 Pan-American Exposition where William McKinley is shaking visitors' hands. The Balladeer sings ("The Ballad of Czolgosz") as Czolgosz joins the line, and upon reaching McKinley, he shoots him. Samuel Byck sits on a park bench. He talks into a tape recorder, preparing a message to Leonard Bernstein telling Bernstein he can save the world by writing more love songs, and explaining that he is going to change things by crashing a 747 into the White House and killing Richard Nixon. Then he accuses Bernstein of ignoring him, just like the other celebrities he has recorded tapes for, such as Hank Aaron and Jonas Salk. After flying into a rage, Byck stands up and angrily sings the chorus to "America" before storming offstage. John Hinckley sits in his rumpus room playing a guitar. Lynette Fromme enters and asks him to play her a song, but he refuses. Fromme notices a picture of Jodie Foster, who Hinckley claims is his girlfriend. When Fromme realizes the picture is a publicity photo, she pulls out a picture of Charles Manson and mocks Hinckley for being in love with a woman he has never met, which makes him throw her out in a fit of rage. Alone, he swears that he will win Foster's love "with one brave, historic act" and sings a love song to her while Fromme individually does the same to Manson ("Unworthy of Your Love"). An image of Ronald Reagan appears on a wall in the back of the stage, and an enraged Hinckley shoots it over and over again, but the picture keeps reappearing. The Proprietor mocks Hinckley by quoting Reagan as Hinckley fires, missing each time. Back at the Proprietor's shooting range, Charles Guiteau flirts with Sara Jane Moore while giving her marksmanship tips before trying to kiss her. When she rebuffs him, he becomes enraged and attacks her. Her gun goes off in his ear, and he backs off, angrily proclaiming that he will be the next ambassador to France. The scene changes to a train station, where Guiteau goes to meet James Garfield and James Blaine. He asks to be made Ambassador, but Garfield mockingly refuses, prompting Guiteau to shoot him. Guiteau is arrested and sent to the gallows, where he recites a poem he wrote titled "I Am Going to the Lordy". The Balladeer sings about Guiteau's trial and sentencing while Guiteau merrily cakewalks up to the noose, getting more optimistic with each verse. Guiteau sings along with the Balladeer about Guiteau's optimism before he is hanged ("The Ballad of Guiteau"). Squeaky Fromme and Sara Jane Moore prepare to assassinate Gerald Ford. Moore has brought along her nine-year-old son and her dog (which she accidentally shoots), which causes an argument between the two women, who briefly turn on each other. Moore accidentally spills her gun's bullets just as President Ford enters the stage. Not recognizing him at first, the two women allow him to help them, but upon discovering who he is, Fromme tries to shoot him, but her gun jams. Having no other resource, Moore tries to throw her bullets at Ford. Samuel Byck is driving to the airport to hijack a plane, which he plans to crash into the White House. Growing unhinged, he records a message addressed to Nixon, complaining about contemporary American life, how the public is constantly lied to, and announces that killing him is the only solution. The assassins congregate in limbo to enumerate their reasons for taking action and lament not receiving any "prize" for their efforts. The Balladeer admonishes their violent methods and argues for the possibility of the American Dream. The Proprietor leads the assassins in a song for all Americans dispossessed by the Dream ("Another National Anthem"). Against his protests, the assassins force the Balladeer offstage. On the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository, the ghosts of the assassins, led by Booth, appear before a suicidal Lee Harvey Oswald. They implore him not to become his own victim and to instead assassinate John F. Kennedy, thereby sharing his pain and disillusionment with the world. They tell Oswald that this act will empower the assassins of the future and revitalize the actions taken by assassins of the past. Finally moved by the idea that he has the power to unite the assassins, Oswald shoots ("November 22, 1963"). After the assassinations, various citizens recall what they were doing when they heard that the president had been killed, reflecting on their grief. ("Something Just Broke"). The assassins regroup once more at the shooting range, now with Oswald. They proudly reassert that "everybody's got the right to be happy" before loading and aiming their guns ("Everybody's Got the Right (Reprise)").

Attack of the Elvis Impersonators

Musical · 2002

Attack of the Elvis Impersonators is a musical parody with a book, music and lyrics by Lory Lazarus. The musical features original songs based on the music of singer Elvis Presley. It was inspired by Elvis impersonator culture.

Aunt Hannah

Musical · 1900

Aunt Hannah, a wealthy but religious and conservative woman, departs on a trip and leaves her mansion in the care of her nephew, Jack. To the chagrin of Hannah's servants, Jack decides to throw a wild party in his aunt's house while she is away. Everything is going off with a rip-roaring fun time, until Aunt Hannah unexpectedly returns home from her trip early. Jack must use his wits to deceive his aunt to avoid trouble. Co-opting an old beau of Hannah's into his plan, he manages to smooth things over and all ends well.

Avenue Q

Musical · 2003

The show is set on a Sesame Street-like "outer-outer borough" of New York City. Princeton, a recent college graduate, is anxious to discover his purpose in life; but first, he must find an apartment and a job, with no work experience and an English degree ("What Do You Do with a B.A. in English?"). Beginning his search on Avenue A, he finally finds an affordable apartment on Avenue Q. His new neighbors are Kate Monster, a kindergarten assistant teacher who longs for a boyfriend; Rod, an obsessively neat Republican investment banker; Nicky, Rod's slacker roommate; Brian, an aspiring comedian recently laid off from his catering job; Christmas Eve, Brian's Japanese fiancée and a therapist with no clients; Trekkie Monster, a surly recluse who surfs the Internet all day in search of pornography; and Gary Coleman, the former child actor who now serves as the apartment superintendent. Debates ensue over whose life is worst, and they conclude that it is Coleman's ("It Sucks to Be Me"). Nicky, who is straight, suspects that Rod is gay and assures Rod it is okay with him if he is, but Rod insists otherwise ("If You Were Gay"). While moving into his apartment, Princeton learns that he has been laid off from the job he had lined up. He finds a penny minted in his birth year, declaring it a sign that he will soon find his purpose in life ("Purpose"). Kate Monster dreams of starting a "Monstersori" school for young "people of fur". Princeton innocently asks Kate if she and Trekkie are related, since they are both monsters, but Kate angrily pronounces his assumption racist. Princeton, taken aback, counters that Kate's Monstersori School would discriminate against non-monsters. Gary, Brian, and Christmas Eve join them in agreeing that racism, while problematic, is an adult reality ("Everyone's a Little Bit Racist"). Princeton receives money from his parents. The Bad Idea Bears, two charming troublemakers, convince him to spend it on beer. Kindergarten teacher Mrs. Thistletwat assigns Kate to teach the next morning's kindergarten class, her first solo teaching opportunity. She decides that her lesson will be about the Internet and all its educational attributes, but Trekkie Monster and the neighbors explain another reality of adulthood: many adults, even "normal people", use it to find pornography ("The Internet is for Porn"). Princeton gives Kate a mixtape. His puzzling song selections make her question his intended message, but eventually, she decides that he must like her after he invites her on a date to the Around the Clock Café ("Mixtape"). Brian opens the show with his lame stand-up act ("I'm Not Wearing Underwear Today"), before introducing skanky chanteuse Lucy the Slut, who wows the guys, especially Princeton, with a seductive cabaret number ("Special"). The Bad Idea Bears suggest that Kate and Princeton order some "harmless" Long Island Iced Teas, and once Kate is totally inebriated, Princeton takes her home to bed, where they have enthusiastic, high-decibel sex. Gary fields angry calls from other tenants but refuses to intercede ("You Can Be as Loud as the Hell You Want When You're Makin' Love"). Meanwhile, Rod hears Nicky say, "I love you, Rod," in his sleep, and is jubilant, but he eventually realizes he was dreaming. Kate and Princeton profess their mutual love, and he gives her his lucky penny ("Fantasies Come True"). The next morning, a hung-over Kate oversleeps and misses her teaching assignment. Mrs. Thistletwat berates her, and Kate angrily quits her job before she can be fired. Christmas Eve decides unilaterally that it is time she and Brian were married. At the wedding, Nicky blurts out his suspicion that Rod is gay. Rod, furious, insists he has a girlfriend none of them have ever met ("My Girlfriend Who Lives in Canada") and tells Nicky he is no longer welcome in their apartment. When Kate catches Christmas Eve's wedding bouquet, Princeton panics, confesses his fear of commitment, and asks Kate if they can just be friends. Kate retorts that she already has many friends, and ends their relationship ("There's a Fine, Fine Line"). A despondent Princeton has been holed up in his apartment after breaking up with Kate ("It Sucks to Be Me" (reprise)), but the neighbors coax him outside, where he once again runs into Lucy, who seduces the rebounding Princeton ("There is Life Outside Your Apartment"). Kate is angry, but Christmas Eve explains that it means she is in love with him ("The More You Ruv Someone"). Kate writes a note to Princeton suggesting that they rendezvous at the Empire State Building and leaves it with Lucy, who promptly destroys it. Nicky, having been kicked off of all his friends' couches, laments his fate to Gary who confesses that he is deriving pleasure from Nicky's misfortune; they agree that this, while morally wrong, is yet another reality ("Schadenfreude"). On the Empire State Building's viewing platform, Kate, thinking that Princeton has stood her up, throws his lucky penny away. A hundred stories below, Lucy, who had just dumped Princeton for lacking a job, plans or money, is knocked unconscious by the penny. At the hospital, Kate figures out that Lucy sabotaged the meeting, while Kate and Princeton unsuccessfully try to work out their problems over Lucy's comatose body. Rod is too proud to accept Nicky's repeated apologies, despite clearly missing him, and tearfully consults Christmas Eve. Princeton, Kate, and Nicky dream of returning to happier times ("I Wish I Could Go Back to College"). Princeton gives a still-homeless panhandling Nicky a quarter, and marvels at how fantastic he feels. Since thinking only about himself has gotten him nowhere, he decides to raise money to build Kate's Monstersori School. He solicits everyone, even breaking the fourth wall to shake down the audience, but the results are disappointing ("The Money Song"). Then Trekkie Monster, recalling his own traumatic school experiences, donates ten million dollars and explains to the astonished cast that "in volatile market, only stable investment is porn!" ("School for Monsters/The Money Song" (reprise)). Kate joyfully opens her new school. Brian lands a consulting job, and Christmas Eve finally has a paying client (Rod), so the newlyweds move to a better neighborhood. Rod finally comes out, unsurprisingly, and takes Nicky back in. Nicky finds Rod a boyfriend – Ricky, a muscle-bound hunk who otherwise looks and sounds exactly like Nicky. The Bad Idea Bears discover Scientology. Lucy, having recovered from her head injury, becomes a born-again Christian and takes a vow of chastity. Kate and Princeton agree to give their relationship another go ("There's a Fine, Fine Line" (reprise)). A new college graduate inquires about the vacancy in the building ("What Do You Do with a B.A. in English" (reprise)), and Princeton has an epiphany: he concludes that his purpose may be to put everything he has learned into a Broadway musical. Everybody, especially the newcomer, immediately ridicules him. The cast reminds Princeton that, in the real world, many people never find their purpose, but life goes on, and everything, both good and bad, is "only for now" ("For Now").

Az obsitos

Musical · 1910

Karoline and her daughter Marlene do not know that Franz, their long-absent son and brother, has died in the war. Franz’s friend Alwin arrives to tell them, but cannot bring himself to reveal the truth. He introduces himself as Franz, whom they have not seen for years, and falls in love with Marlene, whom he calls his sister.

BOOP! The Musical

Musical · 2023

Betty Boop leaves her black-and-white world for a day in New York City, where she encounters new friendships and romance.

Babes in Arms

Musical · 1937

Babes in Arms is a 1937 coming-of-age musical comedy with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Lorenz Hart, and book by Rodgers and Hart. It concerns a group of small-town Long Island teenagers who put on a show to avoid being sent to a work farm by the town sheriff. Several songs in Babes in Arms became pop standards, including the title song, "Where or When", "The Lady Is a Tramp", and "My Funny Valentine". The film version, released in 1939, starred Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney and was directed by Busby Berkeley.

Babes in Toyland

Musical · 1903

Orphans Alan and Jane are sent away by their uncle Barnaby, who seeks to take their inheritance. They escape danger and reach Toyland, where Barnaby again plots against Alan. After Barnaby dies from poison meant for Alan, the old laws of Toyland offer Alan a way to escape execution and marry Contrary Mary.

Babes in the Wood

Musical · 1964

Babes in the Wood is a 1964 Off-Broadway musical adaptation of A Midsummer Night's Dream. The show's book and lyrics are by Rick Besoyan.

Baby

Musical · 1983

Baby is a musical with a book by Sybille Pearson, based on a story developed with Susan Yankowitz, music by David Shire, and lyrics by Richard Maltby Jr. It concerns the reactions of three couples each expecting a child. The musical first ran on Broadway from 1983 to 1984.

Baby It's You!

Musical · 2009

Florence Greenberg is an average New Jersey housewife. A talent show is held at her daughter's school, and a group of African-American girls are preparing to perform. Florence's daughter is surprised at their talent, quickly notifying her mother, and Florence decides to make the group recording artists. To accommodate them, she founds Scepter Records. After the success of the Shirelles, the new name of the group, Florence and Scepter Records go on to "discover recording artists like the Kingsmen, the Isley Brothers and Dionne Warwick."

Back to the Future: The Musical

Musical · 2020

In Hill Valley, California, October 25, 1985 ("Overture"), Marty McFly arrives at the home of his scientist friend, Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown, to find a pre-recorded message, playing on a large amplifier, asking Marty to meet him in the parking lot of Twin Pines Mall after midnight. After destroying the amplifier while playing his electric guitar, Marty walks through town and dreams about being a successful rock artist. A man named Goldie Wilson is running for mayor ("It's Only a Matter of Time"). When Marty's band audition is rejected ("Got No Future"), Marty's girlfriend, Jennifer Parker, comforts him ("Wherever We're Going") but they are interrupted by fundraisers for the restoration of the town's clock tower, which was damaged by lightning in 1955. Marty, with a flyer on the clocktower in hand, heads home to find his father George being harassed by his boss, Biff Tannen. George discourages Marty from chasing big dreams, his brother Dave explains his job at a burger restaurant and his mother, Lorraine McFly, discourages his sister, Linda, from dating and talks about how she first met George and kissed him at a school dance as Marty laments his family's state ("Hello, Is Anybody Home?"). At the Twin Pines Mall parking lot, Marty meets Doc who unveils a time machine made from a DeLorean and explains how he built it ("It Works"). However, due to inadequate protection while loading plutonium into the car's reactor, Doc is afflicted by acute radiation poisoning and is dying. Marty jumps in the car to seek medical help but accidentally accelerates to, sending him back in time to the day Doc conceptualised time travel in 1955. Ditching the car in a barn, Marty wanders to the town square where the citizens of Hill Valley celebrate the town ("Cake"). Marty witnesses his teenage father being threatened by Biff and his gang ("Got No Future" (reprise)) and tells him to stand up for himself. When he accidentally reveals then-diner employee Goldie will become Mayor of Hill Valley, Goldie is inspired and encourages George to also increase his self-esteem ("Gotta Start Somewhere"). Marty later finds George spying on teenage Lorraine from a tree ("My Myopia") but is knocked unconscious when George falls. Hours later, Marty wakes up in Lorraine's bedroom, where he is being cared for. Lorraine falls for Marty who tries to fend off her advances ("Pretty Baby"). Marty finds his way to Doc's house and convinces a younger Doc that he came from 1985 by revealing his knowledge about Doc's Flux Capacitor. Finding the car, Doc worries that Marty will be stuck in 1955 forever. As Marty despairs ("Future Boy"), Doc states that a bolt of lightning could power the time machine, and from the information on Marty's flyer, they plan how to use the lightning bolt. Marty tells Doc he encountered both of his parents; realizing Marty's future existence is in jeopardy, Doc instructs him to avoid meeting anyone from history and make sure George and Lorraine fall in love. The next day, they infiltrate Hill Valley High School ("Hill Valley High School Fight Song"), where Marty encourages George to ask Lorraine out to the school's upcoming dance. George tries to follow Marty's advice but runs afoul of Biff, forcing Marty to intervene. As Marty and George are chased around the campus, Lorraine tells her friends about the boy she tended to, while Biff and his gang hear rumors about Marty and plot to get rid of him. Marty fends off Biff, inadvertently awing Lorraine further ("Something About That Boy"). Doc Brown dreams of the social, technological, economic, and political advances of the future ("21st Century"), waking up as Lorraine invites Marty to the school dance to which Marty reluctantly accepts ("Something About That Boy" (reprise)). Marty visits George to boost his self confidence and dance abilities in preparation for the dance ("Put Your Mind to It"), running through the plan for George to win over Lorraine as well. As he plans to use a wire running from the clocktower to send the lightning to the DeLorean, Doc recalls how some scientists throughout history became famous, while others failed to fulfil their goals ("For the Dreamers"). Meanwhile, Biff and his gang learn of Marty's attendance at the upcoming dance and plot to beat him up ("Teach Him a Lesson"). On the night of the dance, Doc thanks Marty for giving him hope for his future; Marty secretly writes a letter to warn him of his death in 1985, despite being warned of the harm from disclosing future events. Marty reflects on his only chance to return to the future, while thinking of Jennifer back in 1985 for inspiration ("Only a Matter of Time" (reprise)). During the school dance ("Deep Divin'"), Lorraine advances on Marty ("Pretty Baby" (reprise)) before Biff locks him in a nearby dumpster and assaults Lorraine. Biff overpowers an arriving George, but George defeats him in one punch. As George escorts a grateful Lorraine to the dance, singer Marvin Berry and his band, on a smoke break, free Marty from the dumpster. Marvin's fingers are accidentally clamped by the closing lid. Knowing music will be needed for George and Lorraine to kiss, Marty volunteers to play guitar instead. The band plays "Earth Angel" as George and Lorraine kiss, saving Marty's existence. On Marvin's request for another song, Marty performs "Johnny B. Goode", but his guitar solo stuns the crowd. After bidding farewell to George and Lorraine, Marty leaves the dance to meet Doc who explains that high winds disconnected the upper cables and that he would have to reconnect them despite his fear of heights. Marty gives his letter to Doc who destroys it, worried about the consequences. Doc faces his fear and the storm to connect the wires ("For the Dreamers" (reprise)), while Marty drives the DeLorean, inserts the electric hook and accelerates to 88 miles per hour as the lightning strikes and sends him back to October 26, 1985. However, upon arrival, the car shuts down, preventing Marty from bringing Doc to the hospital. As Marty grieves over failing to save Doc, Doc appears, revealing that he pieced the letter back together and wore a better protective suit. He thanks Marty and bids him goodbye before departing to the future in the DeLorean. Marty sleeps in the courthouse square. The following morning, Marty discovers his father is now a renowned science fiction author with an annual celebration named after him, his family is more professionally and socially successful, and a timid Biff is in George's employ. At the celebration, the McFlys present the town with a check to restore the clock tower. As Marty and his band perform "The Power of Love" and the whole town joins in, Doc suddenly returns in the upgraded DeLorean, insisting Marty come with him to see the future. Marty hops in, and Doc sets the car's destination date to the exact time and date of the musical's current performance. The DeLorean takes off and flies overhead, and into the future ("Finale").

Backbeat

Musical · 2010

In Hamburg, the young Beatles work toward a musical identity while bassist Stuart Sutcliffe is drawn toward painting and photographer Astrid Kirchherr. Friendship, artistic ambition, and conflicting loyalties shape the group before international success.

Bad Girls

Musical · 2006

Bad Girls: The Musical is a stage musical based on the ITV prison drama series Bad Girls, with a book by Maureen Chadwick and Ann McManus, and music and lyrics by Kath Gotts.

Bagatelle

Musical · 1874

After a performance, café-concert star Bagatelle is visited by young admirer Georges, who throws the keys out the window to prolong their time together. Her maid Finette’s lover, clarinetist Pistache, is also hidden in the apartment. In the morning, Finette releases all three; Bagatelle returns Georges’s love after learning he defended her against detractors.

Baghdaddy

Musical · 2011

Baghdaddy, now titled Who's Your Baghdaddy, or How I Started the Iraq War, is a satirical musical comedy stage play with music and book by Marshall Paillet, lyrics and book by A. D. Penedo, based on an unproduced screenplay by J. T. Allen, and produced by Charlie Fink. The musical is based on historical events leading up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq by the United States, and focuses on how the CIA and BND (German intelligence service) provided the Bush administration with a justification for invading Iraq. A new production opened off-Broadway at the St. Luke's Theatre on May 1, 2017. Who's Your Baghdaddy, or How I Started the Iraq War, was produced in Australia in 2020 and streamed live online during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bajour

Musical · 1964

Bajour is a musical with a book by Ernest Kinoy and music and lyrics by Walter Marks. The musical is based on the Joseph Mitchell short stories The Gypsy Women and The King of the Gypsies published in The New Yorker. The title is allegedly a Romani word for a con game in which lonely and unhappy women are swindled out of their life savings.

Baker Street

Musical · 1964

Baker Street is a 1965 musical with a book by Jerome Coopersmith and music and lyrics by Marian Grudeff and Raymond Jessel, based on the tales of Sherlock Holmes.

Balada pro banditu

Musical · 1975

Balada pro banditu (English: A Ballad for a Bandit) is a Czech stage musical play and film with music by Miloš Štědroň and screenplay by Milan Uhde.

Balalaika

Musical · 1933

Balalaika is a musical play in three acts with book and lyrics by Eric Maschwitz, music by George Posford and Bernard Grun. It opened in London at the Adelphi Theatre on 22 December 1936, starring Muriel Angelus, Roger Treville, Clifford Mollison and Betty Warren, and ran for 569 performances. A love story between a young nobleman and a ballerina set mostly in Russia during World War I and the Russian Revolution, it begins and ends in 1924 at a Montmartre night-club called the "Balalaika", telling the lovers' story through a series of flashbacks. Itself a revised version of an earlier London musical play called The Great Hussar, which opened at the Adelphi Theatre on 19 October 1933, Balalaika formed the basis for the 1939 MGM movie of the same name starring Nelson Eddy and Ilona Massey.

Ballroom

Musical · 1978

Ballroom is a stage musical with a book by Jerome Kass and music by Billy Goldenberg and lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman. Debuting on Broadway in 1978, it was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Musical. Based on Kass's teleplay for the 1975 Emmy Award-winning television drama Queen of the Stardust Ballroom starring Maureen Stapleton, the plot focuses on lonely widow Bea Asher, who becomes romantically involved with Alfred Rossi, a mail carrier she meets at the local dance hall. Her dream of a happily-ever-after relationship is shattered when she discovers Alfred hasn't been as honest about his personal life as she thought.

Bandanna Land

Musical · 1908

Setting: Georgia Skunkton Bowser, a performer who does one-night-stands with a minstrel show, inherits $25,000 as a bequest from the man who formerly enslaved Bowser's father. His educated friend, Bud Jenkins, appoints himself as guardian of Bowser and creates a park for African Americans called "Bandanna Land". Jenkins assists in selling the park to a railroad company that does not like the presence of the African Americans. Despite Jenkins, Bowser is determined to receive his fair share of the profits of the sale.

Bandstand

Musical · 2015

Newly back from the front lines, the young vet, pianist, and singer/songwriter Donny Novitski returns home from the war to Cleveland, Ohio in 1945, to find an America eager to get back to life ("Just Like It Was Before"). Unable to find a place in post-war Cleveland for himself, Donny hears of a National Radio Swing Band Competition in Tribute to the Troops, and hatches a plan to create a band composed entirely of fellow vets for a shot at instant fame and Hollywood fortune ("Donny Novitski"). With a statewide competition to win first, Donny puts his band together: Jimmy Campbell on saxophone and clarinet, Davy Zlatic on bass, Nick Radel on trumpet, Wayne Wright on trombone, and Johnny Simpson on drums ("I Know a Guy"). Each of the members of the band have struggled with the adjustment from military life to life at home, but they find friendship and commonality over this shared goal. Following their first performance ("Ain't We Proud"), Donny makes good on a promise to check in on Julia Trojan, the young widow of the man who had been his best friend in the war, Michael. Meanwhile, the vets in Donny's new band try desperately to readjust to civilian life ("Proud Riff"). As Julia prepares to host Donny for dinner in the hope of learning more about her husband's death, she confides in her mother, June Adams, that she just wants to be who she was before her husband's death ("Who I Was"). During dinner, Donny avoids discussing the death of Julia's husband. Later, haunted by the memories of war, the band members play their instruments, and Donny arrives at the church where Julia sings ("Counterpoint/Pie Jesu"). Impressed by her voice, Donny invites Julia to hear the band he's put together. Excitedly, Julia's mother hopes that all will soon be "Just Like It Was Before (Reprise)". At the club, Donny invites Julia to sing a standard with the band ("First Steps First"). After the performance, Donny convinces a hesitant Julia to join the band, and they begin rehearsing in earnest ("Breathe") for their first gig together, trying out a new tune, "You Deserve It". When Donny's confidence in winning the competition falters, Julia offers him a journal of poems she has written. Inspired by Julia's take on post-war life, Donny composes a melody for one of her poems that he is convinced will win them the preliminary in Ohio which guarantees them a slot on the final broadcast in New York City. The Ohio broadcast is in full swing ("Dwight Anson & Jean Ann"), as the Donny Nova Band featuring Julia Trojan takes the stage with "Love Will Come and Find Me Again". The band wins the state preliminary, but are told they have to pay their own way to New York and are required to compete in a second round of elimination to secure their spot in the final broadcast. From disbelief and despair, Donny rallies his band of brothers with a vision of a world where they are recognized for their sacrifices and talents ("Right This Way"). With renewed determination that ("Nobody") tells them 'no', the Band begins playing every available club in Cleveland. Their growing number of fans celebrate that ("The Boys Are Back"). Julia and Donny continue their songwriting collaboration with ("I Got a Theory") about Cleveland itself, raising more money and hometown support. With the New York trip imminent, and the bond between them growing stronger, Julia presses Donny for the truth of her husband's death in battle. Horrified by the revelation that Donny accidentally caused Michael's death in a friendly fire incident, Julia abandons the band. After expressing her feelings to her mother, June tells Julia that sometimes ("Everything Happens") without reason or fault. After deep reflection, Julia returns to Donny with a new poem as an apology, which paints a raw and truthful portrait of Donny and the Band members: Johnny was severely injured and suffers from chronic pain, amnesia, and cognitive issues; Nick was a prisoner of war, giving him anger and trust issues; Davy liberated Dachau and has turned to alcohol and humor to cope with the memories; Wayne suffers from mental illness (likely OCD), meaning his children no longer recognize him and his marriage breaks down; Jimmy is gay and his partner died in combat, and he now focuses on his law studies to avoid letting anybody in on his terrible loss; Donny is an insomniac who is experiencing survivor's guilt after the death of Michael, Julia's husband. Inspired, Donny sets Julia's new poem to music, but both of them realize that the lyrics must be rewritten if the song is ever to be performed in public; they turn it into a love song about a girl and her returning soldier ("Welcome Home"). After having received a generous donation from their hometown fans, the Band sets off to live their dream of being ("A Band in New York City"). After a magical first night in New York, Donny and Julia find themselves outside her hotel room door, finally admitting their true feelings for one another ("This is Life"). Backstage at the final broadcast, moments before their appearance, the band realizes that the fine print of the contract they've signed is a trap, and the promised prize a sham. Refusing to allow their military service to be sentimentalized and exploited by the contest promoters, and unwilling to give away the rights to his song, Donny convinces the band to make the riskiest choice of all, and fight for themselves, and he and Julia kiss ("This is Life (Reprise)"). Live on air for the entire country to hear, the band stages a virtual coup d'état of the broadcast as Julia sings every brutally honest word of her original poem ("Welcome Home (Finale)"). In an "Epilogue", a year later, the Donny Nova Band featuring Julia Trojan find themselves to be celebrated stars, with sold-out New York concerts and a nationwide tour.

Banjo Eyes

Musical · 1941

Banjo Eyes is a musical based on the play Three Men on a Horse by John Cecil Holm and George Abbott. It has a book by Joseph Quinlan and Izzy Ellinson, music by Vernon Duke, and lyrics by John La Touche and Harold Adamson.

Bar Mitzvah Boy

Musical · 1978

Bar Mitzvah Boy is a musical with a book by Jack Rosenthal, lyrics by Don Black, and music by Jule Styne. Based on Rosenthal's award-winning 1976 BBC1 teleplay of the same name, it focuses on young Eliot Green who, filled with apprehension, escapes from the synagogue where he is about to make his…

Bare

Musical · 2000

At St. Cecilia's Boarding School, Peter dozes off during Mass and has a nightmare in which he is outed as gay and condemned by everyone ("Epiphany"). After Mass, he sees Jason, his roommate and secret lover. Jason reassures Peter about their relationship and Peter suggests that they audition for the school play ("You & I"). Alone, Peter reflects on his anxieties about his relationship with Jason ("Role of a Lifetime"). Jason shows up to the auditions for Romeo and Juliet at the last minute and competes with another student, Matt, for the part of Romeo. Drama teacher Sister Chantelle casts Jason as Romeo and Ivy as Juliet ("Auditions"). Nadia, Jason's overweight twin sister, is upset that she was cast as the Nurse and commiserates with Jason over their overbearing parents ("Plain Jane Fat Ass"). Matt tries to plan a small surprise birthday party for Ivy, with whom he is in love. Lucas, the school's party boy, organizes a trip to a rave, bringing ecstasy and other drugs ("Wonderland"). Insecure about her appearance, Nadia decides to stay behind ("A Quiet Night at Home"). At the rave, Peter dances with Jason and Ivy with Matt ("Rolling"). Peter tries to kiss Jason, who leads him outside. Peter wants to make their relationship public but Jason is afraid ("Best Kept Secret"). They kiss, but unbeknownst to them, Matt sees them together. The next morning, at Confession, Matt and Peter ask for guidance about their respective secrets: Matt about seeing the kiss and Peter about being gay ("Confession"). After Nadia jokes about Ivy's promiscuity, Ivy reflects on the way her reputation defines and confines her ("Portrait of a Girl"). Nadia turns Ivy's birthday party into a crude and uproarious event ("Birthday, Bitch!"). Peter unknowingly eats pot brownies and flirts with Jason. A drunk Ivy does the same and Jason chooses her over Peter to save face. Ivy asks Jason to kiss her as a birthday gift and he reluctantly agrees ("One Kiss"). Matt and Peter bond over their frustrations and an inebriated Peter tells Matt the secret of his relationship with Jason ("Are You There?"). Peter later has a vision of the Virgin Mary, in the form of Sister Chantelle, telling him that he needs to come out to his mother ("911! Emergency!"). At rehearsal, Matt abandons the script and tackles Jason, calling him a homophobic slur ("Reputation Stain'd"). Peter asks Jason to come home with him for spring break and help him come out to his mother. Jason panics, afraid of his father finding out, and breaks up with Peter ("Ever After"). While Nadia sardonically sings about her dislike of spring, Peter leaves for break without speaking to Jason ("Spring"). Ivy apologizes to Jason for her actions at the party, but admits that she likes him and hopes for more. While Peter and Matt pine for their respective loves and Nadia wishes to be noticed, Jason sleeps with Ivy, hoping it is the right thing to do ("One"). The school chapel is decorated elaborately for Peter and Jason's wedding. The scene turns into Jason's wedding to Ivy and reveals itself to be Peter's nightmare ("Wedding Bells"). Later, class ranks are posted and Jason has achieved the valedictorian spot, once again besting Matt ("In the Hallway"). Ivy tells Jason that though she has been with other boys before, he is her first true love. After realizing that Ivy's feelings are the way he feels about Peter, he breaks up with her ("Touch My Soul"). Peter calls his mother Claire, intending to come out. She continually evades the subject, though he suspects she already knows the truth ("See Me"). Claire hangs up, shaken at the confirmation of her fears, but eventually recognizes that her love for him is stronger than her religious objections ("Warning"). When Ivy misses rehearsal, her understudy Diane steps in but forgets her lines. Peter temporarily takes over and dances with Jason ("Pilgrim's Hands"). Ivy appears at the end of the rehearsal and insists to Jason that they need to speak privately. Sister Chantelle tells Peter that she knows what has been bothering him—that he is gay—and assures him that he is just as God wanted him to be ("God Don't Make No Trash"). Ivy tells Nadia that she is pregnant with Jason's child ("All Grown Up"). She later finds Jason practicing his graduation speech and tells him that she is pregnant and still hopes he might learn to love her back. Matt, who has overheard them, reveals that Jason is in love with Peter. Peter arrives and he, Matt, and Jason exchange heated words as the other students look on ("Promise"). Distraught, Jason reflects on his relationship with Peter, and how even through his fear, he knows that it is the only thing that will comfort him ("Once Upon a Time"). With nowhere else to go, he asks the priest at Confession if God still loves him and can forgive him. The priest tells him that he must deny his feelings ("Cross"). Backstage before the play, Lucas passes out drug orders to students, including Jason. Jason asks Peter to run away with him but Peter refuses, not wanting to hide anymore ("Two Households"). Jason, thinking that he has lost Peter for good, takes a large dose of GHB. As the play begins, he again pulls Peter aside and tells him that he has loved him since they first met. Peter tells him he loves him too and reassures him that their parting is not a permanent goodbye ("Bare"). As Peter delivers the Queen Mab speech, Jason becomes increasingly disoriented and begins to hallucinate ("Queen Mab"). During the masked ball scene, he collapses and dies in Peter's arms ("A Glooming Peace"). Peter confronts the priest about Jason's last visit, accusing him of failing to show compassion ("Absolution"). At graduation, Peter, Ivy, Matt, and Nadia wonder whether they could have prevented Jason's death and consider the role they played in it. They move forward into a world that will yield more questions than answers ("No Voice").

Barefoot Boy With Cheek

Musical · 1947

Barefoot Boy with Cheek is a 1947 comedic Broadway musical written by Max Shulman, with music by Sidney Lippman and lyrics by Sylvia Dee. The show, which satirizes college life at the "fictitious" University of Minnesota, is based on Shulman's 1943 novel of the same name. It premiered at the Martin Beck Theatre on April 3, 1947, and closed on July 5 of that year after 108 performances.

Barkouf

Musical · 1860

When the Great Mogul appoints his dog Barkouf governor of Lahore, Maïma, Barkouf’s former mistress, becomes his translator. She turns his barks into decrees granting the people’s requests and thwarting the corrupt vizier Bababeck. Barkouf dies in battle, and Saëb succeeds him as governor.

Barnum

Musical · 1980

In the middle of the 19th century, Phineas Taylor (P.T.) Barnum introduces his circus acts as he stands in front of a tent, proclaiming ("There Is a Sucker Born Ev'ry Minute"). He loves spectacle and excitement, using hype and "humbug" to promote his exhibits. His wife Charity disagrees with his use of "humbug" but loves him and aims to keep him grounded. Barnum then introduces the oldest woman alive, Joice Heth, and thanks to some Barnum humbug she becomes a success ("Thank God I'm Old"). His wife Charity ("Chairy") urges him to get a job in a factory, but Barnum refuses ("The Colors of My Life [Part One]") and Charity wryly admits and accepts the disparity between their views ("The Colors of My Life [Part Two]"). Barnum enlists clowns to help in building a museum to house his attractions (with expected comical results) and it's up to Charity to encourage him to keep going ("One Brick at a Time"), with the result that "everything about [his] museum was spectacular" ("Museum Song"); however, the museum burns down accidentally. Barnum finds two new star attractions, Tom Thumb, who appears to advise that "Bigger Isn't Better", and Jumbo the elephant. Barnum then becomes manager of the famous Swedish opera singer Jenny Lind ("Love Makes Such Fools of Us All"). Barnum becomes enamored of her and sees the attraction of going on tour with her ("Out There"). He accompanies Jenny on tour, leaving Charity behind, as a marching band greets them ("Come Follow the Band"). Although all seems to be going well for Barnum, he finds that without Charity in his life he is miserable, and he decides to break ties with Jenny and return home to the woman he loves ("Love Makes Such Fools of Us All [Reprise]"). Upon his return to Charity, he promises to live the more sedate life she desires for him, in "Black and White." After a failed stint running a clockworks factory and a failed attempt to build his own city, he turns to politics; when his campaign looks doomed to fail due to lack of interest, Charity realizes how important his talents and passion are in his life and allows him to inject color and life into his campaign. He is elected Mayor of Bridgeport, and the two of them recognize the value in each other's approach to life and how they complement one another ("The Colors of My Life [Reprise]"). Barnum is prepared to run for Senator, but his beloved Charity dies suddenly, leaving Barnum bereft and alone. When Barnum finds himself cheated of the Senatorial nomination by his political party, he laments his position, realizes that his talent for Humbug will never leave him and wishes to "make it right, shoot a rocket, shine a light" ("Prince of Humbug"). James Anthony Bailey arrives and offers him the chance to "Join the Circus". Initially resisting, he relents (thanks in part to Charity's two-headed coin, which she has used to humbug him throughout the show) and joins Bailey, and they form the famous circus Barnum and Bailey. In "a princely final attraction", Barnum appears before the audience ("The Final Event: There is a Sucker Born Ev'ry Minute" [Reprise]") and reflects on his past:

Barry Manilow's Copacabana

Musical · 1994

The story follows Stephen, a young aspiring songwriter, as he composes what he hopes will become a hit musical. His imagination takes him back to 1947 as he creates a story surrounding an ambitious young singer Lola la Mar who arrives in New York City from Tulsa hoping to become a star. Meanwhile, Tony Forte, a 1947 incarnation of Stephen, is attempting to make it as a songwriter while tending bar at the famous Copacabana Nightclub. Tony instantly falls for Lola as she wanders into the Copacabana. He, along with former "Copa Girl" Gladys, introduce her to the owner of the club Sam Silver, to get her a job as a new Copa Girl. The two try to make it in New York in their respective fields, but do not find it easy. After Tony helps Lola improve a song written by her former music teacher, Sam gives her a job as a Copa Girl at his club. The two fall in love, as Tony writes a song for Lola as she listens. Stephen's voice can be heard narrating the events as Rico Castelli, an Italian gangster from Cuba, enters the Copacabana with the now-waning star Conchita Alvarez. Sam confronts Rico about the disappearance of Copa Girls each time he comes to the club, and demands he leave. However, Rico, armed with thugs, is able to stay long enough to meet and develop an interest in Lola la Mar. He drugs her and flies her back to Havana, Cuba, to star in his own nightclub -the Tropicana. In Havana, Rico informs Conchita that she will be replaced by a new, younger actress: Lola. Conchita, frustrated and upset, goes to Lola in order to "welcome" her. Back at the Copacabana, Tony, Sam, and Gladys learn that Lola was kidnapped and taken to Cuba. Tony immediately heads to save her, and Sam, after some convincing from Gladys, agrees to help him. Conchita, initially intending to threaten Lola, finds that she is truly a victim, and instead treats her with sympathy. Stephen can be seen again, this time expressing his love for the troubled Lola, while also sharing his lament for she is merely a figment of his imagination. Tony and Sam, now in Cuba, find Conchita and asks her for her help. She agrees, and pretends to guide Lola to become her replacement, while telling her to play along. Near the end of the Tropicana performance of "El Bravo", Tony runs on stage, reunited with Lola once again. However, Rico is close behind, waving a gun, and points the barrel at Tony. A single gunshot is heard, and Rico falls to the floor. Conchita, saving Tony and Lola from the perils she faced for years, shot her love Rico to his death. Tony and Lola are finally reunited and go back happily to the Copacabana. Back in the present, Stephen has finished his song. His wife, Samantha, is urging him to dress for their anniversary dinner. Stephen realizes that Lola was simply an incarnation of his wife, and finds he has a new sense of love for her. Her parents, who were the base for the characters Sam and Gladys, also appear, and he realizes his imagination had simply morphed reality into something a bit more elaborate.

Bat Boy: The Musical

Musical · 1997

In the fictional town of Hope Falls, West Virginia, three teenage spelunkers, Ron, Rick and Ruthie Taylor, discover the Bat Boy, a deformed humanoid creature. Bat Boy attacks Ruthie and is taken captive by Rick and Ron ("Hold Me Bat Boy"). Ruthie is taken to the hospital, and the Bat Boy is placed in the care of Sheriff Reynolds who brings him to the home of local veterinarian Dr. Parker. Meredith, Dr. Parker's wife, agrees to take him in ("Christian Charity"). Shelley, the Parkers' teenage daughter, is repulsed by the Bat Boy and infuriated by his constant screaming, but Meredith pities him and christens him with a new name: Edgar ("Ugly Boy"). Rick Taylor, Shelley's boyfriend, arrives and, infuriated by Edgar's presence, threatens to kill him with a knife ("Whatcha Wanna Do?"). This upsets Shelley, and Meredith makes Rick leave. Meredith attempts to comfort Edgar ("A Home For You"). Meanwhile, the Mayor of Hope Falls and the local ranchers are worried by their cattle which are dying inexplicably. The rumours of the discovery of a Bat Boy lead them to believe he must be preying on the cattle ("Another Dead Cow"). Dr. Parker returns home and is about to euthanize Edgar when Meredith intervenes. Meredith begs Dr. Parker not to kill Edgar, and he consents when she agrees to sleep with him. Dr. Parker celebrates what he sees as an upturn in his failing marriage and feeds Edgar animal blood ("Dance With Me Darling"). At the hospital, Ruthie is delirious from her injuries, but her mother promises the Sheriff will kill the Bat Boy or be fired ("Mrs. Taylor's Lullaby"). With the help of Meredith's patient teaching and Dr. Parker's secret feedings of blood, Edgar learns speech, etiquette and how to dress and obtains a high-school equivalency diploma ("Show You A Thing or Two"). The town council implore Dr. Parker to prevent the reviled Edgar from attending the upcoming revival meeting. Dr. Parker protests, insisting Edgar is not a threat to anyone, but is pressured into giving his word that Edgar will not attend the revival ("Christian Charity (Reprise)") Edgar begs the Parkers to let him go to the revival ("A Home For You (Reprise)"), and Meredith eventually relents. Incensed by Meredith undermining his word, Dr. Parker grabs her aggressively, and Edgar instinctively attacks him. Meredith runs to comfort Edgar over her husband, leaving Dr. Parker humiliated and furious. Dr. Parker begins to devise a way to destroy Edgar and save his marriage to Meredith; he taunts a hungry Edgar with a live rabbit, and Edgar struggles with his feral urges to kill. Just as it seems Edgar is overcoming his hunger, Dr. Parker draws blood from the rabbit and Edgar eats it. Dr. Parker gives Ruthie Taylor a lethal injection in her hospital room, intending to blame her death on Edgar ("Comfort and Joy"). At the revival meeting Reverend Hightower offers a faith healing ("A Joyful Noise"). Meredith, Shelley and Edgar arrive, and Edgar volunteers himself for the faith healing. The town are disgusted by his presence, but Edgar implores them to accept him ("Let Me Walk Among You"). The townsfolk are won over by Edgar's eloquence and civility and embrace him ("A Joyful Noise (Reprise)"). Dr. Parker arrives at the revival and reveals Ruthie has died, blaming her death on Edgar. The townsfolk are furious and once again turn on Edgar. In the ensuing struggle Edgar attacks Rick Taylor; under the pretense of tending to his wounds, Dr. Parker administers Rick with a lethal injection to serve as further proof that Edgar is dangerous. The townsfolk form a mob, led by Dr. Parker, and pursue Edgar into the woods. In the woods Shelley and Meredith look for Edgar. Together they decide that they will run away from Hope Falls and Dr. Parker. Shelley tells Meredith she is falling in love with Edgar, and Meredith's horrified response causes Shelley to run away deeper into the woods ("Three Bedroom House"). There she meets Edgar, and the two comfort each other and confess their love for each other. The Greek God of nature Pan arrives to preside over the union of Edgar and Shelley, with the help of the woodland creatures ("Children, Children"). Ron Taylor, determined to get revenge for his brother and sister, searches the slaughterhouse for Edgar. The mob mistake the noise coming from the slaughterhouse as a sign of Edgar's presence, and Mrs. Taylor sets fire to the slaughterhouse, inadvertently burning her remaining child to death. The Sheriff asks Dr. Parker to placate the mob but, instead, he whips them into a bloodthirsty frenzy, and the hunt for Edgar resumes ("More Blood/Kill The Bat Boy!"). Back in the woods Edgar is hungry for blood and begs Shelley to leave him for her own safety. Instead Shelley offers her arm to Edgar for him to feed on ("Inside Your Heart"). Just as he is about to bite, Meredith arrives and reveals she is Edgar's mother. Overcome with grief and shame, Edgar kills a cow and runs away to the cave where he was discovered. Incensed at Dr. Parker's betrayal and Meredith's deceit, Edgar pledges to kill the pair of them and embrace his inner beast ("Apology To A Cow"). The mob arrives at the cave as do Dr. Parker and Meredith. Together they reveal to the town that Edgar was the result of an experiment gone wrong; a young Parker accidentally spilled a prototype pheromone on Meredith which caused him to go mad and sexually violate her. As Meredith ran home in tears, the pheromone also attracted a colony of bats that violated her as well. Nine months later she gave birth to Shelley and Edgar. Repulsed by the deformed Edgar, Meredith asked Parker to kill him, but he could not and instead left him at the mouth of the cave where the bats adopted him. Edgar begs Dr. Parker to kill him, but he cannot; so Edgar reveals that he slept with Shelley. Furious and overcome with grief, Dr. Parker slits his own throat, causing Edgar to leap upon him and feed, whilst Dr. Parker stabs him in the back. Meredith tries to intervene but is stabbed as well, and the three fall to the ground, dead ("Finale: I Imagine You're Upset/I Am Not A Boy"). In the aftermath, Shelley and the townsfolk reflect on the tale and the lessons they have learned ("Hold Me Bat Boy (Reprise)").

Bat Out of Hell

Musical · 2017

In the dystopian city of Obsidian, Strat recalls his first encounter with rock and roll ("Love and Death and an American Guitar (Strat's Soliloquy)") before his DNA froze, causing him to remain eighteen forever. (In later UK productions, this scene is performed by Raven.) Strat is the leader of a group of teens who are all frozen in eternal youth - Tink, Zahara, Jagwire, Ledoux, and Valkyrie, among others - and who call themselves 'the Lost'. Strat and the Lost march in the square outside Falco Towers, home of the city's tyrannical leader of the same name, which leads to a scuffle ("All Revved Up with No Place to Go" / "Wasted Youth"). Falco's teenage daughter Raven, who has been forbidden from leaving Falco Towers, sneaks into the fray and is drawn to Strat's discarded shirt. Picking it up, her eyes meet Strat's, but she is immediately rushed back inside by her mother Sloane. Falco himself joins the fight, injuring Strat's best friend Tink; he suffers a facial injury when Ledoux breaks a bottle over his head, but manages to drive the Lost away. At Falco Towers, Falco dismisses a resentful Raven and shares his latest political plans with Sloane: he intends to propose a housing project which will revive Obsidian, but destroy the disused tunnels and subways where masses of unhoused people live, including the Lost. They lament their long-gone youth and dismiss the Lost as unimportant ("Who Needs the Young?"). Meanwhile, Raven and Strat have a brief encounter; as she dons his shirt, he briefly climbs into her room and steals a magazine with her picture on the cover. He startles her, but he ducks out as her mother enters. When Raven inquires about the origins of the Lost, Sloane explains that during a period of chemical warfare 25 years prior, the teenagers were stuck in an earthquake and exposed to a poison that froze their aging. She then gives Raven an early 18th birthday present - Falco's old biker jacket - and encourages her to be free and fall in love. The following day, 'The Lost' are gathered in their hideaway, 'the Deep End,' located in a disused subway near the 81st Street–Museum of Natural History station. Tink crashes his bicycle, then challenges Jagwire, to a fight, but is stopped by Strat, who tends Tink's wounds and tussles with him. Tink and Zahara both flirt with Strat and attempt to kiss him; he gently rebuffs Tink and asks Zahara, 'On a hot summer night, would you offer your throat to the wolf with the red roses?', unsettling her. As Strat ignores Zahara's departing advice to forget about Raven, the Lost briefly discuss kidnapping her for ransom and encourage Strat to pursue her romantically ("Out of the Frying Pan And Into the Fire"). Meanwhile, outside of Falco Towers, Jagwire attempts to reestablish a prior romantic relationship with Zahara, but she cannot get over her first love and gently rejects him ("Two Out of Three Ain't Bad"). At Falco Towers, Falco and Sloane throw a party for Raven to celebrate her eighteenth birthday, much to her chagrin. Raven asks again for the freedom to explore the subways and meet the Lost, which Falco bluntly and firmly refuses. Sloane attempts to brighten the atmosphere, but is quickly pulled into a reverie of her youthful trysts with Falco, causing Raven to flee in frustration and disgust ("Paradise by the Dashboard Light"). Zahara appears in Raven's bedroom, dressed a nurse, and administers 'dream suppressant' medication to her; Falco and Sloane enter as well, to apologize and put her to bed. Strat sneaks in through the window, startling a sleeping Raven; he asks her the same question he posed to Zahara, but she is too distracted to notice it. After Raven stops a disappointed Strat from leaving, they have a heart-to-heart talk and Strat invites her to go out with him for one night ("Making Love Out of Nothing at All"). Just as they are about to give in to their desires, a frantic Zahara interrupts to warn them that Falco is coming and has already invaded the Deep End. Strat and Raven escape through her bedroom window. Strat and Raven rendezvous with Jagwire, who is quickly apprehended by Falco's militia. On Strat's motorbike, Raven has second thoughts about going with him ("Bat Out of Hell"). Halfway through the ride, Raven's fear of her father's retribution prompts her to jump off the bike and run away. After a moment of devastated reflection, Strat remounts his motorbike and zooms ahead at full speed off the Atlantic Ocean cliffs, when he 'misses' a sudden curve. His motorbike shatters and crushes him, seemingly killing him. At the start of Act Two, Falco has invaded the Deep End, captured several members of the Lost, and confined them in the prison basement of Falco Towers. As Falco gleefully tortures Jagwire, Zahara appears in her nurse outfit, holding Strat's bloodied shirt. She grimly informs Falco, Sloane, Raven, and the Lost that Strat has died; Raven breaks down and is taken away by Zahara and Sloane, leaving Falco and his militia to torture the Lost ("In the Land of the Pig, the Butcher Is King"). Raven mourns Strat's death ("Heaven Can Wait"). Below, the Lost express their shock, prompting Jagwire, Blake and Ledoux to share their pasts ("Objects in the Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer Than They Are"). Fed up with Falco's tyrannical behavior, Sloane sneaks into the basement and frees the Lost. (In the 2021-2022 and 2025 UK Tours, "In The Land of the Pig..." is cut. Instead, Raven accuses Falco of murdering Strat and flees; Falco is deliberately vague with Sloane when she asks him whether he was truly responsible. "Heaven Can Wait" is then sung by Raven. "Objects..." is then sung in the Deep End between Jagwire, Valkyrie, and Ledoux.) After drawing a pint of blood from Raven, Zahara revives her and convinces her to leave together; a hitherto unseen Tink emerges from hiding and destroys Raven's belongings. Zahara takes Raven to a safe area where she and Tink have been secretly looking after Strat, who has miraculously survived. She transfuses Raven's blood into Strat, enabling him to become mobile again, and he stumbles down from the rocks reciting poetry ("Teenager In Love"). Raven is shocked and overjoyed to see Strat and attempts to thank Tink for saving him, but he rebuffs her. Zahara leaves with a reluctant Tink in tow, while Strat and Raven have a heartfelt reunion ("For Crying Out Loud"). The next day, Zahara returns to Falco Towers for Raven's belongings; she is confronted by Falco, who demands that she reveal Raven's location. She denies knowing where Raven is, but Falco reveals that he knows that she is actually one of the Lost. Sloane's attempts to defend Zahara provoke a confrontation in which Falco shoves and almost strikes Sloane, but Zahara fires two warning shots with her gun; Sloane declares that she is ending their marriage, and she leaves with Zahara. At the museum, Strat once again asks Raven, 'On a hot summer's night, would you offer your throat to the wolf with the red roses?' Raven responds to his words and happily agrees to become his, as the Lost joyously welcome him 'back from the dead' ("You Took the Words Right Out Of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)"). A mock-wedding is held, where the Lost dress Strat in a ruffled shirt with a sparkly silver jacket, and Raven in a white dress with a bouquet. Sloane accepts Strat as Raven's partner. Raven throws the bouquet over her shoulder - this is caught by Zahara, who is overwhelmed, so she throws it again - where it is caught by a woman of the Lost, who gets down on one knee and proposes to Sloane. After the 'wedding', Strat and Raven go to the Dunes, where Raven reveals she is now able to dream for the first time, and they attempt to consummate their relationship. They are soon interrupted by a jealous Tink, who urges Strat to send Raven back to Falco. After a heated argument, Tink vows to get rid of Raven and laments his unrequited love for Strat ("Not Allowed to Love"). At Falco Towers, Falco unsuccessfully tries to dissuade Sloane from leaving him, and he is left alone to reflect on his actions ("What Part of My Body Hurts the Most"). He is later visited by Tink, who offers him a deal: he will take him to where Raven is, in exchange that no one gets hurt and that he will leave the Lost alone after he gets Raven back. Falco becomes convinced and he agrees to the deal while amused by Tink's betrayal. In the Deep End, the Lost celebrate the union between Strat and Raven while Jagwire serenades Zahara ("Dead Ringer For Love"). Their celebration is interrupted when Falco bursts in through the wall with his militia and Tink. He orders the Lost to return Raven to him in exchange for peace. Everyone resists and a scuffle ensues, which abruptly ends when Falco accidentally shoots Tink. Overwhelmed with shock and anger, Strat dismisses Raven, prompting her to flee in heartbreak. Weak from blood loss, Tink apologizes and Strat forgives him, telling him that he will always be his best friend and soulmate. Tink dies in Strat's arms and the Lost hold a funeral for him ("Rock and Roll Dreams Come Through"). Meanwhile, Raven is left with no choice but to return home to Falco Towers, where she furiously blames her father for ruining everything. (In the 2021-2022 and 2025 UK Tours, Tink survives his injuries.) Six months later, Sloane is wandering through the city, rhapsodizing about her failures to recapture her youth. In Falco Towers, Strat finds Raven, who has been secluding herself in her room. He apologizes for spurning her; they reaffirm their love for one another as Sloane makes her return to Falco ("It's All Coming Back to Me Now"). Raven suddenly has second thoughts about their relationship; she worries about the fact that she will age normally while he stays young forever. Strat tells Raven that she will always be eighteen in his eyes, and he will always love her no matter what.

Battling Buttler

Musical · 1922

Battling Buttler is a musical in three acts with music by Philip Braham and a book and lyrics by Stanley Brightman, Austin Melford and Douglas Furber, which opened in London in 1922. It was then greatly revised by Walter L. Rosemont (music) and Ballard MacDonald (book and lyrics) and produced on Broadway in 1923 after tryouts in Detroit and Chicago. The farcical story concerns a man who pretends to be a championship boxer whom he resembles, until the two men are confused with one another, with humorous results.

Be More Chill

Musical · 2015

Jeremy Heere, a high school junior, is a social outcast. He lives with his recently separated father, who works from home and makes Jeremy uncomfortable by repeatedly refusing to wear pants in the house. At school, Jeremy is bullied by popular student Rich Goranski. His best friend, Michael Mell, also bullied by Rich, tries to comfort Jeremy by telling him that being a loser is okay. Jeremy's long-time crush Christine Canigula signs up for the school play, which prompts him to do so as well, despite being made fun of for it. Jeremy wonders if someone can help him to become popular ("More Than Survive"). As they wait for the first play rehearsal to begin, Christine professes her love and passion for theatre to Jeremy ("I Love Play Rehearsal"). The drama teacher, Mr. Reyes, reveals that the school play will be A Midsummer Night's Dream set in a post-apocalyptic future, re-titled A Midsummer Nightmare (About Zombies). During rehearsal, Jake Dillinger, one of the popular boys, flirts with Christine, making Jeremy jealous ("More Than Survive (Reprise)"). Later, Jeremy is tormented in the bathroom by Rich, who tells Jeremy how he managed his rise to popularity: as an unpopular freshman, he took a pill called a Super Quantum Unit Intel Processor (SQUIP) containing a computer that implants itself inside the user's brain and tells the user what to do and say. Taking pity on Jeremy, Rich suggests that he buy one in order to become cooler ("The SQUIP Song"). After school, while playing video games with Michael, Jeremy tells him about Rich's offer and considers if Rich is just scamming him. After an awkward conversation with his dad, Jeremy decides to check the SQUIP out. Jeremy assures Michael that, no matter what happens, they'll always be a team ("Two-Player Game"). The two visit the mall to buy the SQUIP from a dealer at Payless ShoeSource. Jeremy, as instructed, swallows it with green Mountain Dew. When the SQUIP activates, it causes Jeremy to panic in front of Christine and Jake ("The Squip Enters"). The SQUIP criticizes Jeremy's appearance, personality, and behavior, and tells him that everything about him is terrible ("Be More Chill, Pt. 1"). The SQUIP orders him to go to a store to buy a new Eminem shirt. When Jeremy picks up a woman's shirt and encounters two popular girls from school, Brooke Lohst and Chloe Valentine, the SQUIP helps Jeremy fabricate a story in order to connect with them both. They offer Jeremy a ride home ("Do You Wanna Ride?"), which the SQUIP demands he accept, but Jeremy declines because he does not wish to leave Michael in the mall. The girls leave, and the SQUIP lies to Jeremy, telling him that Michael has already left the mall. It tells him that in order for its plan to improve his social standing to work, Jeremy needs to obey every order it gives him ("Be More Chill, Pt. 2"). The next day, Jeremy heads to school with renewed confidence, wondering if he might be less invisible than before. The SQUIP delves into the inner psyche of the student body around him, giving Jeremy insight on the fears and insecurities of his peers. Jeremy's SQUIP syncs itself with Rich's, instantly making them friends. Jeremy heads confidently to the play rehearsal ("Sync Up"). Christine tells Jeremy about her feelings for a guy she knows, who Jeremy initially believes is himself, but who turns out to be Jake ("A Guy That I'd Kinda Be Into"). Afterward, the SQUIP informs Jeremy that Christine won't date him until his social standing drastically improves and encourages Jeremy to use an interested Brooke as a stepping stone to greater popularity. Jeremy starts a relationship with Brooke, while Jake asks Christine to come to his house ("Upgrade"). Overwhelmed, Jeremy asks the SQUIP to shut itself off for a few minutes. Immediately, Jeremy sees Michael and is elated but Michael states that Jeremy has been ignoring him all day. The SQUIP explains that it was using optic nerve blocking to block Michael from Jeremy's vision and that he has to abandon him in order to be more popular. Jeremy, deciding he is tired of being a loser, turns the optic nerve blocking back on, and leaves Michael as the SQUIP plots to further boost Jeremy's popularity ("Loser Geek Whatever"). On Halloween, Jake hosts a large, unsupervised party featuring alcohol ("Halloween"). Christine arrives in her Juliet princess costume because of Jake's past compliment on it, hoping to please Jake, but he brushes her aside to party. Jeremy arrives to meet Brooke, but Chloe, who is jealous of her, tries to seduce Jeremy. Feeling uncomfortable, Jeremy tries to get away, but the SQUIP forces him to remain in the situation as it escalates to Chloe making out with Jeremy ("Do You Wanna Hang?"). Chloe also has Jeremy drink alcohol, causing the SQUIP to malfunction, and then feigns having sex with him after being caught, angering Jake and upsetting Brooke. Fleeing from Jake and the girls, Jeremy runs into a bathroom, where he finds Michael, who has crashed the party. Michael tries to warn Jeremy of the dangers of the SQUIP, having discovered that someone ended up in a mental hospital after going insane in trying to get rid of it. Jeremy accuses Michael of being jealous of his popularity and calls him a loser, storming out of the bathroom. Michael, devastated and angry, locks himself in the bathroom and experiences a panic attack as he mourns the loss of his only best friend ("Michael in the Bathroom"). Jeremy talks to Christine without the SQUIP's help and he asks her out in a burst of confidence ("A Guy That I'd Kinda Be Into (Reprise)"). Christine, who has found herself in an existential crisis after breaking up with Jake, declines. Meanwhile, an erratic Rich goes around the party frantically asking people for Mountain Dew Red. Jeremy's SQUIP finally reactivates and reviews the events of the night. Foreseeing a disturbing outcome, the SQUIP prompts Jeremy to leave the party immediately. Rich, alone and desperate, threatens his SQUIP and picks up a lit jack-o'-lantern. The next morning, Jenna Rolan informs everyone, via phone calls, social media, and texting, that Rich had burned down Jake's house at the end of the party, sending both Rich and Jake to the hospital ("The Smartphone Hour (Rich Set a Fire)"). At home, Jeremy is confronted by his father, who is worried about Jeremy's new personality and change in attitude. Jeremy reprimands his father for his behavior since the divorce, calling him a loser as well. Shaken by Jeremy's words, Mr. Heere realizes that something is very wrong and that he must help him. He tracks down Michael, who reluctantly agrees to help, on the condition that Mr. Heere puts on pants and become a better father ("The Pants Song"). Jeremy encounters Christine, who is shaken and upset about the fire, and he realizes that the SQUIP knew the fire would happen and that he could've stayed at the party and helped. Unhappy with the relationships he has damaged, Jeremy angrily blames the SQUIP for his misfortunes. The SQUIP instead blames it on human error and tells Jeremy he can improve the lives of his fellow students by providing them all with SQUIPs. In Rich's locker, Jeremy finds a box full of SQUIPs, which he then pours into a beaker of Mountain Dew, intending to use it to replace the prop liquid everyone must drink during the school play("The Pitiful Children"). Later, as the play begins, Jeremy tries to convince Christine of the SQUIP's benefits. She is disgusted by the idea of it, causing Jeremy to doubt the plan. Anticipating this, the SQUIP has already begun to take over the cast. The SQUIP reveals its intention to sync the entire student body. Remembering Rich's episode at the party, Jeremy comes to a realization: Mountain Dew activates the SQUIP, while Mountain Dew Red, which has long been discontinued, deactivates it. Michael appears from the audience with a bottle of his own. He gives the bottle to Jeremy after making him apologize for his actions, but Jake, now with a SQUIP, dumps most of it out. The SQUIP reveals that Christine now has a SQUIP as well. Under its influence, she professes her love for Jeremy. However, Jeremy makes Christine drink the last of the red Mountain Dew, causing a chain reaction that deactivaties the rest of the SQUIPs ("The Play"). Jeremy wakes up in the hospital, sharing a room with Rich, who proudly comes out to Jeremy as bisexual and is finally ready to be who he really is. Michael visits Jeremy and the two reconcile, while Mr. Heere visits Jeremy as well to inform that he'll be a better dad. Surrounded and encouraged by his friends and family, Jeremy accepts that there will always be outside influences, but he needs to learn to make up his own mind instead. He asks Christine out again; she says yes, kissing him ("Voices in My Head").

Beaches

Musical · 2014

Beaches is a stage musical with music by Mike Stoller, lyrics by Iris Rainer Dart, and a book by Dart and Thom Thomas. It is based on Dart's 1985 novel of the same name. The show tells the story of two women, Cee Cee Bloom and Bertie White, lifelong friends who begin as pen pals and navigate life together through its trials and tribulations. The title comes from the beach in Atlantic City where the two girls first meet as children. The show includes the Grammy Award-winning song "Wind Beneath My Wings", written by Jeff Silbar and Larry Henley, made famous by Bette Midler in the 1988 Disney film version of the story. The musical opened on Broadway at the Majestic Theatre on April 22, 2026 to negative reviews.

Beautiful and Damned (Zelda Fitzgerald Musical)

Musical · 2003

Beautiful and Damned is a musical with a book by Kit Hesketh Harvey and music and lyrics by Les Reed and Roger Cook. Drawing its title from F. Scott Fitzgerald's second novel, it focuses on the turbulent relationship he shared with his wife Zelda during the Jazz Age. Young, stylish, and successful, they are the envy of high society friends who are unaware that behind their glamorous façade are two individuals doomed to tragedy.

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical

Musical · 2013

From the Beautiful: The Carole King Musical cast recording booklet At Carnegie Hall in 1971, Carole King sings "So Far Away". Then, in Brooklyn 1958, 16-year-old Carole tells her mother, Genie, she is going into Manhattan to try to sell a song to music publisher Donnie Kirshner. In the long tradition of mothers, Genie is opposed to her daughter's wish and in the equally long tradition of teenagers not caring about their mother's opinion, Carole goes anyway. At 1650 Broadway, she hears the "1650 Broadway Medley". She then sings her new song "It Might As Well Rain Until September". Donnie says he will take it and hopes she has others. At Queens College, Carole meets a handsome young lyricist named Gerry Goffin. They agree to collaborate, musically and romantically, which in both cases turns out to be a fertile arrangement. When they go to Donnie's to play their new song, Carole confesses to Gerry that she is pregnant. Gerry asks her to marry him. It gives her an extra depth of feeling when she sings their new song for Donnie, "Some Kind of Wonderful", which The Drifters then record. They get an office at 1650. While there, Carole meets a new lyricist Cynthia Weil ("Happy Days Are Here Again"), who is looking for a composer to work with. Gerry and Carole sing their new song "Take Good Care of My Baby", during which Barry Mann, the composer with the office next door, enters. Barry meets Cynthia and they decide to collaborate. As they begin to work, sparks fly. Donnie tells them he needs a song for the Shirelles. The couples compete for the job. In Donnie's office the next morning, Carole and Gerry present "Will You Love Me Tomorrow". Cynthia and Barry perform "He's Sure the Boy I Love". Donnie picks Carole and Gerry's song for The Shirelles and it goes to no. 1. And so, on either side of the same wall, a competition is born. The two teams turn out an amazing parade of songs: "Up on the Roof", "On Broadway", "The Loco-Motion" and "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'". Gerry and Carole are at the taping of a TV special where their new song, "One Fine Day", is being performed by the dazzling Janelle Woods. During a break, Gerry confesses to Carole that he is restless in their marriage. He wants to sleep with Janelle, and he doesn't want to lie about it. Carole is stunned. As the song begins again, she takes it over and sings it herself. Carole is in a recording studio doing a demo of "Chains". Gerry is off with Janelle but tells her he will meet her later. Nick, a guitarist, asks Carole to come sing at the Bitter End sometime but she declines — she's a songwriter, not a singer. The thing with Gerry is getting her down so she goes and talks to Cynthia who is also having trouble with Barry — they split up. Carole decides to tell Gerry he has to end the affair with Janelle. As she leaves, Barry comes in. He and Cynthia make up and play their new song, "Walking in the Rain". Gerry shows up, but he is not making sense. He eventually has a breakdown. At the hospital, he tells Carole he will end the affair with Janelle and that he wants to come home. She suggests they make a new start and move to the suburbs ("Pleasant Valley Sunday"). Barry, Cynthia and Donnie come to see the new house. Barry plays their new song, "We Gotta Get Out of This Place". Depressed that he and Carole can't do as well, Gerry leaves in a funk for the city. While he is gone, it comes out that Barry and Cynthia have seen him with another woman, a singer named Marilyn Wald. Carole goes to Marilyn's apartment and Gerry is there. It's the final straw, and she ends their marriage. At the Bitter End, where Barry and Cynthia hear their song "Uptown", Carole explains she went to Los Angeles for a vacation and has started writing on her own. Nick, the guitarist from the studio who asked her to sing with his group, is playing there and urges her to sing. She sings her new song, "It's Too Late". She decides to move to Los Angeles. At 1650, she says goodbye to Donnie, Barry and Cynthia and plays them a parting present "You've Got a Friend". In Los Angeles, she records her album, Tapestry. The session goes well until the last song, which she is afraid to sing. It's a song she wrote with Gerry and she is afraid of the feelings it may stir up. Her producer, Lou Adler, persuades her. She sings "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman". The album is a smash. Carole is at Carnegie Hall for her concert, and is met by Gerry, who apologizes for the way he mistreated her in the past and gives her a final prediction - "you're going all the way". Carole takes to the piano, and performs for her audience.

Beauty and the Beast

Musical · 1994

On a cold winter's night, an old beggar woman comes to a young spoiled prince's castle, offering him a single rose in return for shelter, but the prince turns her away solely for her appearance. The woman warns him not to be deceived by appearances, for beauty is found within, only to be rejected again. She then transforms into a beautiful enchantress and turns the prince into a hideous Beast and his servants into various household objects, while giving him the rose to use as an hourglass. The only way he can break the spell is to learn to love another and earn her love in return before the last petal falls ("Prologue"). Ten years later, a beautiful young girl named Belle makes her way into town one morning to get a book from the local bookseller. On the way, she expresses her wish to live in a world like her books, full of adventure, while the townspeople note her unparalleled beauty but find her love of books odd ("Belle"). Belle has also attracted the attention of Gaston, the local hunter and town hero, who admires her only for her beauty. Belle, however, is not oblivious to her peers' views of her, and voices her concerns about it to her eccentric father and inventor, Maurice, who assures her that she is anything but strange ("No Matter What"). The two then put the finishing touches on his invention, and Maurice heads off to an invention fair donning a scarf knitted for him by Belle ("No Matter What (Reprise)"), but becomes lost in the woods and is attacked by a pack of wolves. After surviving the wolf attack, he enters the Beast's castle, where he meets the servants, including Lumière, a maître d' turned into a candelabra, Cogsworth, the head of household turned into a clock, Babette, a maid turned into a feather duster, Mrs. Potts, the head of the kitchen turned into a teapot, and Chip, her son turned into a teacup. They welcome him, but the horrid Beast arrives and locks Maurice away in the dungeon for trespassing. Back in town, Gaston proposes to Belle, which she politely rejects ("Me"). Appalled by Gaston's forwardness, Belle once again voices her need for a life outside this provincial life ("Belle (Reprise)"). Gaston's sidekick, LeFou, returns from the woods wearing the scarf Belle knitted for Maurice. Belle realizes her father is in danger and heads into the woods to look for him. She ends up at the castle, where she finds her father locked away in a dungeon. She makes a deal with the Beast, Maurice goes free, but she remains instead. They agree, and Maurice is sent back to town without being allowed to say goodbye. Belle is given a guest room and ordered by the Beast to join him for dinner. She mourns her situation ("Home"), but Mrs. Potts and Madame de la Grande Bouche, an operatic wardrobe, attempt to cheer her up ("Home (Reprise)"). Back in town, at the local tavern, Gaston sulks at his loss of a bride, though LeFou and the patrons successfully attempt to cheer him up ("Gaston"). When Maurice rushes in, claiming a Beast has Belle locked away, they laugh at him, but Gaston is inspired by Maurice's claims to formulate a sinister plan ("Gaston (Reprise)"). Back at the castle, the Beast grows impatient as Belle has yet to join him for dinner, and when Cogsworth informs him she refuses to come, a shouting match between Belle and the Beast ensues (which ends in a victory for Belle), and the Beast then tells her if she cannot eat with him, then she will not eat at all. He storms back to his quarters and begins to sulk, noting his fate should the spell not break ("How Long Must This Go On?"). Eventually, Belle does become hungry and ventures into the kitchen where the servants offer her dinner despite their master's orders, and they treat her to an amazing cabaret show ("Be Our Guest"). After dinner, Belle gets a tour of the castle courtesy of Cogsworth and Lumière. Her curiosity leads her to enter the West Wing, a place the Beast told her was forbidden. Mesmerized by a mysterious rose floating in a bell jar, she reaches out to touch it, but before she can, the Beast stops her and orders her to get out, accidentally shoving her in the process. Fearing for her life, Belle flees from the castle. Realizing his mistake, the Beast knows he will be a monster forever if he cannot learn to love her ("If I Can't Love Her"). In the woods, Belle is attacked by wolves and is only rescued when the Beast comes to her aid, but he is injured during the fight and collapses ("Entr'acte/Wolf Chase"). Instead of taking the chance to run home, Belle helps him back to the castle. She cleans his injuries, and after a brief argument about whose fault this is, the Beast thanks her for her kindness, and thus, their friendship is born. Wanting to give her a thank-you gift, the Beast gives Belle his huge library, which excites her. She notes a change in the Beast's personality as the servants note a change in Belle and the Beast's relationship ("Something There"). They express their hope of being human once more ("Human Again"), while Belle asks the Beast to accompany her to dinner that night. Back in the village tavern, Gaston and Lefou meet with the owner of the local insane asylum, Monsieur D’Arque. They conspire to blackmail Belle into marrying Gaston by having Maurice incarcerated, unless she agrees. (“Maison Des Lunes”). The Beast and Belle attend a lovely dinner and personal ball, where they dance together ("Beauty and the Beast"). The Beast, who plans to tell Belle he loves her, asks Belle if she is happy here, to which she responds positively but notes that she misses her father. He offers her his Magic Mirror to view him, and she sees that Maurice is sick and lost in the woods and fears for his life. Even though the Beast knows there are only a few hours left till the last petal falls from the rose, he allows Belle to leave to save her father; she departs after a bittersweet goodbye ("If I Can't Love Her (Reprise)"). Belle finds her father and brings him back to their house in the village. After she nurses him back to health, she explains the transformation she seems to have gone through while she was with the Beast ("A Change in Me"). A mob arrives, led by Gaston, to take Maurice away, but Belle proves her father's sanity by showing the townspeople the Beast is real using the Magic Mirror, but does not realize the error in her gesture. The townspeople immediately fear the Beast, but Belle insists that he is gentle and kind. Gaston catches her tone and recognizes the Beast as his rival for Belle's affections and organizes the mob to "kill the Beast" ("Mob Song"). To warn the Beast, Belle and Maurice attempt to beat the mob to the castle, but they arrive too late as Gaston and the mob reach the castle. The servants keep the lynch mob at bay ("The Battle"), but Gaston breaks through and finds the Beast in his tower. He engages in a fight with him, mercilessly beating and taunting him, but the Beast has lost the will to live at Belle's departure. As Gaston moves in for the killing blow, Belle arrives. The Beast immediately turns on Gaston and is prepared to kill him, but spares his life after seeing the fear in his eyes. The Beast and Belle are reunited, but this reunion is cut short as Gaston fatally stabs the Beast in the back. This act of violence causes Gaston to lose his footing, and he falls to his death. Belle assures the Beast he'll live, but they both know she is helpless to save him. She begs him not to leave her because she has found a home in his company ("Home (Reprise)"), but despite this, he dies; Belle sobs and whispers "I love you" just before the last rose petal falls. A transformation occurs, and the Beast is alive and human once more. Though Belle does not recognize him at first, she looks into his eyes and sees the Beast within, and they share a kiss. The two of them sing of how their lives have changed because of love and they dance once more as the servants, now changed back to their human form, gathers in the ballroom ("Transformation/Finale").

Bedbugs!!!

Musical · 2008

Bedbugs!!! is an American musical comedy about a mad-scientist exterminator named Carly who accidentally mutates New York City's bed bug population with her super-insecticide, which she created out of revenge for her mother's bedbug-related death. The rock musical, written by Paul Leschen (Music) and Fred Sauter (Book and Lyrics), pays homage to 80s rock music, 80s films such as Gremlins and Ghostbusters, and features a side-plot about a Canadian pop singer called Dionne Salon (based on Celine Dion). It opened off-Broadway at the Arclight Theatre on September 14, 2014 and closed on November 2, 2014. It has been compared to The Rocky Horror Show and Little Shop of Horrors.

Beetlejuice

Musical · 2018

A group of people at a graveyard mourn the passing of Emily Deetz. Emily's daughter, Lydia, reflects on the death of her mother and her own inability to be noticed by her father, Charles ("Prologue: Invisible"). A millennia-old demon named Beetlejuice appears and mocks the idea of living life to the fullest, as it will all be worthless once death comes ("The Whole 'Being Dead' Thing"). Beetlejuice then addresses the audience directly, explaining that, as a demon, he is invisible to all living beings unless he gets a living person to say his name three times, and reveals that he has come up with a plan to accomplish this. Beetlejuice then introduces Adam and Barbara Maitland, a normal married couple who desperately want to start a family, who are not emotionally ready and project their insecurities onto their hobbies. As the Maitlands reason to themselves why they are not ready for a child, they fall to their deaths through unstable floorboards in their home ("Ready, Set, Not Yet"). The Handbook for the Recently Deceased falls from the sky, but Beetlejuice burns it, wanting the newly deceased Maitlands to haunt their house and get a living person to say his name three times. When the Maitlands awaken from their fall and realize that they are dead, Beetlejuice reveals himself to the couple and offers to help them adjust to the Afterlife ("The Whole 'Being Dead' Thing, Pt. 2"). He reveals to the Maitlands that a new family, the Deetzes, have bought their house and that in order to remain alone, they will have to scare them away, so the Maitlands accept his help ("The Whole 'Being Dead' Thing, Pt. 3"). While moving in, Charles reveals to Lydia that he wants to start a gated community, using the house as a flagship model home, and is holding a dinner party with some business friends. Lydia expresses her desire for her mother to return, mentioning the fact that nobody seems to care that she is gone. Praying for her to send a sign that she is still there, Lydia vows to make her father acknowledge the fact that tragedy struck their family ("Dead Mom"). In the attic, Beetlejuice is trying to teach the Maitlands how to be scary. Despite his best attempts, they prove to be not scary at all ("Fright of Their Lives"). Beetlejuice becomes frustrated with the couple and abandons them, so they vow to scare the Deetz family away themselves ("Ready, Set, Not Yet" (reprise)). Meanwhile, Delia, a woman whom Charles hired to be Lydia's life coach and his secret lover, tells Lydia how everything happens for a reason but fails to get her in a positive state of mind ("No Reason"). After their session, Lydia meets the Maitlands as they are roaming the house trying to scare the Deetzes. Lydia wants to leave the house just as much as the Maitlands want her family out, so she tries to convince her dad that the house is haunted, only to find out that he and Delia are engaged. Feeling as if Charles is just trying to replace her mother, Lydia flees to the roof, considering suicide, where a depressed Beetlejuice laments that he will never be seen ("Invisible" (reprise)). He becomes ecstatic however when he realizes Lydia can see him; he advises her not to kill herself, with the intention of getting her to free him from his curse. Lydia teases Beetlejuice but does not say his name the necessary three times. The Maitlands come to check on Lydia, only to be possessed by Beetlejuice into saying positive things about him to further convince Lydia. Upon learning about possession and that any ghost can do it, regardless of skill, Lydia decides not to work with Beetlejuice and instead work with the Maitlands to ruin Charles' party ("Say My Name"). At the dinner party, Barbara and Adam possess Charles, Delia, and their guests ("Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)"). However, instead of being scared, the investors see the ghosts as a selling point; making them more interested in Charles' project. Feeling desperate, Lydia resorts to summoning Beetlejuice. Now visible to the living and able to affect the world around him, he forces the Maitlands to the attic before throwing Charles, Delia, and the investors out of the house, much to Lydia's joy. A Girl Scout named Sky explains to the audience how she has a heart condition where anything shocking could stop her heart but that she is nevertheless excited to be a Girl Scout. She rings the doorbell of the Deetzes' house and is greeted by Lydia, who invites her inside ("Girl Scout"). However, Beetlejuice appears and frightens the poor girl into leaving. He summons more versions of himself to help Lydia scare every visitor that comes to the house ("That Beautiful Sound"). He also tells Lydia that since she lives and works among the dead now, she should also follow their rules, and gives her a copy of the Handbook for the Recently Deceased. Even though Lydia cannot open it due to not being dead, she realizes it could help her reunite with her mother and runs to the attic for Barbara and Adam's help. Feeling alone and betrayed again, Beetlejuice talks with his clones about how he wants to leave the house to finally connect with people now that he can be seen. To achieve this, he decides to trick Lydia into marrying him, which will allow him to roam free in the living world ("That Beautiful Sound" (reprise)). In the attic, Barbara and Adam help Lydia open the Handbook, when they realize they should have gone straight to the Netherworld instead of remaining in their house. Adam opens the door to the Netherworld, but Barbara shuts it and the Handbook, afraid of leaving the house. Lydia berates them because she hoped to use the book to summon her dead mother and leaves disappointed and angry. Barbara realizes that all of their fear has held her and Adam back, so they decide to become bolder and better people ("Barbara 2.0"). Delia, Charles, and Delia's guru, Otho, re-enter the house to rescue Lydia, bringing a box that can supposedly trap souls. Beetlejuice tricks Lydia by telling her that reading a passage from the book will resurrect her mother, but instead, she begins to exorcise Barbara and is forced to agree to marry Beetlejuice to stop it ("The Whole 'Being Dead' Thing, Pt. 4"). He stops the exorcism and opens a door to the Netherworld to send the Maitlands away for good, but Lydia jumps through the door, with Charles following. Enraged that his plan has failed again, Beetlejuice decides to kill everyone instead ("Good Old Fashioned Wedding"). Lydia and Charles enter the Netherworld and are greeted by Miss Argentina who, along with other Netherworld residents, urges them to return to the living world ("What I Know Now"). They then meet Juno, director of Netherworld Customs and Processing, who soon finds out they are still alive. Lydia runs from Juno and frantically searches for her mother in the Netherworld, but is unable to find her. Charles finds Lydia in distress and reconciles with her ("Home"). The Deetzes return to the house, where Beetlejuice is preparing to kill everyone. Lydia plans to trick him by agreeing to marry him as Charles, Delia, and the Maitlands get the demon ready ("Creepy Old Guy"). The wedding brings Beetlejuice to life, allowing Lydia to stab him and kill him again, making him "Recently Deceased". Lydia and the Maitlands try to send him back to the Netherworld, but Juno appears, reveals herself as Beetlejuice's mother, and tries to take Lydia back with her. Beetlejuice stands up to Juno, having learned to appreciate life in his brief experience. Juno pretends to be moved by Beetlejuice's speech and throws him out of the house. The Maitlands, Charles, and Delia refuse to let Juno take Lydia. Beetlejuice then crashes through the wall riding a sandworm, which eats Juno. Beetlejuice says his last goodbyes to everyone before leaving. The Deetzes and Maitlands rejoice in their victory and agree to share the house as they clean up and repair the damage. Lydia accepts that although her mother is gone, there is still so much left to enjoy in life ("Jump in the Line"). Notes

Beg, Borrow or Steal

Musical · 1960

Beg, Borrow or Steal is a musical with a book and lyrics by Bud Freeman, music by Leon Pober, and is based on Steal–A Disc Jockey′s Handbook, a story by Marvin Seiger and Bud Freeman. The musical is set in a run-down section of an American city in the 1950s. It ran for five performances on Broadway in 1960.

Beggar's Holiday

Musical · 1946

Beggar's Holiday is a musical with a book and lyrics by John La Touche and music by Duke Ellington.

Behind the Iron Mask

Musical · 2005

Behind the Iron Mask is a musical with a book by Colin Scott and Melinda Walker and music and lyrics by John Robinson. It played a short run at the Duchess Theatre in London Especially unique, this show has a cast of only three actors but runs for two hours. The show draws inspiration from Alexandre Dumas' Man in the Iron Mask.

Bella: An American Tall Tale

Musical · 2016

Bella takes place in the 1870s in the Old West. Bella, a "Big Booty Tupelo Girl," sets off to Kansas to meet her fiancé, Aloysius T. Honeycutt, who is a Buffalo Soldier. Bella must make this journey under a false name in order to escape the law. Back home in Tupelo, Mississippi, Bella is in trouble for beating up Bonny Jonny. Her Mama, Grandma, and Aunt Dinah encourage her to leave the state so that she is not arrested. When Bella boards the train headed for Kansas, she attracts the attention of the passengers because of her large bottom. While on the train journey, Bella has fantasies about a gaucho and a Chinese cowboy. A porter on the train, Nathaniel Beckworth, falls in love with Bella.

Bells Are Ringing

Musical · 1956

Setting: New York City, late 1950s ACT ONE Ella Peterson works for "Susanswerphone", a telephone answering service owned by a woman named Sue. She listens in on others' lives and adds some interest to her own humdrum existence by adopting different identities – and voices – for her clients. They include Blake Barton, an out-of-work Method actor, Dr. Kitchell, a dentist with musical yearnings but lacking talent, and playwright Jeff Moss, who is suffering from writer's block and with whom Ella has fallen in love, although she has never met him. Ella considers the relationships with these clients "perfect" because she can't see them and they can't see her ("It's a Perfect Relationship"). Jeff is writing a play called "The Midas Touch," the first play he's written since his writing partner left him ("Independent (On My Own)"). One day the producer of the play insists that he finish the play by the next morning and meet him at 9:00 am. While asking her to wake him up on time, he turns to Ella (who he only knows as the Susanswerphone lady) for help in writing the play. Meanwhile, Sandor, Sue's rich boyfriend, reveals plans to a group of gangsters to use Susanswerphone as a front for a gambling operation, by pretending to be a record seller and taking orders for "symphonies" as code. ("It's a Simple Little System"). Ella wants to visit Jeff's apartment to help him write the play, but she is intercepted by a policeman who is convinced that Susanswerphone is a front for an "escort service". Ella asks him "Is it a Crime?" to help someone in need? He agrees that it isn't, and lets her go. She arrives at Jeff's apartment and offers him help with his play, and a romance ensues ("I Met a Girl," "Long Before I Knew You"). ACT TWO Ella is preparing to go to a party at Jeff's apartment, feeling nervous about meeting his friends. Carl, a friend of hers, helps her regain her confidence with a cha-cha dance ("Mu-Cha-Cha"). The guests at the party are all very pretentious and rich and snobby ("Drop That Name") and they make Ella feel very out of place. She leaves Jeff ("The Party's Over"). Carl, a music nerd, thwarts Sandor's operation when he receives an order for "Beethoven's 10th symphony," because he knows that Beethoven only wrote 9 symphonies. The policeman arrests Sandor. Meanwhile, Jeff comes to Susanswerphone to confess his love for Ella. She quits Susanswerphone in order to make a life with herself and Jeff ("I'm Going Back").

Ben Franklin in Paris

Musical · 1964

Ben Franklin in Paris is a work of musical theatre, with a book and lyrics by Sidney Michaels, and music by Mark Sandrich, Jr. with two songs contributed by Jerry Herman.

Bend It Like Beckham

Musical · 2015

Bend It Like Beckham the Musical is a musical with music by Howard Goodall, lyrics by Charles Hart, and a book by Gurinder Chadha and Paul Mayeda Berges. Based on the 2002 film of the same name, the musical made its West End and world premiere at the Phoenix Theatre in May 2015.

Bernarda Alba

Musical · 2006

Bernarda Alba is a one-act musical with music, lyrics and book by Michael John LaChiusa, based on Federico García Lorca's 1936 play The House of Bernarda Alba. Bernarda Alba tells the story of a controlling, newly widowed mother who is challenged by her five rebellious daughters. The musical opened Off Broadway at Lincoln Center's Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater in 2006, to mixed reviews.

Best Foot Forward

Musical · 1941

Best Foot Forward is a 1941 musical with songs by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane, and a book by John Cecil Holm. Produced by George Abbott, the production opened on Broadway on October 1, 1941, at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre after an out-of-town tryout, where it ran for 326 performances.

Betty

Musical · 1914

Gerard, the Earl of Beverley, a philanderer, has pushed his father, The Duke of Crowborough, to the limit. The Duke storms into his son's home demanding that the younger man settle down with a wife and take on some responsibility. The young Earl, drunk and embarrassed in front of his friends, proposes to Betty, a kitchen maid, to spite his father. Gerard has no intention of following his father's wishes and makes plans to send Betty away and to continue with his profligate lifestyle. But the Duke is a step ahead of his son: He gives Gerard's allowance to his wife, Betty, so that Gerard must depend upon her. The charming Betty manages to become accepted by the society into which she has married and eventually charms her way into the heart of her wayward husband. He returns to her of his own accord and they find happiness.

Between the Devil

Musical · 1937

Between the Devil is a musical comedy with book and lyrics by Howard Dietz and music by Arthur Schwartz.

Between the Lines

Musical · 2017

Delilah McPhee has just moved to a new high school and is dealing with her parents' divorce and her father leaving for his second family. On top of this, she becomes a social pariah after injuring the most popular girl in her grade, Allie McAndrews. To deal with the stress and ridicule, Delilah turns to reading on her roof as a means of escape. She becomes entranced with a children's fairytale called Between the Lines, which documents the story of Prince Oliver defeating his foes to save his betrothed. Delilah thinks that he's good-looking and relatable and begins talking to him about her problems. During one of her rereads, the word HELP shows up on the page, then disappears before she can get a second look. The characters are not as they seem; the villain, Rapskullio, is kind and gentle and prefers painting butterflies to evil schemes, the seemingly guy-crazed mermaids are all feminists, and Oliver is less than pleased with his ditzy love interest, Princess Seraphima. Oliver wants to escape and live an autonomous life, but Delilah tells him that her world isn't perfect, either. Delilah wakes up in Oliver's world, where he introduces her to the other characters and takes her to a private place where they kiss. The two have a perfect day, but Delilah meets a group of mermaids who help her realize she can't just abandon her mother for a fairytale and a man. Delilah knows she needs to get home, so she and Oliver visit Rapskullio again to see if there is any way to get her home and are reminded that the book restarts every time someone opens it. The two share one last dance before she disappears back into the real world. After waking up hospitalized with a concussion, Delilah and her mom make the first steps in repairing their relationship. She sees that Oliver hasn't written to her and worries that she's lost her ability to communicate with him. Heartbroken, Oliver tells her he's devastated that she's gone and that he'll forget about her eventually. During this whole debacle, Frump, Oliver's sidekick who gets turned into a dog, is asked by Princess Seraphima what she should do since Oliver doesn't love her. Frump confesses his love and the two begin a relationship. It feels like the world is falling apart, not just for Delilah, but for her classmates as well, although they relegate this feeling to their inner thoughts. Realizing she needs someone on her side in the real world, Delilah joins the creative writing club and tells Jules about Oliver. Jules is friendless and identifies as non-binary, so they and Delilah form a sort of camaraderie. Allie and the bullies start up again, but Jules tells her to ignore them and lead her own life. Jules suggests finding Jessamyn Jacobs, the author of Between the Lines, and asking her to rewrite the ending so that Oliver can come out. Delilah finds her, but Jessamyn tells Delilah that she can't rewrite the book, she wrote it ages ago to help her son process his father's death. Dejected, Oliver and Delilah meet one final time to say their goodbyes, and Delilah worries that there is no path to her own happy ending. Funnily enough, Delilah discovers that Jessamyn's son looks exactly like Prince Oliver, and the two start to talk and realize how alike they are. The two fall in love as they begin a new chapter together.

Bezauberndes Fräulein

Musical · 1933

At Paul’s weekend house, painter Felix sabotages visitor Annette’s car tyre and arranges for her to stay overnight, hoping to disrupt Paul’s engagement to Louise. The next morning Paul’s boss and Louise find Annette in a negligee and leave; Annette then breaks her engagement to Hektor. Felix arranges another meeting at Paul’s office, where Annette kisses Paul in front of his boss. Paul initially wants to remove her from his life, but later encounters her dressed as a Salvation Army worker by a river. Annette offers to give up her wealth for him, and they embrace; Felix and Annette’s father observe their successful scheme.

Big

Musical · 1996

Act I Josh Baskin, a 12-year-old New Jersey boy, finds that whenever he sees 13-year-old Cynthia Benson, he is unaccountably speechless. He doesn't understand his new feelings, but every family on the street knows what has occurred. For him, childhood has ended; adolescence has occurred, and the long complex process of growing up has begun. ("Overture/Can't Wait"). Then he receives amazing news from his best friend, Billy Kopecki: she thinks he is "cute." All he has to do is make a move tonight at the carnival ("Talk To Her/The Carnival."). But doing so does not turn out as planned. Meeting her in line for a ride called Wild Thunder, he musters enough courage to "talk to her", only to find that she has a date who is 16. Worse, he is too short to ride the ride. Humiliated, he skateboards away and finds himself in a secluded byway of the carnival with fun house mirrors and a mysterious fortune teller machine, Zoltar Speaks. The mysterious figure in it instructs him to "Make a Wish!" Impulsively, he makes the only one on his mind: "I wish I was big!" The machine produces a card: "Your wish is granted." A clap of thunder and sudden rain send him home. The next morning, Josh wakes up and sees the face of a 30-year-old man in his mirror ("This Isn't Me"). Still a 12-year-old boy, he now inhabits the body of an adult. His mother thinks he is an intruder and drives him from the house. (In the touring and rentable versions, his song is replaced by her singing about motherhood while making breakfast ("Say Good Morning To Mom").) Only Billy understands. He decides they must go to New York City, find the machine, and let Josh wish himself back to his child life. Arcades there, however, don't have it, and locating carnivals will take six to eight weeks (three to four weeks in rented versions). He despairs at the prospect of remaining an adult for that long, and worries that he will have to find a job. In the touring and rented versions, Billy tries to calm him, telling him that he'll be fine, because "You're A Big Boy Now". Billy returns to New Jersey, leaving him to spend his first night as an adult alone in the Port Authority Bus Terminal. (In the original version, he then wishes he could go home ("I Want To Go Home").) The next day, while waiting for Billy under the clocktower at FAO Schwarz ("The Time Of Your Life") Josh meets MacMillan, the head of a toy company whose sales have suddenly plummeted. He, 12-year-old that he is, tells MacMillan what his toys lack. What the latter sees, however, is a 30-year-old man with an amazing insight into toys, children, and (when they discover a piano keyboard they can dance on) having fun ("Fun"). He offers Josh a great job. He enters the adult world of business. His innocence causes chaos. MacMillan cancels the company's Christmas toy, which his employees say "can't miss." The executives panic. Paul Seymour, V.P. in charge of product development, wants revenge for the cancellation ("Josh's Welcome"). Susan Lawrence, V.P in charge of marketing, whose affair with Paul is just ending, finds herself attracted to Josh ("Here We Go Again"). (In the touring and rental versions of the show, this scene opens with the executives singing about the toy business ("Welcome To MacMillan Toys"). Paul and Susan's songs have also been rewritten ("MacMillan Toys 2"), and she has an additional song regarding a wedding-obsessed secretary ("My Secretary's In Love").) As a perk of his job, Josh is given a loft apartment. He furnishes it with toys. Susan arrives to make a pass at him (in the tour version, "Let's Not Move Too Fast"). Misreading her intentions, he innocently tries to find something they can do together ("Do You Want To Play Games"), and finally turns on a toy planetarium that fills the room with stars ("Stars, Stars, Stars"). Beguiled, she finds herself spending the night there—angelically in separate bunks. (In the tour version, she reminisces about her first love after he has fallen asleep ("Little Susan Lawrence").) At a company party, Paul learns of Susan's night with Josh and picks a fight with him. She comforts him and once again, his innocence wins her heart. MacMillan challenges his executives to come up with a new Christmas toy, and demands for them to find a way to relate to their children. Josh suggests dancing ("Cross The Line"). He gets everyone to do a line dance, during which Susan gives him a kiss unlike any he had ever received as a boy from his mother. When Billy arrives with the list of carnivals which has finally arrived, he chooses to go off with her. The adult world is beginning to attract him. Act II In a suburban mall, Billy, angry at being jilted by Josh, seeks the company of other kids ("It's Time"). He meets Josh's mother: today is his birthday and the party would have been at the mall. Billy reassures her that he is coming home, which only makes her more aware of how fast Billy and all the children have grown up ("Stop Time"). The mall turns surreal and becomes the scene of the birthday Josh is missing ("The Night-Mare"). He wakes up in Susan's office. They have been up all night trying, unsuccessfully, to invent a toy. They try thinking as children instead of adults—she can't remember how she felt as a 13-year-old, but under his prodding the memory returns ("Dancing All The Time"). The moment fills with emotion and she moves to him. The scene freezes. Young Josh appears to sing a duet with Big Josh about his inner feelings. ("I Want To Know"). The next morning, Josh barrels into the office as a new man ("Coffee Black"). His secretary, Miss Watson, is bowled over. Not only does he feel like an actual adult, but during the night, he thought up a Christmas toy. The executives help him develop it for MacMillan. Billy returns with the list of carnivals, having located the machine. Josh is, however, full of himself and does not want to return to his former self. Billy accuses him of betraying himself, but at that moment Susan appears and kisses him. Billy finally understands why he has been dismissed, and leaves. Susan invites Josh to a dinner party with her friends, and he excitedly exclaims that he is going to a real "grown-up dinner party with Susan's grown-up friends". The party is a disaster ("The Real Thing"). Josh humiliates himself and realizes how far he is from being an adult. Susan takes this moment to tell him her true feelings for him ("One Special Man"), feelings that he is too young to return. (In the tour and rental versions, this is replaced by a reprise of "The Real Thing.") He tells her the truth: that he is really a 13-year-old boy. She, seeing only a grown man, assumes this is some kind of elaborate brush-off. It breaks her heart to have been wrong about another man. For the first time, he understands that being an adult is more than just being big. It is being responsible – in this case, for someone who you care for and who does so in return. He realizes that everything you say and do carries a certain weight that a kid can't imagine when you're an adult ("When You're Big"). He returns to his neighborhood, and watches boys go through the first nervous motions of pairing-off events appropriate to being 13 ("Skateboard Ballet"). He finds Billy and tells him he wants to go home. Billy has found the machine in a warehouse filled with discarded remnants of amusement parks. Josh asks Susan to meet him there. Before he can make his wish and leave the adult world for the time being, he must say goodbye to make sure she understands. Arriving, she finally accepts the magic of what has happened to him. She tells him how he changed her life ("I Want To Go Home/Stars, Stars, Stars (reprise)") and, understanding that it's the only way, tells him to make his wish. As he does, his mother enters with Billy. Josh returns to his former self, and as he and his mother embrace, the curtain closes with Billy examining the machine. (In the touring and rental versions, the finale number is "We're Gonna Be Fine")

Big Boy

Musical · 1924

Big Boy is a musical written by Harold R. Atteridge, music by James F. Hanley and Joseph Meyer, and lyrics by Buddy DeSylva. The show featured Al Jolson as Gus, a downtrodden African-American stable boy who ends up as a jockey winning the Kentucky Derby. The all-but-one-man show, which introduced the standard "It All Depends on You", was turned into a film in 1930. Dances and Ensembles Arranged by Seymour Felix and Larry Ceballos; Staged by J. C. Huffman; Dialogue Directed by Alexander Leftwich

Big Deal

Musical · 1986

Big Deal is a musical with a book by Bob Fosse using songs from various composers such as Ray Henderson, Eubie Blake, and Jerome Kern. It was based on the 1958 film Big Deal on Madonna Street by Mario Monicelli. The musical received five Tony Award nominations, with Fosse winning for Choreography. The production was Fosse's final work, as he died the next year.

Big Fish

Musical · 2013

Act 1 In Alabama, Edward Bloom and his son, Will, discuss Will's impending wedding. Entering a flashback to when Will was a child, Edward tells him a story. Edward is walking down the river when he meets a man trying to catch fish to no avail. So Edward teaches him the proper way to catch fish ("Be the Hero"). When he finishes his story, Edward's wife, Sandra, tells them it's time for Will to go to bed. Edward refuses behind her back and tells Will another story of a witch that Edward met as a teenager ("The Witch"). The story returns to the present day, where Edward suspects that Will's fiancée, Josephine, is pregnant. He reveals this at the wedding, angering Will and as Josephine takes the shocked crowd to catch the bouquet, Will and Edward argue. After the reception, Edward's doctor notices that Edward seems to be in pain and suggests that he come in for an examination. Edward and Sandra discover that the cancer Edward has been fighting has spread beyond where they had thought. Will and Josephine discover that their child is a boy ("Take Another Look"). Later that day, Will promises to strengthen his relationship with his father, who he sees as a "Stranger". Sandra tells Will that although he and Edward can be a handful, she loves them both ("Two Men in My Life"). Edward tells her another story about how he was the hero of his small town, Ashton, and was the boyfriend of the head cheerleader, Jenny Hill ("Ashton's Favorite Son"). The town of Ashton, Alabama, is scared by a giant living in a nearby cave, so Edward volunteers to go talk to him. He introduces himself to the giant, named Karl, and convinces him to join him on a journey away from Ashton ("Out There on the Road"). Back in the present, Josephine finds a deed to a house in Ashton signed by Jenny Hill and Edward. She thinks this proves that Edward must be telling the truth, but Will denies it. However, Josephine's interest sparks a conversation of Edward and Sandra's meeting. While Will believes they met in college, Josephine explains that is not what Edward told her. Will asks which version of the story she was told, and there is another flashback. Edward has taken Karl to try out for a circus. When they get there, three girls are auditioning with their song and dance routine ("Little Lamb from Alabama"). Edward notices one of the girls, Sandra, and it is love at first sight ("Time Stops"). He convinces the ringmaster to hire Karl, and then agrees to work for the circus for free in exchange for one clue about Sandra each month ("Closer to Her"). After three years of working at the circus, Edward finds Amos in his true form: a werewolf. Upon learning Amos' big secret, Edward finally convinces him to tell him what he wants to know: Her name is Sandra Templeton, she goes to Auburn University, and she loves daffodils. Edward finds Sandra only to discover that she is engaged to Don Price, Edward's high school rival. When Don sees Edward talking to Sandra, he beats him to the ground. Undaunted, Edward proposes to Sandra, and promises her a life full of "Daffodils". Act 2 The show continues as Edward leads young Will and some other boys in a boy scouts troop to make a bonfire. He tells them the story of when he was in the war ("Red, White, and True"). Edward tells Sandra and Will he has to travel for a while for his work as a traveling salesman. Will is upset, but Edward tells him he must be brave and "Fight the Dragons". In the present, Will prepares to confront Edward about the deed he and Josephine found ("Stranger" (Reprise)). Edward is lying in bed when Will comes in and asks about the Ashton deed, but Edward grows angry and yells at him to get out. He falls into an uneasy sleep and has a dream that he and Will have a Western-style duel and trial over the issue ("The Showdown"). He wakes up screaming, and as Sandra comforts him, it begins to rain. Edward says the roof should hold up for another ten years after he's gone, and Sandra tells him "I Don't Need a Roof". Will goes to visit Jenny Hill in Ashton to find the truth. Jenny tells him the story of what happened when Edward returned to Ashton when Will was just a small boy. In this flashback, Edward returns to Ashton to learn that the town is going to be flooded, and he finds that the citizens and the mayor refuse to leave. Edward provides the citizens with a new town ("Start Over"). He leaves Jenny with another broken heart, never to return again ("Start Over" (Reprise)). At the end of Jenny's story, Will receives a phone call and must go visit his father in the hospital. When Will arrives to the hospital, he discovers Edward is dying. Edward asks Will to tell him the story of how he dies. Will makes up his own story of Edward escaping the "prison cell" ("What's Next"). At the river, Sandra appears and they embrace one last time. They lead him back to his hospital bed as they disappear one by one, leaving Edward alone with Will. Edward's life has come to an end ("How It Ends"). A few years later, Will and his son return to the river as he begins to tell him stories, just as Edward did to him ("Be the Hero" (Reprise)).

Big River

Musical · 1984

Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a musical with music and lyrics by Roger Miller, and a book by William Hauptman. Based on Mark Twain's classic 1884 novel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, it features music in the bluegrass and country styles in keeping with the setting of the novel. The 1985 Broadway production ran for more than 1,000 performances and remained one of the few very successful American musicals in the mid-1980s among the emerging successes coming from Great Britain. Big River won seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical.

Billee Taylor

Musical · 1880

In 1805, gardener Billee is about to marry Phoebe when Captain Flapper orders him impressed into the Navy. Phoebe and the charity-school girls disguise themselves as sailors and follow him. Two years later, Billee appears ready to marry Arabella for her dowry; Phoebe’s attempt to shoot him misfires, and the ensuing confusion ends with Flapper rescuing Phoebe and Billee arrested.

Billie

Musical · 1928

Billie is a musical in two acts with music and lyrics by George M. Cohan. Cohan also wrote the book to the musical which he adapted from his earlier 1912 play Broadway Jones. It was the last musical comedy Cohan created. The musical starred Polly Walker in the title role and Joseph Wagstaff as her character's love interest.

Billion Dollar Baby

Musical · 1945

Billion Dollar Baby is a musical with the book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green and the score by Morton Gould. Comden and Green were fresh from their success with On the Town, and the production team was something of an On the Town reunion: once again, George Abbott directed and Jerome Robbins choreographed. The musical is set on Staten Island and in Atlantic City during the late 1920s. It follows the adventures of an ambitious young woman, Maribelle Jones, in her quest for wealth during the Prohibition era.

Billy

Musical · 1974

Billy is a musical based on the novel and play Billy Liar by Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall. The book was written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, the music is by John Barry, and the lyrics are by Don Black.

Billy Bishop Goes to War

Musical · 1978

Canadian flying ace Billy Bishop recounts his journey from an unruly young man to a celebrated First World War pilot. Songs and shifting characters explore the distance between wartime experience and the public image of a hero.

Billy Elliot

Musical · 2005

In County Durham, the 1984–85 coal miners' strike is just beginning ("The Stars Look Down"). Motherless eleven-year-old Billy Elliot stays behind after his boxing class to give keys to Sandra Wilkinson, who runs a ballet class. The class is all girls, but Billy is attracted to the grace of the dance ("Shine"). At first, Billy's interest in dance is easily concealed from his family, as the only person home at the time is his grandmother. She reveals to Billy the abuse she suffered at the hands of her late husband, but that she found great joy in dance ("Grandma's Song"). While his father Jackie Elliot, brother Tony Elliot and neighbours are on strike and clash with riot police, Billy secretly takes dance lessons ("Solidarity"). During the number, the violent reality of the strike is contrasted with the peaceful practice of ballet. Eventually, Jackie discovers Billy in the ballet class and forbids him from attending the lessons. Mrs. Wilkinson, who recognizes Billy's potential, privately suggests that he should audition for the Royal Ballet School in London, offering free private lessons to prepare him for the audition. Billy is not sure what he wants to do, so he visits his best friend Michael Caffrey for advice. He finds Michael wearing a dress. Michael persuades Billy to have fun with him by dressing up in woman's clothing, rejecting the restrictive inhibitions of their working class community ("Expressing Yourself"). For his first private ballet lesson, Billy brings things to inspire a special dance for the audition, including a letter from his mother ("Dear Billy (Mum's Letter)"). Through his lessons, he develops an impressive routine for his audition ("Born to Boogie"), as he forms a close bond with Mrs. Wilkinson. Her daughter, Debbie Wilkinson, tries to discourage Billy from auditioning because she has a crush on him. Meanwhile, Jackie and Tony are engaged in daily battles with riot police that often turn bloody. They struggle to support the family with very little in strike and union pay, a difficult task as the strike goes on for nearly a year. When the day of the Royal Ballet School audition comes, the police come through the village, injuring Tony. Billy's family and some members of the community are gathered at the Elliot home, where Mrs. Wilkinson arrives when Billy fails to meet her to leave for the audition. She reveals that she has been teaching Billy in preparation for this audition, which upsets and angers Jackie and Tony. Tony tries to force Billy to dance on the table in front of everyone. Suddenly, the police approach and, as everyone escapes, Billy calls out to his father saying that his mother would have let him dance, to which Jackie says, "Your Mam's dead!". Billy goes into a rage ("Angry Dance"), and from that moment on, he stays away from anything related to ballet. Six months later at the miner's annual Christmas show, the children put on a show disparaging Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who is seen as the antagonist by the coal miners ("Merry Christmas, Maggie Thatcher"). Billy's father gets drunk and sings an old folk song that elicits memories of his deceased wife and the usually stoic man leaves in tears ("Deep Into the Ground"). Left alone with Billy in the Community Centre, Michael reveals he has feelings for him, but Billy says that the fact that he likes ballet does not mean that he is gay. Michael gives him a kiss on the cheek. Michael tries to get Billy to show him some dancing, but Billy is sad and tells him to leave. Michael departs, but leaves a music player running. Billy feels like dancing for the first time since the day of the aborted audition and dances while dreaming of being a grown-up dancer ("Swan Lake"). Unknown to Billy, his father arrives and watches him dance. Overcome with emotion, Jackie goes to Mrs. Wilkinson's house to discuss Billy's prospects as a dancer. She confirms Billy's talent, but is not sure whether or not he would get into the Royal Ballet School after missing the audition. Mrs. Wilkinson offers to help pay for the trip to London for the next audition, but Jackie refuses and leaves, questioning his working-class pride and the future mining has for his boys. Jackie decides the only way to help Billy is to return to work. When Tony sees his father cross the picket line, he becomes infuriated and the two argue over what is more important: unity of the miners or helping Billy achieve his dream ("He Could Be A Star"). The argument comes to blows and Billy is hit accidentally. A miner chastises them for fighting and says that the important thing is looking after the child. One by one, the miners give money to help pay for the trip to the audition, but Billy still does not have enough for the bus fare to London. A strike-breaker arrives and offers him hundreds of pounds. An enraged Tony attempts to shun his donation, but no one else speaks up in his support. Now drained of hope, Tony dismally ponders whether there's a point for anything anymore, and runs off. Billy and his father arrive at the Royal Ballet School for the audition. While Jackie waits outside, an upper-crust Londoner highlights the contrast between the Elliots and the families of the other applicants. Jackie meets a dancer with a thick Northern accent, who confesses that his father does not support his ballet career, but sharply advises Jackie to "get behind" his boy. Billy nervously finishes the audition with a feeling that he did not do well. As he packs his gear, he becomes overwhelmed and punches another dancer. The audition committee reminds Billy of the strict standards of the school and their zero-tolerance on violence. They have received an enthusiastic letter from Mrs. Wilkinson explaining Billy's background, situation and talent/potential; then ask him to describe what it feels like when he dances. Billy responds with a heartfelt declaration of his passion ("Electricity"). Back in Durham, the Elliots resume life, but times are tough and the miners are running a soup kitchen to ensure everyone is fed. Eventually, Billy receives a letter from the school and, overwhelmed and fearful, knowing that it heralds the end of the life he has known, informs his family that he was not accepted. Tony retrieves the letter from the waste bin and discovers that Billy had lied and actually was accepted – the family rejoice. At the same time, the miners' union has caved in; they lost the strike. Tony laments that miners are "dinosaurs", that by the time Billy returns home, all surrounding village's men will be jobless. Billy visits Mrs. Wilkinson at the dance class to thank her for everything she did to help him. Debbie is sad that Billy will be leaving. Billy packs his things for the trip to the school and says goodbye to the soon-to-be-unemployed miners who are returning unhappily to work ("Once We Were Kings"). Billy says goodbye to his dead mother, who often visits him in his imagination ("Dear Billy (Billy's Reply)"). Billy breaks the fourth wall and begins to walk down the center aisle before Michael stops him to say goodbye. Billy drops his suitcase and runs onto the stage to give Michael a kiss on the cheek. Billy then walks back off stage, retrieves his suitcase and walks out toward his future alone. The entire cast comes out on stage and calls Billy back to celebrate the bright future ahead of him ("Finale").

Billy Noname

Musical · 1970

Billy Noname is an Off-Broadway musical with music and lyrics by Johnny Brandon and a book by William Wellington Mackey. It ran for 48 performances at the Truck and Warehouse Theater, from March 2, 1970, to April 12, 1970. Lucia Victor directed, and the title role of Billy Noname was played by Donny Burks. The musical tells the story of a black man growing up. A recording of the original cast was released in 1996. Roulette Records Label (New York) issued the musical soundtrack on record #SROC-11.

Birds Of Paradise

Musical · 1987

The Harbour Island Players is an amateur theatre group whose lives are turned upside down when a professional actor, down on his luck, decides to direct and star in one of their productions. The group is awaiting the arrival of Lawrence Wood, the actor. Wood, who grew up on Harbour Island (and left as soon as he could) is visiting his hometown for the first time in twenty years. He has agreed to observe their rehearsal. Thrilled at the prospect of a real professional in their midst, each member feels, for the first time since they've been working together, that it is finally "worth it" ("So Many Nights"). Wood arrives and we learn that he is in trouble, both personally and professionally. The amateurs are dazzled by his presence and blind to his problems. Wood is interrupted by the sudden arrival of Julia, who bursts in dressed as a kind of moon-sprite and begs to be allowed to perform a song written by Homer, a young writer/composer who is also a member of the group. It is from his bizarre musical adaptation of Anton Chekhov's The Seagull, aptly named Seagull. Over the group's protests, Wood asks to hear the song, an eerie ballad about a young girl who flies to the moon only to find she cannot get back down ("Every Day Is Night"). Intrigued by the song, by Homer's loony talent, and most of all, by Julia. Wood asks to see the script and reflects on how good it feels to be a big fish in a little pond ("Somebody"). In an attempt to recover what has been missing in his life, Wood offers to direct and star in Homer's show. The others are beside themselves with excitement, especially Marjorie, Homer's mother, who still carries a torch for Wood from high school days. The next morning, Julia and Homer arrive early for rehearsal. Since childhood, Homer has been unrequitedly in love with Julia. Before rehearsal, they both fantasize about how the events of the past evening might change their lives ("Coming True"). The rest of the group arrives and, in a sequence that tracks the first weeks of rehearsal, Homer discovers what it is like to work with a real professional ("It's Only A Play"). As the final week of rehearsals approaches, Andy (Wood's brother) gives him a message about a call from his agent in New York. Wood claims he is not interested and Andy seizes the opportunity to confide in his brother about his rich fantasy life ("She's Out There"). Later, in the middle of a disastrous rehearsal, Wood takes Marjorie, Hope, and Stella aside and encourages them to "open up" emotionally. This results in a hilarious misunderstanding as the ladies attempt to make sense of what he said ("Birds of Paradise"). Wood calls his agent in New York and is furious to learn that she wants him to audition for a part that he feels is beneath him. When the rehearsal reconvenes, he vents his rage on Homer, insisting that he slow down one of the numbers. Homer, equally enraged, deliberately plays it as slowly as possible, transforming it into an expression of each group member's unrequited love. As the song reaches its climax, Wood and Julia steal a clandestine kiss, unwittingly, witnessed by a heartbroken Homer ("Imagining You"). It is the night before dress rehearsal. With great conviction (and in penguin suits) Andy, Hope, and Dave perform a number from Seagull and demonstrate how far they've come ("Penguins Must Sing"). The rehearsal continues and Wood attacks Marjorie for her lack of commitment to her character and goads her into a deeply felt rendition of ("You're Mine"). Meanwhile, Homer is intent on re-writing the end of his play, determined to make it a bleak and bitter reflection of his present circumstances. After a devastating encounter with Julia, he tears up what he has written and seeks solace at the piano remembering a song he wrote as a child ("Things I Can't Forget"). Marjorie surprises them both by picking up the pieces and mother and son end up - for the first time - comforting each other ("After Opening Night"). During dress rehearsal, as the actors are deep in character and loving every miserable minute, they give thanks to the man who made their lives worth living ("Chekhov"). Wood enters with a crushing announcement: he has been offered the part in New York and he must leave that night. Julia runs off, believing she is included in his plans. The group is devastated. Homer tries to convince him to stay, but Wood goes, leaving Julia behind, her illusions destroyed. Homer threatens to leave as well when all at once the group discovers the pages of his re-written final scene. They fall in love with the surprising new twists he has created for each of their characters. As they begin to piece the new ending together, they find a new appreciation for what they mean to each other ("Something New").

Black Swan

Musical · 2026

A stage musical adaptation of Black Swan, with choreography by Sonya Tayeh, music and lyrics by Dave Malloy, and a book by Jen Silverman.

Blair on Broadway

Musical · 2007

Blair on Broadway is a satirical musical based on the political career (from 1997 to 2007) of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. The words and lyrics were written by journalist and novelist Iain Hollingshead, with music by journalist Timothy Muller.

Bless the Bride

Musical · 1947

Act I In Victorian England, it is 1870, the eve of the Franco-Prussian War, and a young woman, Lucy Veracity Willow, is having second thoughts about her imminent marriage to the Hon. Thomas Trout. He will not join her in her favourite game of croquet, preferring the "shocking" new game of lawn tennis ("Croquet, Croquet" / "What Will Mother Say"). Worse, he makes good-natured but pointed fun of her principles, especially her attachment to the truth ("Too Good to Be True"). She is resigned to her duty to marry the man approved by her parents, but bemoans the lack of love in their relationship ("Any Man but Thomas T."). Thomas introduces Lucy to a couple of new French friends of his, the debonair and romantic Pierre Fontaine, an actor, and his companion Suzanne, who is also on the stage. Lucy and Pierre quickly fall in love ("I Was Never Kissed Before"), much to Suzanne's chagrin, and they elope to France together in the middle of the elaborate preparations for Lucy and Thomas' wedding ("Bless the Bride"). Act II In France, Pierre and Lucy are with Suzanne, who seems to be overcoming her initial jealousy of Lucy and is acting as chaperone until the couple can be married ("Mon Pauvre Petit Pierre"). The three take a table in a beachside restaurant ("A Table for Two" / "This Is My Lovely Day"). Into the restaurant crash Lucy's father, mother, cousin George, and the jilted Thomas, who is determined to fight a duel with Pierre if they can find him ("The Englishman"). They have come to "rescue" Lucy, and to this end have adopted disguises (including heavy beards). Their efforts to pass themselves off as French arouse suspicions, and Lucy and Suzanne have to step in to vouch for the party, saving them from arrest as Prussian spies. Lucy declares her love for Pierre to her family, and Thomas confronts Pierre. Dramatic news arrives of the declaration of the Franco-Prussian War. Pierre is a reserve officer and must leave at once to join his regiment. Suzanne and the exultant French crowd leave with him ("To France") – while poor Lucy must return to England with her family. A year passes, and it is Lucy's twenty-first birthday ("Here's a Kiss"). A message has arrived from Suzanne telling her that Pierre was killed in the disastrous war. A chastened Thomas renews his suit for Lucy's hand. She tells him that she cannot forget Pierre but will marry him if he does not rush the date of the wedding. Suzanne shows up, interrupting the birthday party. She admits that, resentful of the English, she had cruelly lied about Pierre, who is alive and here! Lucy is ecstatic, but Pierre is concerned when he sees Thomas's ring. However, Thomas nobly removes it and hands it to Pierre ("My Big Moment"), and the lovers can at last marry with everyone's approval ("This Is My Lovely Day" (reprise)).

Blindekuh

Musical · 1878

At Scholle’s country estate, his daughter Waldine loves Hellmuth Forst but is promised to her American cousin Adolf. Hellmuth arrives disguised as a jeweler’s agent and is mistaken for Adolf; when the real cousin appears, Waldine and the men exchange identities to sustain the confusion. Adolf arrives with his wife Betsy, while court secretary Kragel mistakes Hellmuth for a murderer using the name Meyer. The deception is exposed at a ballroom gathering, and Scholle consents to Waldine’s marriage to Hellmuth.

Blitz!

Musical · 1962

Blitz! is a musical by Lionel Bart. The musical, described by Steven Suskin as "massive", was set in the East End of London during the Blitz (the aerial bombings during World War II). The story drew on Bart's childhood memories of London's Jewish East End during the Blitz and, like most musicals, centred on a romance between a young couple, in this case a Jewish woman and a Cockney man, although the largest role and main point-of-view character is that of Mrs Blitztein, the young woman's mother. Steven Suskin describes it as "Abie's Irish Rose set against the burning of Atlanta." Bart himself described the play as "…three human stories inside an epic canvas; the major human conflict the major plot personifies the spirit of London and how that spirit developed during the period of the piece."

Blood Brothers

Musical · 1983

The play opens in the early 1980s, at the ending of the story. Mrs. Johnstone, surrounded by others, including Mr. and Mrs. Lyons, and the Narrator, is standing over the bodies of Mickey and Edward and sings "Tell Me It's Not True" ("Overture"). The Narrator introduces the "story of the Johnstone twins" to the audience and the play then flashes back to the late 1950s. 30-year old Mrs. Johnstone lives in the Victorian inner-city slums of Liverpool. She describes her whirlwind romance with her husband, who, once attracted to her because of how she looked "like Marilyn Monroe", lost interest in her after multiple pregnancies and weight gain, and eventually left her for a younger, more attractive woman. Now a single mother, she discovers she's pregnant yet again ("Marilyn Monroe"). Heavily in debt and unable to support her seven children alone, Mrs. Johnstone takes a job as a cleaner for a local upper-middle-class couple, Richard and Jennifer Lyons. While talking with Mrs. Lyons, she mentions she's found out she's carrying twins, but can only afford to raise one more child. Mrs. Lyons, desperate for a baby but unable to conceive, suggests she give one of the babies to her ("My Child"). Mrs. Johnstone reluctantly agrees and is made to swear on the Bible to keep to the deal. Mrs. Johnstone has the twins, and names the two children Michael (known as Mickey throughout the play) and Edward, but then regrets having agreed to give one away ("Easy Terms"). After keeping her deal with Mrs. Lyons, she returns home with baby Michael and lies to her older children, saying that the other baby died. Mrs. Johnstone continues to work for the Lyons family, but Mrs. Lyons begins to feel she's too attached to Edward. She fires her, causing Mrs. Johnstone to demand her son back. Mrs. Lyons manipulates her into backing down by playing on her superstitious nature, telling her that "if twins separated at birth learn that they were once one of a pair, they will both immediately die" ("Shoes Upon the Table"). Years later, a seven-year-old Mickey meets Edward by chance. After learning that they share the same birthday, the two boys make a pact to become blood brothers, with Mickey nicknaming Edward "Eddie". Mrs. Johnstone finds them and sends Edward away, fearing they will find out they're twins. Later in the day, Mickey goes to Edward's house, but Mrs. Lyons throws him out when she realises that he's Edward's twin. Mickey plays with some neighbourhood children, including his friend Linda ("Kids' Game"). Afterwards, Mickey takes her to see Edward, and the three of them sneak off to play. Mrs. Lyons worries about Edward's whereabouts ("Gypsies in the Wood"). The three are caught attempting to throw stones through a window by a police officer, and escorted home. Mrs. Lyons, worried about Edward's friendship with Mickey, persuades her husband they should move. Edward goes to Mrs. Johnstone's house to say goodbye to Mickey and she gives him a locket, which she claims contains a picture of herself and Mickey. Edward asks Mrs. Johnstone why she does not simply move away, causing her to dream about the seemingly impossible possibility of her moving away and beginning a new life ("Bright New Day (Preview)"). Mickey goes to visit Edward but finds him gone ("Long Sunday Afternoon"/"My Friend"). During the early 1970s, the Johnstone family are moved from the condemned inner-city slums of Liverpool to a new council house in the nearby overspill town of Skelmersdale ("Bright New Day"). Act Two rejoins the twins when they are 14 years old, some time in the early-to-mid 1970s. The Johnstone family are enjoying a better life now they have moved to a new home and a new area, and they have not seen Edward in all this time ("Marilyn Monroe 2"). Mickey has now developed a crush on Linda, who is obviously interested in him too, but Mickey does not know how to approach her and is embarrassed by her honesty to being attracted to him. During their journey to school Sammy, Mickey's older brother, pretends to be 14 to get a cheaper bus ticket. When he is confronted his violent nature becomes obvious; he swears violently at the driver, threatens him with a knife, steals some money and escapes. Edward is suspended from his boarding school for refusing to give up his locket to a teacher. Meanwhile, Mickey refuses to pay attention or co-operate during a class in his school, insulting the teacher, and is suspended. Linda is also suspended for defending him. When he returns home, Edward refuses to tell Mrs. Lyons about the locket's contents, and when she takes it and sees the picture inside she panics, and immediately assumes it is a picture of Edward. She grows paranoid, having once thought she had buried the past by moving away, and questions Mrs. Johnstone's presence in their lives ("Secrets"). Edward and Mickey, now teenage and insecure, both reminisce over their blood brother status, and after seeing each other but not realising they are seeing their blood brother, think about how they wish they had the qualities the other guy has ("That Guy"). After Mickey and Linda walk through a field in the countryside surrounding Skelmersdale, where Linda expresses her frustration at how Mickey has not yet asked her out, Mickey and Edward meet by chance once again, discovering that they live near each other after both having moved from Liverpool. Edward gives Mickey humorously inexperienced advice on how to talk to Linda, and invites him to watch a pornographic film with him to "see how it's done". An increasingly mentally deranged and paranoid Mrs. Lyons further questions whether she is truly free from Mrs. Johnstone ("Shoes Upon The Table (Reprise)") as Mickey asks his mother for money to see a film while reintroducing Edward. After she realises it is a pornographic film, the three have a humorous moment, before Mrs. Johnstone gives them the money and they leave. Mrs Lyons, by this point clearly mentally ill, discovers Mrs. Johnstone's house and confronts her, believing that she followed her after they moved. After she admits that she "never made him [Edward] mine", she offers to pay off Mrs. Johnstone again. After Mrs. Johnstone stands her ground and declares she will not be paid off again, stating that she has made a good life for herself, an enraged Mrs. Lyons attempts to attack Mrs. Johnstone with a knife, but a now strong-willed Mrs. Johnstone fights back and kicks her out, with Mrs. Lyons fleeing in terror. Mrs. Lyons continues to deteriorate into insanity and it is implied that she has developed a reputation for madness. ("Mad Woman On A Hill"). Mickey, Edward, and Linda spend each summer as teens together, taking the play to the end of the 1970s, when an 18-year-old Edward reveals to Linda that he is leaving for university in Liverpool the following day, but has not told her or Mickey. Linda reveals that Mickey still has not asked her out, prompting Edward to tell her what he would say to her if he were Mickey. Secretly, he is revealing his true feelings but has not acted on them out of respect for Mickey ("I'm Not Saying A Word"). Edward leaves for university in Liverpool, but not before encouraging Mickey to ask Linda out. During Edward's absence, Linda gets pregnant, and she and Mickey quickly marry and move in with Mrs Johnstone. Mickey is then made redundant from his factory job due to the recession of the early 1980s, which hits Merseyside particularly hard, and Mickey joins thousands of other Merseysiders on the dole shortly before Christmas ("Miss Jones"). Edward returns at Christmas ready to party and have fun, but Mickey realises that they are now very different; after a small argument, they part. Mickey is persuaded to assist his brother Sammy, who now engages in criminal acts, in a robbery, to earn money to support Linda and their baby daughter Sarah. The robbery goes bad, and Mickey becomes an accessory to a murder committed by Sammy. He is sentenced to seven years in prison, and the incident destroys Mickey mentally. In prison, Mickey is diagnosed as chronically depressed. When released early for good behaviour, he is still dependent on anti-depressants. He becomes withdrawn and turns away from Linda ("Marilyn Monroe 3"). Linda, unable to get Mickey off the anti-depressants, contacts Edward, who is now a local councillor, who gets them their own house in Liverpool and Mickey a job ("Light Romance"), taking the focus of the play back to Liverpool. Linda worries about Mickey and continues to meet up with Edward. A mentally ill Mrs. Lyons, now seemingly wanting to get back at Mrs. Johnstone in any way possible, even if it involves possibly being harmful to Edward, sees Edward and Linda together and tells Mickey about it, suggesting that the two are having an affair. Distraught over Edward and Linda's 'affair,' Mickey grabs the gun that Sammy hid before he got arrested and storms down to the council offices to confront Edward ("Madman"), who is giving a speech as Mickey storms in with the gun. Mickey asks why Edward would take away the one good thing that Mickey had – Linda. Edward denies this intention, and the police enter, demanding that Mickey put the gun down. After being informed by Linda of the incident, Mrs. Johnstone runs in and, in an attempt to stop Mickey from shooting Edward, tells the two brothers the truth. Mickey furiously despairs that he was not the one given away, because then he could have had the life given to Edward. Enraged, Mickey gestures with the gun toward Edward and accidentally pulls the trigger. The gun fires, killing Edward, with the police then shooting and killing Mickey. As Mrs. Lyons had suggested all those years earlier, the superstition that the two brothers would die if they discovered the truth has finally materialised, and the narrator questions whether the differing backgrounds of the two boys was more to blame than superstition. ("Tell Me It's Not True"). In another version, Mickey has a fake gun. Mrs.

Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson

Musical · 2008

The show opens when the cast, dressed as 19th-century American cowboys and prostitutes, take the stage. They are led by Andrew Jackson. They sing about their eagerness to strip the English, Spanish, French, and, most importantly, the Native Americans, of their land in North America, and their desire to bring political power back to the public and away from the elite ("Populism, Yea Yea"). This section also introduces the Storyteller, a historian who tells the audience what his legacy was after certain notable events. Jackson's childhood is shown in the Tennessee hills during the late 18th century. His family and the local shoe cobbler die of cholera and an Indian attack. This leads him to join the military, where he is imprisoned by the British. Jackson begins to express his disdain for the U.S. government's lack of involvement with the people of the frontier and how he wishes someone would stand up to them ("I'm Not That Guy"). Jackson is then shown as a young adult, regaling local tavern goers with his short meeting with George Washington. He is interrupted and attacked by several Spaniards. Jackson defeats them, but is injured in the process. A woman named Rachel helps him to recover from his injuries. They bond over a shared habit of self-harm, playing on emo music's frequent glorification of pain, and reference Illness as Metaphor by Susan Sontag as a way to ground their fantasies. Jackson and Rachel eventually marry, though Rachel is not yet divorced from her current husband ("Illness as a Metaphor"). At the end of the song, news comes that British, Indian, and Spanish forces are making advances into American territory. Meanwhile, the U.S. government continues to do nothing to stop the attacks. Jackson realizes that if he wants this cycle to end, he must change things himself and takes a stand, shooting the Storyteller in the neck and saying that he'll take it from there ("I'm So That Guy"). Jackson organizes a militia to drive Indian nations out of the Southeast ("Ten Little Indians"). In the aftermath of a battle, he adopts a young Native American child called Lyncoya. John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay, John Calhoun, and Martin Van Buren are introduced as they express their concern over Jackson's unauthorized territorial expansion. Jackson rebuffs their pleas, explaining how he has driven out the French and the Spanish, while acquiring more land than Thomas Jefferson. The Battle of New Orleans transforms Jackson into a national hero. He becomes Governor of Florida and decides to run for United States President in 1824. Although he receives the most popular and Electoral votes, he does not have a majority, leading to a loss in the subsequent contingent election in the House of Representatives. ("The Corrupt Bargain"). Jackson spends the four years after the election at his home, The Hermitage. He returns from political exile and forms the Democratic Party. During the presidential election of 1828, Andrew Jackson becomes a surprise candidate and mocks the others for not being able to handle the pressure of politics ("Rock Star"). However, his campaign is grueling both publicly and personally to Jackson and his family. Rachel dislikes not having a private life, feels as though she has been making more compromises in their relationship than he has, and questions Andrew's devotion to her versus the American People ("The Great Compromise"). Days before the election, a Senate panel led by Clay investigates Jackson's past wrongdoings and slings accusations, including accusing Rachel of bigamy. Jackson wins the election despite this and becomes the 7th President of the United States. However, the accusation of his rivals, along with the stress of the election, leads to Rachel dying of grief. He vows to use both his presidency and his wife's death as a mandate to "take this country back" ("Public Life"). Once in office, Jackson is faced with a plethora of problems, ranging from the National Bank to questions about Indian relocation. Being the "People’s President," Jackson begins polling the American populace on all executive decisions. This draws the ire of Congress and the Supreme Court. In response, Jackson consolidates Executive Power, thus making the Presidency more powerful than Congress and the Courts. At first, his exhilarating cowboy-like governing tactics are met with great enthusiasm by the average citizen. But, as the problems grow tougher, the public begins to resent being asked to make difficult decisions ("Crisis Averted"). As the American people gradually turn on him, Jackson takes stock of all that he has lost: his family, his wife, and now the love of the American public. He decides he must take ultimate responsibility for the nation's choices and declares that he alone will be the one to make the unenviable policy decisions regarding the Indians' fate ("The Saddest Song"). He summons Black Fox — an Indian Chief who organized the remaining Indian tribes into a confederation against Tennessee settlers — in order to make one last deal with the Native Americans still living in American Territories. Jackson implores Black Fox to peacefully move his people west of the Mississippi River. Black Fox asks for time to consult his tribe, but Jackson violently snaps and decrees that federal troops will forcibly move the Indians west, leading to thousands of deaths along the Trail of Tears. Near the end, the musical reviews Jackson's legacy and the views attributed to him. Some believe he was one of America's greatest presidents, while others believe him to be an "American Hitler" who deliberately engaged in a genocide against the Indigenous American people. The final scene shows Jackson receiving an honorary doctorate at Harvard. He reflects upon his achievements and his questionable decisions. The show then offers a more modern view of Jackson's damning legacy and American society's collective culpability in shaping a new country at the expense of the native population ("Second Nature"). Finally, the company gathers to sing "The Hunters of Kentucky", before taking their bows.

Bloomer Girl

Musical · 1944

Bloomer Girl is a 1944 Broadway musical with music by Harold Arlen, lyrics by E.Y. Harburg, and a book by Sig Herzig and Fred Saidy, based on an unpublished play by writer Daniel Lewis James and his wife Lilith.

Blue Beard, Jr.

Musical · 1889

Bluebeard, Jr., or, Fatima and the Fairy is a musical in four acts with a libretto by Clay M. Greene and music by Fred J. Eustis, Richard Maddern, and John Joseph Braham Sr. The plot is loosely based on the folk tale of Bluebeard as told by Charles Perrault. and for the performance of its star, the comedian Eddie Foy. The original cast also included Josie Hall in the trouser role of Abdallah. After its Chicago premiere, the production toured nationally; including stops at Boston's Tremont Theatre (1889) and Broadway's Niblo's Garden (1890).

Blue Eyes

Musical · 1928

Blue Eyes is a musical composed by Jerome Kern, with a book and lyrics by Guy Bolton and Graham John. Orchestrations were by Robert Russell Bennett, and the original producer was Lee Ephraim.

Bluebell in Fairyland

Musical · 1901

Act I On Christmas Eve, Bluebell, a poor London flower girl, is dismayed that she has not sold enough flowers to purchase Christmas gifts for her little sisters, Mab and Winnie. Mr. Joplin, a wealthy merchant, who is struck by her beauty, has long wished to adopt Bluebell. She loiters in front of his house, but a policeman sends Bluebell away from Mr. Joplin's house and then lies about it. Dicky, a crossing sweeper, bootblack and Bluebell's sweetheart, together with his bootblack friends, tries to earn some money to help Bluebell. Mr. Joplin and his eccentric servants, Will and Won't, find Bluebell in the Strand, among her friends, a group of flower girls and boot blacks. He gives some money to Bluebell and sends her home. In a garret in Drury Lane, Bluebell's sisters and her faithful black cat, Peter, are preparing for Christmas. Bluebell arrives and reads to her sisters the story of the rich but miserly Sleepy King, who has been condemned to sleep until he should be awakened by a good girl with the peal of bells. The three girls soon fall asleep. Bluebell dreams that the fairy queen and the fairies step out of the fireplace and ask Bluebell to come to the Palace where the reigning King of Fairyland has usurped the throne in the Sleepy King's absence. Bluebell and Peter soon meet two schoolboys, Blib and Blob, who are to escort them from the Palace to the dungeon where the Sleepy King is being held prisoner. Once at the Palace, however, she sees the reigning King and Queen. They are giving a children's party. Bluebell asks to be admitted, but instead she is arrested. The fairy queen rescues her, however, and leads her to the Sleepy King. Act II Bluebell meets Will o'the Wisp, who will help her. They then meet the Fairy Waterlilly, who leads them through creepy bogs and thickets to the Enchanted Glade, where they find the Magic Oak, which grows above the Sleepy King's dungeon. They witness the tragedy of the murder of Cock Robin. Peter kills the yellow dwarf who is guarding the Oak, and the group descends into the frightening cavern. After 300 years of sleep, the Sleepy King has grown old. Bluebell awakens him by ringing the bells, and he vows to distribute his wealth to the poor. They all head for the Palace, where the big party is still in progress. Everyone enters, and Bluebell introduces the Sleepy King, who is revealed as the rightful King. The reigning King and Queen are dethroned, and the King is transformed into a handsome young man, who asks Bluebell to be his queen. Bluebell sadly refuses, as the Christmas bells chime, because she must return to her two sisters, so she flees back to the garret. It is morning, and as Bluebell and her sisters awaken, Mr. Joplin, his footmen and Dicky arrive. Mr. Joplin wants to adopt all three girls, to Dicky's great alarm. But Bluebell and Dicky become engaged, and all ends happily.

Bob's Your Uncle

Musical · 1948

Bob's Your Uncle is a 1948 British musical comedy with music by Noel Gay, lyrics by Frank Eyton, and a book by Austin Melford. After premiering at the Royal Court Theatre in Liverpool, its West End run at the Saville Theatre lasted for 363 performances, between 5 May 1948 and 19 March 1949. The work was designed as a vehicle for the comedian Leslie Henson, who also co-produced it. The cast included Vera Pearce.

Bombay Dreams

Musical · 2002

The story centers around Akaash, a young man from the slums of Bombay who dreams of becoming the next big star in Bollywood. Fate steps in when a rich lawyer and his fiancée, an aspiring documentary filmmaker, arrive to prevent the demolition of Akaash's slum. Akaash quickly falls in love with the lawyer's fiancée, Priya, who happens to be the daughter of a famous Bollywood director. Complications arise as Akaash faces the reality of show business, fame, his love for Priya, and his obligations to his family, friends, and his Paradise slum. The story also deals with the change of name from Bombay to Mumbai and the identity issues that this raises.

Bombo

Musical · 1921

Bombo is a Broadway musical with a book and lyrics by Harold Atteridge and music by Sigmund Romberg. Produced by Lee Shubert and J. J. Shubert, the Broadway production, staged by J. C. Huffman, opened on October 6, 1921, at the Jolson's 59th Street Theatre, where it ran for 219 performances. The cast included Al Jolson and Janet Adair. The musical has a thin story designed to showcase Jolson, who was at the height of his popularity. Songs were added by several composers during the run of the show so that, by the end of the run, there were more songs by composers other than Romberg than by him. The success of the musical on Broadway led to a national tour.

Bombshell

Musical · 2015

A musical about Marilyn Monroe created for the television series Smash and performed in a 2015 concert.

Bonnie & Clyde

Musical · 2009

Act I Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow sit in a car, dead ("Prologue"). In Depression-era West Texas, Bonnie is a 20-year-old diner waitress who dreams of a life in the movies. Young Bonnie is also onstage singing about the dream. Young Clyde sings about his dream to become a criminal, similar to Billy the Kid and Al Capone ("Picture Show"). Clyde Barrow, who has just broken out of prison with his brother Buck, discovers Bonnie on the side of the road and a connection is made between the two dreamers as he repairs her car in exchange for a lift into Dallas ("This World Will Remember Me"). Meanwhile, Blanche Barrow urges her husband, Buck, to turn himself in and set things right with the Lord and with the law ("You're Goin' Back to Jail"). Bonnie ends up spending the whole day, and several thereafter, with Clyde. She tells him of her grand plans: to be an actress, a poet and a singer. Clyde convinces her to sing him a song ("How 'Bout a Dance?") and assures her that together they'll make both their dreams - his of a life without having to worry about money, hers of fame - come true. The two go to visit Buck. Clyde is overjoyed to see his brother again and they talk of driving away from Dallas in the latest Ford, which is said to be able to go 60 miles per hour ("When I Drive"). However, when Clyde hears of Buck's plan to turn himself in and complete his sentence, he is strongly opposed to the idea and leaves angrily. However, Clyde is eventually caught by Ted and the other authorities, while Buck turns himself in ("God's Arms Are Always Open"). In the jailhouse, Ted and Clyde reflect on their love for Bonnie ("You Can Do Better Than Him"). Bonnie professes her love for Clyde as Blanche does the same for Buck ("You Love Who You Love"). Buck is released quickly, while Clyde receives a much harsher jail sentence, and then faces a difficult time of continuous physical and sexual assault while in prison. At the peak of his abuse, Clyde turns to a makeshift weapon and performs his first murder ("Raise a Little Hell"). He convinces Bonnie to smuggle a gun into his cell, and Clyde again breaks out of prison, this time killing a deputy ("This World Will Remember Us"). Act II Bonnie and Clyde begin a life of crime, robbing stores and traveling all around to avoid being caught ("Made in America"). During a grocery store robbery gone wrong, Clyde shoots a deputy who was, in his words: 'trying to be a hero'. When she hears that Clyde has gone from robbery to murder, a frenzied Bonnie wants out ("Too Late to Turn Back Now") but realizes that she is too far from what she has known to go back. In part due to the grocery store shooting, the two achieve folk hero status throughout the country, with officers in every Southern state on the hunt for them. Clyde sends occasional letters to Buck and Blanche, telling them of the adventures and opportunities they have made on the road. Buck begins to see that there is more for them out there than can be found in their current situation, and he unsuccessfully tries to convince Blanche that they should join Clyde and Bonnie ("That's What You Call a Dream"). The infamous duo, meanwhile, continues on their robbery spree, growing increasingly bold in their endeavors ("What Was Good Enough for You") and graduating from stores to banks. In the midst of an unsuccessful bank robbery, Clyde is shot in the shoulder. Upon hearing of his brother's injury, Buck leaves home along with his wife, who is torn between her love for her husband and what she knows is right - to help Clyde. In the hideout, Clyde and Bonnie share a tender moment ("Bonnie") before being interrupted by Buck at the door. He is with a reluctant Blanche; her love for her husband won out in the end. Days later, Bonnie and Blanche nervously await the return of Clyde and Buck from a robbery ("Raise a Little Hell (reprise)"), as Blanche questions how Bonnie can happily live the way they do. Bonnie replies that she and Clyde are the only ones truly living life to the fullest ("Dyin' Ain't So Bad"). Buck and Clyde return, with their respective partners, elated to see them, but the celebration is short-lived as they learn that they have been followed by the authorities to the hideout. A shootout ensues, in which Buck is mortally wounded. Clyde quickly whisks Bonnie away, but a heartbroken Blanche stays with Buck until his dying breath and is arrested for aiding and abetting ("God's Arms Are Always Open (reprise)"). Ted reports back to the Sheriff, having been told by Bonnie's mother of Bonnie and Clyde's whereabouts, and they prepare to ambush the couple. A guilty Ted convinces himself he is doing the right thing ("You Can Do Better Than Him (reprise)"). In the woods on the way back to Dallas, Clyde wonders how his family will even be able to look at him after what he has done to Buck ("Picture Show (reprise)"). Bonnie assures him that it was not his fault, but both realize that they are nearing the end of their fateful journey ("Dyin' Ain't So Bad (reprise)" / "How 'Bout a Dance? (reprise)"). On May 23, 1934, on a rural Louisianan road, Bonnie and Clyde are ambushed and killed by police on the way to meet their parents.

Boy Falls from the Sky

Musical · 2019

Jake Epstein retraces his pursuit of a Broadway career through personal stories and familiar songs. Touring, auditions, injuries, and unexpected setbacks reveal the private uncertainty behind apparent professional success.

Boy Meets Boy

Musical · 1975

Boy Meets Boy is a musical comedy with music and lyrics by Bill Solly, as well as a book by Bill Solly and Donald Ward. Edith O'Hara and Jim Payne originally produced the show in February 1975, at the13th Street Theatre, New York City. After a seven-month run, O'Hara and Payne moved the show off-Broadway to the Actor's Playhouse, opening on Sept. 17, 1975 in association with Christopher Larkin and Lee Barton. The show is a fast-paced, light-hearted musical comedy, featuring a 1930s-style Astaire/Rogers romance between two men, and a same-sex marriage. The world of the play posits that in 1936, same-sex relationships are considered as normal as heterosexual ones. The play begins against the background of the abdication of Edward VIII and ends with the Duke of Windsor's (and the protagonists') June 1937 weddings. This is appropriate, as one of the major themes is "Giving It Up for Love." The action occurs in the Savoy Hotel, a few elegant nightspots in London, a bar in Spain, and a black-sheep aunt's disreputable establishment in Paris. The original New York cast included David Gallegly as Guy Rose, Joe Barrett as Casey O’Brien and Raymond Wood as Clarence Cutler. Edith O'Hare and Jim Payne took the show and most of the cast to the Las Palmas Theatre in Los Angeles, as well as to the Chi Chi Club in San Francisco, in 1976. The show had its London premiere in December 2012. There, the cast included Olivier Award winner Stephen Ashfield as Casey O'Brien with Johnjo Flynn as Guy Rose and Ben Kavanagh as Clarence Cutler.

Bravo Giovanni

Musical · 1962

Bravo Giovanni is a musical with a book by A. J. Russell, lyrics by Ronny Graham, and music by Milton Schafer. It is based upon Howard Shaw's 1959 novel, The Crime of Giovanni Venturi. The musical was conceived as a vehicle for opera star Cesare Siepi, and the story concerned a family-owned Italian restaurant's efforts to compete with a restaurant chain.

Breakfast at Tiffany's

Musical · 1966

Breakfast at Tiffany's is a musical with music and lyrics by Bob Merrill and a book originally by Abe Burrows but rewritten during pre-Broadway tryouts by Edward Albee. It is based on the 1958 Truman Capote novella and 1961 film of the same name about a free spirit named Holly Golightly.

Brigadoon

Musical · 1947

New Yorkers Tommy Albright and Jeff Douglas have travelled to the Scottish Highlands on a game-hunting vacation, but they get lost on their first night out. They begin to hear music ("Brigadoon") coming from a nearby village that does not appear on their map of the area. They head over there to get directions back to their inn and find a fair in progress ("McConnachy Square"), with villagers dressed in traditional Scottish tartan. Andrew MacLaren and his daughters arrive at the fair to purchase supplies for younger daughter Jean's wedding to Charlie Dalrymple. Archie Beaton's son Harry madly loves Jean and is depressed at the thought of her marrying another, unable to find comfort in Maggie Anderson's devotion to him. One of the girls asks Jean's older sister Fiona when she'll marry, and Fiona answers she's waiting for the right person ("Waitin' for My Dearie"). Tommy and Jeff wander into the village and ask where they are; Archie informs them that they are in "Brigadoon". Fiona invites the wanderers to have a meal and rest at the MacLaren home. Flirtatious dairymaid Meg Brockie immediately falls for Jeff and leads him off. Charlie Dalrymple appears, rejoicing in his impending nuptials. He shares a drink with Tommy, toasting to a Mr. Forsythe whom he thanks for "postponing the miracle". When Tommy asks what that means, Fiona shushes him and leads him away as Charlie celebrates the end of his bachelorhood ("Go Home with Bonnie Jean"). Tommy tells Fiona that he has a fiancée, Jane, in New York, but he's in no hurry to marry her, and Fiona reveals that she likes Tommy very much. Tommy insists on accompanying Fiona to gather heather for the wedding ("The Heather on the Hill"). Meanwhile, Meg takes Jeff to a place in the forest with a shack and a cot. She tells him she's "highly attracted" to him, but he spurns her advances, wanting only to sleep. She reflects on her "eventful" love life ("The Love of My Life"). At the MacLarens', Jean's friends help her pack her things to move into Charlie's home ("Jeannie's Packin' Up"). Charlie arrives to sign the MacLarens' family Bible. He wants to see Jean; told that it's bad luck to see her on the wedding day, he begs for her to come out anyway ("Come to Me, Bend to Me"). Tommy and Fiona return with a basket full of heather, and Fiona goes upstairs to help Jean dress for the wedding. Jeff arrives wearing a pair of Highland trews (trousers); apparently his own pants have been damaged on a "thistle". Jeff finds that Tommy is so happy that he can barely contain it ("Almost Like Being in Love"). Tommy notices that all the events listed in the family Bible, including Jean's wedding, are listed as if they had happened 200 years earlier. When he asks Fiona about this, she sends him to the schoolmaster, Mr. Lundie. Fiona, Tommy, and Jeff arrive at Mr. Lundie's home, where he relates a story that the two New Yorkers can hardly believe: to protect Brigadoon from being changed by the outside world, 200 years ago the local minister prayed to God to have Brigadoon disappear, only to reappear for one day every 100 years. All citizens of Brigadoon are forbidden to leave the town, or it will disappear forever. Tommy asks hypothetically if an outsider could be permitted to stay. Mr. Lundie replies, "A stranger can stay if he loves someone here – not jus' Brigadoon, mind ye, but someone in Brigadoon – enough to want to give up everythin' an' stay with that one person. Which is how it should be. 'Cause after all, lad, if ye love someone deeply, anythin' is possible." The group leaves to go to the wedding, which opens with the clans coming in from the hills. Mr. Lundie marries Charlie and Jean, and they perform a traditional celebratory wedding dance. Sword dancers appear, led by Harry, and they perform an elaborate dance over their weapons. All the town joins in the dance, but it abruptly halts when Jean screams as Harry tries to kiss her. In anguish over Jean's wedding, he announces that he's leaving the town (which would end the miracle, causing Brigadoon to disappear forever into the Highland mists) and sprints away. The men of the town, including Tommy and a reluctant Jeff, frantically try to find Harry before he can depart the town ("The Chase"). Suddenly an agonized scream is heard. Harry, who appears to have fallen on a rock and crushed his skull, is found dead by the other men. Deciding not to tell the rest of the town until the next morning, the men carry Harry's body away. Fiona and her father arrive to see if everything is all right. As Mr. MacLaren leaves, Tommy sees Fiona, and they embrace. She reveals her love for him, and he tells her he believes he feels the same way ("There But For You Go I"). Fiona reminds him that the end of the day is near, and Tommy tells her he wants to stay in Brigadoon with her. They go to find Mr. Lundie. Meanwhile, in the village, Meg tells about the day her parents were drunkenly married ("My Mother's Wedding Day"), and the townsfolk dance until the sound of Highland pipes pierces the air. The gaiety is interrupted as Archie Beaton enters carrying Harry's body, led by the pipers playing a lament. Maggie, who loved Harry, performs a funeral dance for her unrequited love. The men of Brigadoon help Archie carry his son to the burial place. Tommy finds Jeff and announces his intention to stay. Jeff thinks the idea is absurd and argues with Tommy until he has convinced him that Brigadoon is only a dream. Jeff also reveals that he tripped Harry and accidentally killed him. Fiona and Mr. Lundie arrive, and Tommy, shaken by Jeff's confession, tells Fiona that he loves her, but he can't stay; he still has doubts ("From This Day On"). Fiona tells Tommy, as she fades away into darkness, that she will love him forever. Four months later, Jeff is drinking heavily at a hotel bar in New York. Tommy, who has been living on a farm in New Hampshire, enters and greets Jeff, but is still in love with Fiona and cannot stop thinking about her. His fiancée Jane Ashton, a beautiful socialite, talks to him about their impending wedding, but everything she says causes him to hear Fiona's voice and dream of Brigadoon ("Come to Me, Bend to Me" (reprise) and "Heather on the Hill" (reprise)). Tommy tells Jane that he cannot marry her, and she argues with him, but he continues to daydream about his true love ("Go Home With Bonnie Jean" (reprise) and "From This Day On" (reprise)). Jane leaves, and Tommy tells Jeff that he wants to return to Scotland, although he knows the village will not be there. The pair return to the spot where they found Brigadoon and, as they expected, see nothing there. Just as they turn to leave, they hear the music again ("Brigadoon"), and Mr. Lundie appears and says, "My my! You must really love her. You woke me up!" Tommy waves goodbye to Jeff and disappears with Mr. Lundie into the Highland mist to be reunited with Fiona.

Bright Lights, Big City

Musical · 1999

Jamie, a twenty-four-year-old who came to New York City to fulfill his dream of being a writer, now finds himself in a frightfully boring job in the "factual verification department" of Gotham Magazine under tight-lipped boss Clara. Jamie soon discovers the party-scene of New York where he meets characters like Tad, who brings Jamie into a world of cocaine, sex and all-night partying at the Odeon club. Jamie indulges but eventually finds himself spinning out of control. His wife Amanda, a model, leaves him to follow her dream in Paris. He loses touch with his brother, Michael, who is left confused and alone since the death of their mother, and Jamie loses his job. Drugs and partying get the better of Jamie, as he starts to be haunted by hallucinations, while Chuck Bean, the number one reporter in town, worms his way into Jamie's brain. Jamie spirals out of control as the hallucinations and reality start to crumble. Tad introduces Jamie to his cousin, Vicky. It is meant to be nothing but a one-night engagement, but Jamie finds himself drawn to the rationality, innocence and philosophical tendencies of Vicky. He soon decides to turn his life around, forgetting about Amanda, deserting Tad, reconnecting with Michael, being with Vicky and finally restarting the novel he once gave up on.

Bright Star

Musical · 2014

In 1946, editor Alice Murphy greets the audience and tells them that, instead of overseeing other people's stories, she is going to tell her own ("If You Knew My Story"). One year earlier, in the town of Hayes Creek, serviceman and aspiring writer Billy Cane returns home after serving in World War II. He reunites with his father and his childhood friend Margo before learning that his mother has died ("She's Gone"). Several weeks later, Billy visits Margo and tells her he is going to submit his stories to The Asheville Southern Journal ("Bright Star"). Upon arriving at the offices of the Journal, he finds himself rebuffed by employees Daryl and Lucy. However, Alice finds herself charmed by a brazen lie that Billy tells and considers accepting his stories. She later declines Lucy's invitation to a dance, but privately reflects on a time when she would have gone to a dance ("Way Back in the Day"). Flashing back to 1923, a sixteen-year-old Alice flirts with Jimmy Ray Dobbs in her hometown of Zebulon, North Carolina ("Whoa, Mama"). When Alice returns home later that night, her parents reprimand her while pondering her unfortunate future. ("Firmer Hand/Do Right") Meanwhile, Jimmy Ray returns home only to be lectured by his father, Mayor Josiah Dobbs, on what the future holds for him ("A Man's Gotta Do"). In 1945, upon receiving encouragement from Alice in the form of a ten dollar check, Billy decides to settle down in Asheville and dedicate his time to writing. Margo reflects that she had other hopes for her future with Billy, but she decides to put her hopes aside and be supportive of his dreams ("Asheville"). In 1923, Alice and Jimmy Ray make their way to the riverbank ("What Could Be Better"). Sometime later, Alice goes to see the town physician, Doctor Norquist after feeling ill only to learn she is pregnant. Jimmy Ray proposes after learning of her pregnancy, but she is persuaded by Doctor Norquist and Mayor Dobbs to wait to get married in favor of staying in a remote cabin until giving birth. She divides her time in isolation between knitting a sweater for the baby and talking about their child with Jimmy Ray when he visits ("I Can't Wait"). Shortly after giving birth to a baby son, Alice and her mother learn that Mayor Dobbs and Alice's father have supposedly put the child up for adoption. Alice tries to make her father change his mind, but is bullied and demeaned by the room of men who have barged in and overpowered her, and who take her son from her ("Please, Don't Take Him"). Mayor Dobbs departs with the baby in a valise and boards the train to Hayes Creek before throwing the valise into the river when no one is looking ("A Man's Gotta Do [Reprise]"). In 1924, Alice prepares to attend college in Chapel Hill and privately yearns to find her son. Meanwhile, in 1945, Margo talks with her friends about how she misses Billy ("Sun Is Gonna Shine"). Back in 1924, Jimmy Ray tells his now ailing father that he is going to meet Alice in Chapel Hill. When Mayor Dobbs confesses what happened to the baby, Jimmy Ray decides to stay with his father after realizing he can't possibly tell Alice the truth ("Heartbreaker"). In 1946, Daryl and Lucy encounter a creatively frustrated Billy while sharing an after-work drink and try to cheer him up, culminating in Lucy and Billy sharing a drunken kiss ("Another Round"). The next day, Alice tells Billy that one of his stories is set to be published in the Journal. He confesses that he has been writing about Hayes Creek before inviting her to see where his stories take place. She agrees to do so after a planned visit to Raleigh to complete some unfinished business. In Raleigh, Alice requests permission to look through adoption papers drafted during the period when her son would have been registered. After failing to find what she is looking for, Alice encounters Jimmy Ray and learns about Josiah's actions. Believing their son to be dead, the two reaffirm their love for each other ("I Had a Vision"). Back in Hayes Creek, Billy tells Margo that he's moving back home before realizing that she's the girl for him ("Always Will"). In Zebulon, Alice reconciles with her father after he apologizes for allowing Josiah to take the baby away from her. Not wanting to continue his distress any longer, she tells him the child was adopted by a good family and is living a successful life. She makes her way to Hayes Creek and sees Billy's childhood home where she discovers the baby sweater she sent with her son, discovering that she is Billy's birth mother as his father explains how he found Billy as a baby in the river, but Billy is too shocked to process it and runs off ("So Familiar/At Long Last"). A few weeks later, after Alice has told Jimmy Ray that their child is still alive, Billy and Margo approach them in Asheville and Billy apologizes to Alice, accepting her as his mother and meeting Jimmy Ray for the first time. In order to fend off a flirtatious Lucy, Margo introduces herself as Billy's fiancée, much to Billy's pleasant shock, followed by Jimmy Ray proposing to Alice ("Finale").

Bring Back Birdie

Musical · 1981

Bring Back Birdie is a 1981 musical with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Lee Adams, and a book by Michael Stewart. It is a sequel to the 1960 musical Bye Bye Birdie, which was written by the same team. Taking place twenty years after Bye Bye Birdie, it focuses on a scheme for rock 'n' roller Conrad Birdie, who had disappeared after being discharged from the U. S. Army, to make a comeback on a Grammy Awards broadcast.

Bring It On

Musical · 2011

On her last day of junior year, Campbell Davis prays to be named the captain of the Truman High School cheerleading squad ("What I Was Born to Do"). She gets the job, and her first duty is to replace the graduating members. Campbell's boyfriend, Steven calms her down with a song the two of them made to ease her from her new stress as captain ("Happy Kitties"). Her friend Skylar looks forward to tryouts ("Tryouts"). Other members of the squad include Kylar, Skylar's all-time follower, and Steven - Campbell's cute and worshipping boyfriend. Nerdy, chubby outcast Bridget doesn't make the cut, but Campbell takes a risk on adorable sophomore Eva. As the rest of the squad heads off to celebrate, Campbell reflects on the difficulties to come and dreams of "One Perfect Moment". At summer Cheer Camp, Eva's nervousness threatens the squad's chance to win the coveted Spirit Stick, an honor that indicates an upcoming Nationals win. To boost Eva's confidence, Campbell takes her aside and names her the Sophomore Spirit Leader – which means if Campbell were to lose her position, Eva would be third in the "line of succession" after Skylar and Kylar. After Campbell lifts Eva's spirits, Truman triumphs and celebrates their Spirit Stick win. ("What I Was Born To Do (Reprise)") Two weeks before the end of summer Campbell receives a letter with terrible news: she's been redistricted to inner-city Jackson High School. A horrified Kylar informs her that "they don't even have a squad!" Despite her attempts to stay at Truman, Campbell's fate is sealed. Her dream is gone. Even Steven cannot console his girlfriend. So, Campbell heads to her new school with nervousness and sadness. ("One Perfect Moment (Reprise)") Campbell arrives ("Welcome to Jackson") and discovers that Bridget has been redistricted as well. Intimidated and amazed, the pair is wowed by an impromptu performance by Jackson's resident dance crew ("Do Your Own Thing"). The day continues, as Campbell feels out of place and intimidated by everyone at Jackson. Campbell and Bridget meet the Queen Bees of Jackson High: Nautica, La Cienega and the head of the crew, Danielle. Bridget is an unexpected hit at Jackson – especially with the hormonal Twig who loves her curves. Campbell offers her talents to the crew, but a verbal slip-up turns the Jackson women against her. Danielle firmly explains that they are dancers and not cheerleaders ("We Ain't No Cheerleaders") – and the group lets Bridget in the crew. Skylar, Kylar, Eva, and Steven all call Campbell from Truman. Eva talks about how Campbell's old uniform fits perfectly and how she thinks Truman can win Nationals under Skylar's leadership. Steven tries to sing the Happy Kitties song over the phone, but is sent to voicemail. Later, Bridget consoles a discouraged Campbell and takes her to the Burger Pagoda where Danielle works. Campbell tries to make amends, but Danielle is unmoved and is still furious with Campbell, despite her attempts to explain. As she's leaving the Pagoda, Campbell confronts a pair of entitled rich girls harassing Danielle. Impressed and amused by Campbell's fire, Danielle reconsiders and offers Campbell a one-time chance to dance with the crew, dressed in an old leprechaun mascot suit ("Friday Night, Jackson"). After a shaky start, Campbell kills it as the leprechaun – and catches the eye of Randall, the smooth school D.J. An impressed Danielle gives Campbell an official spot on the Jackson crew. Later that night, Skylar and Kylar share shocking news, a slip-up in Skylar's grades means she can't be captain, and Kylar has contracted mono. By the rules of succession, Eva is now captain. Campbell grows suspicious ("Something Isn't Right Here") – and a visit to Eva's house seems to confirm her suspicions. Eva has taken on Campbell's appearance, and Campbell discovers Steven 'studying' there as well. Unconvinced by their explanations, Campbell breaks up with Steven and feverishly goes to Skylar and Kylar, who accuse her of paranoia and jealousy. Assessing the situation with Bridget, Campbell learns that Eva's mother is on the school board that decided on the redistricting. Outraged and certain of a conspiracy, Campbell decides to get back at Eva by assembling a squad at Jackson and crushing her at Nationals ("Bring It On"). Campbell approaches a reluctant Danielle about creating a cheerleading squad at Jackson. When Campbell lies and says that a Nationals win includes college scholarships for each winning member and a chance to be on live television, Danielle agrees to join her and assemble a squad. Using some convincing, they assemble of squad of girls and boys all to be on the squad, including Twig and Cameron. ("It's All Happening"). The Jackson Cheerleading Team has their first practice. Before, Campbell has a vision where she is back at Truman suddenly and Eva turns into a demon. Randall snaps her out of it, and they begin. Danielle informs Campbell they have a routine planned, which involves many moves the judges would deduct points for. Weeks later at the Regional Competition, Truman watches Jackson perform. While Eva, Steven, and Kylar are wowed, Skylar is smugly convinced that Truman will win ("Better"). Though Jackson wins enough points for a Nationals slot, they take second to Truman. Campbell meets up with Eva and Truman after the competition, and she has another vision in which all of the team turn into demons. Back at school, Twig asks Bridget on a date and Bridget shyly declines. This calls for an intervention from Nautica and La Cienega, who argue that it's no big deal when it comes to her insecurities ("It Ain't No Thing"). Her self-esteem boosted, Bridget chases after Twig. Randall asks Campbell on a picnic date on the cliffs above their town. She happily accepts, but moments later runs into a furious Jackson crew. Danielle has discovered that Campbell lied about the college scholarships as a Nationals prize and breaks up the squad. It's over, and so is their friendship. ("What Was I Thinking?") Upset and disgusted with herself, Campbell shows up for the date with Randall. After some pointed and playful ribbing, he encourages her to enjoy her high school years and stop worrying so much about her past mistakes ("Enjoy the Trip"). Meanwhile, Skylar, Kylar, and Eva discuss the dissolution of the Jackson cheerleading team, and Eva privately celebrates being made captain and the diabolical means she used to make it happen, revealing to the audience that she had orchestrated the entire change of leadership — blackmailing her mother into transferring Campbell, hacking into the school system to give Skylar a failing grade, and intentionally infecting Kylar with mono — confirming that Campbell was right about her suspicions ("Killer Instinct"). At Jackson, Bridget sports a hickey courtesy of her new boyfriend Twig. Campbell pulls Danielle aside and offers a profuse, pained apology. Danielle is still hurt by the lie, but acknowledges the joy their work brought her. Campbell explains that the experience changed her to the point where she no longer felt any ambition to go to Nationals – their friendship should have always been the most important thing. Despite her conflicting feelings, Danielle confesses that she misses Campbell and her friendship as well and decides to continue working together, meaning Nationals is back on ("We're Not Done"). At Nationals, Truman performs their routine exceptionally ("Legendary"). As the squad recovers, Eva runs into Campbell – Jackson is on deck to perform. Shocked at Campbell's presence, Eva tries — and fails — to undermine her confidence. Eva's efforts escalate as the rest of Jackson looks on, and she eventually reveals her villainous behavior, justifying her actions by claiming that they got Truman first place, which, in her mind, is more important than sportsmanship ("Eva's Rant"). Now on the mat, Jackson offers an exuberant, mind-blowing routine that breaks many of the fundamental rules of cheerleading, but inspires wild applause from the arena ("Cross the Line"). Jackson is sure they won, before being told by Bridget that they had broken many rules and gone outside of bounds multiple times. As the results are read, Campbell holds hands with everyone in Jackson, wondering if this is her moment. The hopes of winning are quickly shattered as the results say that Truman High School has won Nationals once again. After Eva comes in with the trophy, celebrating in her own insane way, Randall surprises Campbell, offering her his Pinewood Derby trophy from Cub Scouts, which he has repurposed with a Sharpie to credit her with "first place for everything that matters." With Eva gone, the Truman and Jackson squads celebrate their true victory: friendship ("I Got You").

Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk

Musical · 1995

Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk is a musical that debuted Off-Broadway at the New York Shakespeare Festival/Public Theater in 1995 and moved to Broadway in 1996. The show was conceived and directed by George C. Wolfe, and featured music by Daryl Waters, Zane Mark and Ann Duquesnay; lyrics by Reg E. Gaines, George C. Wolfe and Ann Duquesnay; and a book by Reg E. Gaines. The choreography was by Savion Glover.

Broadway to Tokio

Musical · 1900

Broadway to Tokio has a loose plot in which a mummified Cleopatra awakes inside a New York City museum and discovers her heart is missing. She first searches New York City for her heart, and then continues her quest west; first taking a train to California and then a ship to Japan. The action of the musical takes place inside the Eden Musée in New York City; Longacre Square in Tenderloin, Manhattan; aboard a train on the inside of a Pullman car; Golden Gate, San Francisco; aboard a Pacific Mail Steamship; and in the city of Tokyo (spelled Tokio in this work).

Brooklyn the Musical

Musical · 2003

Using the play within a play structure, Brooklyn focuses on a group of five ragtag homeless musicians known as the City Weeds. The group periodically transforms a street corner under the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge into a stage where they present their play about a Parisian singer, Brooklyn, named after the New York City borough from which her wayward father Taylor hailed. Orphaned when her depressed mother Faith hangs herself, the girl is sent in quick succession to live in a convent, where she discovers her vocal talents, becomes a star, performs at Carnegie Hall, sets out in search of her father (who she discovers is a drug-addicted Vietnam War vet), and engages in a competition with local diva Paradice at Madison Square Garden. From the original Broadway souvenir program: Once upon a time, a famous young Parisian came to America to search for the Father she never knew. Her only clue, her name... Brooklyn. The "Reigning Diva of the Decade", Ms. Paradice is threatened by Brooklyn's new-found fame. She challenges Brooklyn to a "Battle Of The Divas" at Madison Square Garden. Brooklyn accepts to deliver the Father she has yet to find. Feeling the soul of the city that bears her name, Brooklyn is moved by a street performer who plays a rusty old crowbar as if it were a Golden Saxophone. The Streetsinger leads Brooklyn to her father. She learns the truth of who he is and where he's been. Although our "Wicked Witch Of The Hood" Ms. Paradice is about to wreak havoc with our heroine and her father, she doesn't mind if you love to hate her, because after all that's still love. Moments before showtime, the wicked Ms. Paradice confronts Brooklyn's Father she comes bearing gifts. The "Battle Of The Divas" begins. Ms. Paradice takes the stage. She warns America not to turn its back on her now or they call "Kiss My Black Ass!" Brooklyn finds herself center stage, abandoned by her Father. The crowd roared, the votes poured in. Paradice Won! Brooklyn was just another face in the crowd. However, in that crowd was another face. "So you gotta ask yourself, do you believe in happy endings?"

Brownstone

Musical · 1984

Brownstone is a musical written by Josh Rubins (book and lyrics), Andrew Cadiff (book) and Peter Larson (music). It centers on a group of five people living in a brownstone apartment in New York City. Brownstone's characters include Claudia, a young lady getting over a breakup; Howard, a writer struggling with his current novel; his wife Mary, who desperately wants children; Joan, a big-time lawyer whose boyfriend lives in Maine; and Stuart, a bright-eyed youngster just excited to finally be in New York. The musical is sung-through with little dialogue.

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Musical · 2000

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Musical · 2000

Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story

Musical · 1989

In 1956, with the support of Lubbock, Texas, radio DJ, Hipockets Duncan, Buddy and his two friends form a Country & Western band – Buddy Holly & the Crickets – and begin a career in music. After a difficult start at Decca Records in Nashville, they sign a contract with up-and-coming, innovative record producer Norman Petty, who is based in Clovis, New Mexico. Buddy Holly & the Crickets start to record hits from the studio built in Norman's backyard, among them "That'll Be the Day", which climbed the charts to number one. Buddy Holly & the Crickets became the hottest act in the country and began a national tour. Buddy and his band go to New York where they perform at the Apollo Theater in New York City, making history as the first white band to perform there. While recording in New York, Buddy proposes to Maria Elena Santiago, the Puerto Rican receptionist of his music publisher after a courtship of all of five hours. Newly married and ambitious, he shifts focus to New York and a rift develops between him and the Crickets. After a declaration of home truths during a recording session, the band split and Buddy unexpectedly finds himself having to pursue a solo career. Buddy joins The Winter Dance Party of 1959, a bus tour through the Midwest quenching the teenage thirst for the "new music called Rock 'n' Roll" The tour is hard work, the weather conditions appalling and the performers are alternating between sleeping in the luggage racks and dropping into hospital to be treated for frostbite. The story ends on February 3, 1959, after a rocking concert with the "Big Bopper" J.P. Richardson and Ritchie Valens at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa. Buddy makes the fateful decision to break his promise to his pregnant wife not to fly, as he and the other two headliners board a small plane and take off into the night destined for their next show. During a snow storm, in the dead of night, the plane crashes and spares no survivors.

Buena Vista Social Club

Musical · 2023

Buena Vista Social Club is a 2023 stage musical, with a book by Marco Ramirez and featuring the music recorded by the ensemble musician group Buena Vista Social Club. The musical is set in Havana, Cuba and spans time from the 1950s to the 1990s, following the lives of four prominent musicians, the effect communism and the rise of Fidel Castro had on musicians at the time, and their eventual collaboration in 1997 on the landmark album Buena Vista Social Club. The music in the show is presented entirely in the Spanish language, with the musical styles of son, danzón, and bolero represented in the musical score.

Bullets Over Broadway the Musical

Musical · 2014

In 1929, playwright David Shayne is finally getting his first play God of Our Fathers produced on Broadway. The producer, Julian Marx, has enlisted the wealthy gangster Nick Valenti to pay for the show. Valenti wants to have his dim-witted and untalented girlfriend, Olive Neal, star as one of the leads. Valenti has assigned his strong-arm gangster Cheech to watch over Olive. Surprisingly, Cheech comes up with great ideas for improving the play. However, aging diva Helen Sinclair, the real star of the show, romances the younger David, who already has a girlfriend, Ellen. Meanwhile, the leading man, Warner Purcell, has his eye on Olive.

Burlesque

Musical · 2024

Sean, the emcee of the show, introduces us to the Burlesque Lounge, a burlesque venue in New York, owned by Tess ("Welcome to Burlesque"). We are also introduced to the stars of the lounge: Daphne, Queenie, twins Spring and Summer, Sophia and Nikki, who is late again, so Tess finishes the number instead. In her small town in Iowa, Ali is rehearsing with her choir ("Something's Got A Hold On Me") and she keeps stepping out of line, loudly riffing to the song. Ali confides in Miss Loretta, her choir teacher, and shows her a letter from her recently deceased mother with information about her biological mother, Theresa. Miss Loretta encourages Ali to travel to New York to meet her. After sending her a letter, Ali gets on a bus to the Big Apple, hoping to find her place ("Got It All From You"). Back at the Burlesque Lounge the show continues with a couple of short numbers from Dafne ("What Are Clothes") and Queenie ("Pretty Girls Only"). Ali arrives and briefly speaks to Jackson, the bar manager, then sneaks backstage looking for Theresa, now known as Tess, but is rudely dismissed by her, when trying to tell her she's her daughter. Nikki arrives late again and performs her solo after an argument with Tess about always being late and drinking too much ("Sugar Daddy Diet"). In the audience is Vince, Tess's ex-husband and part owner of the Burlesque lounge, who wants for Tess to buy his share of the lounge, but is also dismissed, as Tess has no time nor money for him. Ali is waiting for Tess after the show, but Jackson reveals she already left and offers Ali to crash on his couch for the night. As they get to know each other more, the two share a classic rom-com moment in Jackson's apartment ("Too Soon"), which ends when Jackson receives a call from his girlfriend Natalie. The next day, after the twins burlesque number ("Dirty Martini"), Jackson hires Ali as a waitress at the Burlesque, with a warning that Tess hates waitresses whose goal is to star in the Burlesque. While cleaning tables Ali cannot resist but bursting into song ("Don't Make Me Sing"), catching everyone's attention. Sean introduces Ali to the history of burlesque as a genre, after her comment about the Burlesque being a strip club ("Big"). The show-stopping number is interrupted by Tess scolding Sean for overspending and Tray, one of the dancers, for always wearing the girls outfits. Tess shares with Sean that the Burlesque is in deep financial trouble but she is determined to continue fighting ("You Haven't Seen the Last of Me"). After closure, Vince sneaks in Tess's office and finds the final notice from the bank and Ali's letter. He decides to use the information against his ex-wife ("Ammo"). At Jackson's apartment, Ali and Jack are growing closer. Jack walks in on Ali performing one of his songs, she is embarrassed at first, but then asks him to play the song on the keyboard ("Show Me How You Burlesque - pre reprise"). Impressed by her vocal talent, Jack convinces Ali she should be performing at the Burlesque lounge. The next day when Nikki is late again, she refuses to perform the first number ("Wagon Wheel Watusi") and says she will wait for her solo. This escalates into an argument with Tess, who fires her. During the dance number Vince tells Ali he knows the truth about her. Ali is about to tell Tess the whole truth, when Jack interrupts her and says she should be performing. Tess dares her to sing for the Burlesque audience and Ali surprises everyone with incredible talent ("Tough Lover"). Back at the Burlesque Lounge, Tess has agreed to make some changes to the show, adding new ideas suggested by Ali ("Express"). Ali has grown closer to the girls, is planning a gender reveal party for Sophia's baby and welcomes Tray, who now goes as Chardonnay, into the girls dressing room. A new number is shown, including ("Bump & Grind"), which features a heavily pregnant Sophia. Vince secretly hears a conversation between Sean and Tess, where she mentions a deposit she has saved for her daughter. He convinces Nikki to impersonate Ali, by stealing her driver's licence and key to the deposit box and collect the money from the bank, while Ali is performing at the Burlesque ("Bad Girl/Good Girl"). After the show, Ali and Tess share a moment backstage, with Tess sharing how she loves the performers as her own daughters and showing Ali how to put on make-up ("Make-Up"). Jack sings a song about Natalie ("Natalie") and the two break-up over the phone. Ali and Jack get together, with Ali also slowly becoming the star of the Burlesque ("Bound to You"). After spending the night together, Jack walks in naked, offering Ali a snack ("Cookie"). Nikki meets with Vince with a briefcase in hand, but, before giving him the money, demands to know what he's hiding. He is reticent at first, but reveals Ali's secret once he sees the briefcase is empty. With the impending end of the Burlesque, Ali suggests a big night, with new dresses made by Queenie, and new numbers, including one choreographed and inspired by Sean ("Bigger"). Vince lies to Ali saying Tess knew about her all along, but was using her for her talent. He then tells Tess Ali is her daughter and was using her to get onstage. Ali runs away, so the show cannot continue leading to the end of the lounge. Backstage, Tess is heartbroken ("Make-Up (reprise)"). Nikki finds Ali and gives her the money, convincing her to return to the lounge and join her revenge plot against Vince. Nikki has called him to the lounge under false pretence. Tess and Ali join in, making him confess, while Jackson films everything ("Call Mamma Daddy"). Tess and Ali clear the air and everyone welcomes Ali back ("Welcome to Burlesque (reprise)"). Ali insists to use the money for the lounge, as she has finally found a place to call home ("Got it All From You (reprise)"). Three months later the Burlesque lounge is thriving again ("Epilogue") and everyone unites for the final number ("Show Me How You Burlesque").

But Never Jam Today

Musical · 1969

But Never Jam Today is a musical with music by Bert Keyes and Bob Larimer, lyrics by Larimer, and a book by both Larimer and Vinnette Carroll. The musical is based on the works of Lewis Carroll, and takes its title from the "jam tomorrow" discussion in Carroll's 1871 novel Through the Looking-Glass.

By Jeeves

Musical · 2001

By Jeeves, originally Jeeves, is a musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, and lyrics and book by Alan Ayckbourn. It is based on the series of novels and short stories by P. G. Wodehouse that centre around the character of Bertie Wooster and his loyal valet, Jeeves. Premiering on April 22, 1975, at Her Majesty's Theatre in London, the show flopped initially, running for only a month. After an extensive rewrite, the show was produced in 1996 in both London and America, and premiered on Broadway in 2001.

By Jupiter

Musical · 1942

In the land of the Amazons the women rule and do battle while the men stay at home, mind the children, and buy new hats. An army of Greek soldiers, led by Theseus and Hercules, arrives in search of the Sacred Girdle of Diana, currently in the hands of reigning Queen Hippolyta. Accompanying them is war correspondent Homer, author of a recent bestseller called The Iliad. The Greek warriors are captured by the Amazons, and romance blossoms between Theseus and Antiope, the warrior-leader of the Amazons. A subplot involves Hippolyta's foppish husband Sapiens, forced on her by his wealthy mother, in exchange for financing the war against the Greeks, who employs his "non-traditionally-male wiles" to get his way with the opposite sex.

By the Beautiful Sea

Musical · 1954

By the Beautiful Sea is a musical with a book by Herbert Fields and Dorothy Fields, lyrics by Dorothy Fields, and music by Arthur Schwartz. Like Schwartz's previous musical, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, also starring Shirley Booth, the musical is set in Brooklyn just after the start of the 20th century (1907). By the Beautiful Sea played on Broadway in 1954.