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Curtains

It’s the brassy, bright, and promising year of 1959. Boston’s Colonial Theatre is host to the opening night performance of a new musical. When the leading lady mysteriously dies on stage the entire cast & crew are suspects. Enter a local detective, who just happens to be a musical theatre fan!

More information

Description

  • Full Length Musical
  • Mystery/Thriller

  • Time Period: 1950s
  • Target Audience: All Types

  • Performance Group:
  • All Types
Act I: It's the brassy, bright and promising year of 1959. Boston's Colonial Theatre is host to the opening night performance of Robbin' Hood!, "a new musical of the Old West". The curtains rise on the show's merciful finale.

A sour note is sounded by the voice of faded film star Jessica Cranshaw, who can't act, can't sing, and can't dance. She takes her mandatory bow and collapses in a heap. The cast rushes to their fallen star behind the curtain and bear the unbearable Jessica off to Boston Hospital.

The show's composer, Aaron Fox and lyricist Georgia Hendricks — recently divorced but professionally reunited in an attempt to create musical magic where their marriage has otherwise gone flat — find nary a quote to pull from the reviews of the show.

They are joined by director Christopher Belling, who asks Georgia to sing Jessica Cranshaw's first ballad in the show as a part of his master plan. Georgia has recently rekindled a past romance with leading man Bobby Pepper. As long as Jessica Cranshaw is indisposed, her part should be filled by Georgia. But the fateful news arrives: "The Woman's Dead". An impromptu funeral ceremony in Jessica's honor is interrupted by the arrival of Homicide Lieutenant Frank Cioffi who thinks that, with the exception of the late Miss Cranshaw, the cast are all spectacular performers in one heck of a show. The Lieutenant has done some amateur theatrical work himself, and he is as shocked as Carmen Bernstein to learn that the cast does not feel the show must go on. He and Carmen must remind the company that they are part of a special breed known as "Show People".

With their faith in themselves and Robbin' Hood! renewed, the cast prepares to leave for the night when Cioffi explains that they can't. Since an autopsy has revealed that Jessica Cranshaw swallowed poison pellets in the last minutes of the show, during which time she never left the stage, it's clear she was murdered by a member of the company. Cioffi feels the surest way to solve the crime will be to keep the entire cast of suspicious characters sequestered in the theatre. 

Chris Belling prepares to restage a particularly troublesome number, entitled "In the Same Boat". Cioffi is startled to hear himself suggest that the problem might lie in the song itself, and the director is surprised to hear himself agree. Composer Aaron Fox is urged to concoct a different number for the same slot in the show, minus the assistance of his ex-wife. In private with Lieutenant Cioffi, the composer makes a most unexpected confession. And as the Act One curtain descends, murder rises to the occasion, and a key member of the company is forced to face The Big Blackout. 

The second act begins with the updated medical status of the most recent victim: "The Man is Dead". 

Cioffi arrives with a grim report from the coroner and even graver concerns about the show's rapidly-approaching deadline. Bambi, an aspiring chorine and also Carmen's daughter, pleads for a pas de deux ("for two") for herself and Bobby, as a spotlight moment in the number. Carmen reluctantly gives Bambi her chance. 

Much to Carmen's surprise, Bambi shines in the rehearsal of the restaged Kansasland. But even as Bambi gets her big shot, Bobby Pepper gets his, from a gun offstage. Or was someone else the target? 

Cioffi's magnifying glass focuses on the ingénue who's too-good-to-be-true. In his wildest dreams, instead of tracking footprints, he'd be trading steps with Niki up a theatrical stairway, making moves that even Fred and Ginger would find "A Tough Act to Follow".

But in the realm of homicide, the blink of an eye can turn daydream into nightmare, as Cioffi realizes that Niki is carrying a secret, one she has shared with stage manager Johnny Harmon. Johnny's lips remain sealed. Cioffi hits upon a solution to some (if not all) the production's problems. 

With that immense puzzle solved to the company's satisfaction, Cioffi has merely to piece together the clues he's gathered, correctly unmask the killer, save the life of the murderer's next intended victim, render the fiend harmless, make sense of a troubling but telltale observation, and find a new finale for the show. In doing so, Carmen Bernstein gives Cioffi the highest praise he could ever hope to receive: he is truly one of those "Show People".

Characters

  • Casting: 8M, 8F
  • Casting Notes: Ensemble

  • LIEUTENANT FRANK CIOFFI (30’s - 40’s): Sweetly endearing local Boston detective who idolizes the world of musical theatre and has reveled in the thrill of performing in community theatre. Called upon to solve the murder of the star of “Robbin’ Hood” (a musical intended for Broadway that is currently out of town in Boston), Cioffi is very good at his job and, lamentably, married to his work. He is instantly smitten with ingénue Niki Harris. The undisputed central character of the musical. Requires deft and charming comedy, good singing, solid dancing in one extended “Fred and Ginger” number.

  • NIKI HARRIS (20's-early 30's) Pretty, almost too innocent ingénue, a local performer in a small role hoping “Robbin’ Hood” will be the Boston production that at last takes her to Broadway. Love interest for Lieutenant Cioffi, apparently reciprocated. Requires a legit soprano and strong dancing in an extended “Fred and Ginger” number.

  • GEORGIA HENDRICKS (30’s – mid-40’s, similar age to AARON) Female half of our show-within-a-show’s songwriting team on the lyric-writing side. Ends up taking on the leading lady role. Must sing and dance extremely well.

  • CARMEN BERNSTEIN (45-65) Brash and brassy Broadway producer. Terrific comedic actress with a belt.

  • AARON FOX (30’s - 40's, similar age to GEORGIA) The composer of the show-within-the-show. His songwriting partner, Georgia, is also his wife, from whom he's separated but for whom he still pines. He's a handsome, intense, somewhat tortured artist-type. Requires a strong vocalist with comedy.

  • SIDNEY BERNSTEIN (Late 50’s-Mid 60’s): The always-angry, sleazy, philandering producer of the out-of-town flop. Sidney is rough around the edges and completely self-serving. Requires a cartoon-like character actor who is funny on arrival. No singing required.

  • CHRISTOPHER BELLING (40-60) English director. Very camp. Very droll. Noel Coward meets Addison DeWitt meets Clifton Webb. Requires a superb comic actor.

  • BAMBI “BERNÉT” (Early 20's-early 30's) Performer in the chorus, daughter of Carmen, step-daughter of Sidney. Genuinely brassy and artificially blonde. Hungry to work her way out of the chorus; many think she was only hired because of her mother. She surprises everyone, however, when she shows genuine dancing and singing talent when at last called upon. Requires great dancing, strong “street-smart dumb blonde” comedy, and singing.

  • OSCAR SHAPIRO (45-65): from the garment district and sole investor in “Robbin’ Hood.” A likeably gruff man who knows nothing about theatre and frets over every dime of his that’s spent. Requires good “rough around the edges” comedy and singing.

  • BOBBY PEPPER (30’s to early 40’s, similar age as Georgia and Aaron) The Gene Kelly of “Robbin’ Hood,” its choreographer and male star, and a handsome rival to Aaron for Georgia’s affection. Requires strong dancing, singing, comedy.

  • DARYL GRADY (30’s-40’s): Caustic and smug theatre critic for the local Boston newspaper. Patronizingly pompous, enjoys using his power to make or break shows during their Boston tryouts. Does not require strong singing or dancing.

  • JOHNNY HARMON * (30's-60's) Stage Manager of the show-within-the-show, and both drill sergeant and mother hen to the cast. Barks orders but has a pleasant side as well, he keeps the company in line and on their toes throughout the rehearsal process. Comic actor who can sing.

  • JESSICA CRANSHAW (40’s-60’s) Faded Hollywood star, a grand diva with no right to be one, and a plague to the show-with-the-show and to her cast. An absolutely dreadful singer and inept actress who stars in the show-within-a-show and gets murdered on its opening night in Boston. Must be skillful enough to sing hilariously out-of-tune and ineptly, and adroit enough to dance perfectly out of step with the rest of the cast. Appears only in the first minutes of the musical; on Broadway, this performer then adopted a different look and became part of the ensemble.

  • RANDY DEXTER (20’s – 30’s) a member of the singing & dancing ensemble featured in “Kansasland,” pleasant but with a sensitive side.

  • HARV FREMONT (20’s – 30’s) a member of the singing & dancing ensemble who bears a bouquet.

  • ROBERTA WOOSTER (20’s – 30’s) a member of the singing & dancing ensemble who speaks from experience.

  • ENSEMBLE

  • * NOTE: the role of JOHNNY HARMON can be played by a woman using the name JENNY HARMON, with all the same character traits as described. It is not recommended that any other roles described above be played by the opposite gender, as it would be contrary to the dynamics of the mystery, the comedy, and the period.

    • Available Material

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    1 x Director's Script
    1 x Cast Script
    1 x Vocal Book
    1 x Piano/Vocal Score

    		$75.00
    Rehearsal Material Shipped a minimum of 3 months before the last performance. This must be hired as a condition of the License to produce this show.

    25 x Cast Scripts
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    1 x Bass
    1 x Drums
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    1 x Reed I (Flute, Piccolo, Alto Saxophone, Clarinet)
    1 x Reed II (Oboe, English Horn, Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet)
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    Show|Ready Shipped upon receipt of a signed License Agreement and full payment of all invoices. This is optional.

    With Show|Ready, you can virtually send your Musical Director home with each and every member of your cast! Show|Ready allows you to play a customizable rehearsal track of your show, complete with individual vocal parts and all dance breaks on a Mac, PC, and soon on your iOS device. Your Musical Director simply uploads any edits made at that day's rehearsal and your cast can access and download the newest version with all of the new changes! This enables your entire cast to rehearse correctly from the beginning, saving you valuable time and effort.

    With an intuitive interface, Show|Ready gives you complete control over which parts you hear, and lets you modify they key or tempo and cut, vamp, or repeat measures as you please. All shows include the piano, bass, drum, and all vocal parts, as well as a sheet music viewer that automatically displays the piano/conductor score and changes the page as you listen and navigate throughout the show.

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    Stage|Tracks Shipped upon receipt of a signed License Agreement and full payment of all invoices. This is optional.

    Stage|Tracks provides quality performance tracks, edited to integrate your individual changes from Show|Ready. With the best sounding tracks at an affordable price, Stage|Tracks will greatly enhance your production if you do not have live musicians to accompany the show. However, you should be advised that while Stage|Tracks provides quality performance tracks of the full orchestration, it is not recommended to be used alongside live musicians.

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