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Long Story Short

An adaptation of the play, An Infinite Ache, by David Schulner, this charming pop musical transcends two twenty-somethings’ disastrous first date to whirl, for better or worse, into a lifetime of love.

One Jewish, one Asian-American, this funny, frazzled couple careens from new-found desire to old-time commitment, reckoning along the way the costs, the compromises, and the enduring promise of an affair you will always remember – a passion you won’t soon forget.

More information

Description

  • Full Length Musical
  • Drama, Comedy

  • Time Period: Contemporary
  • Target Audience: Adult, Pre-Teen (Age 11 - 13), Teen (Age 14 - 18), Appropriate for all audiences, Senior

  • Performance Group:
  • Large Stage, Community Theatre, High School/Secondary, Professional Theatre, Blackbox / Second Stage /Fringe Groups, College Theatre / Student
Time: 
The next ninety minutes,
or a period of fifty years; it's unclear.

Place:
Los Angeles, CA.
The bedroom of a series of small and large apartments and homes,
or just one studio apartment; it's unclear.

This musical romance follows what happens when Charles, a nerdy young Jewish guy, falls in love (on a blind date) with Hope, a young Asian-American woman from Los Angeles. Through hip, funny dialogue, clever lyrics and indelible melodies, we fast-forward from the couple's first white-hot shining moments, through the ups and downs of decades, to a surprising finale.

Long Story Short rejoices in the fragile nature of love and the indelible bond that history creates between two people.
REVIEWS:

"Insightful, moving and joyful... Imaginative and fresh... melodies and lyrics elicit both motif and emotion, often very poignant.. Milburn and Vigoda's ample book is masterfully concise... Sun and Ryness do a stunning job filling their roles with nuance and a depth of emotion... A fascinating and gripping tale of legend, love, and the modern family."

Theatrescene.net

"An intimate glimpse into a long-tern love and the ebbs and flows of passion and commitment. There's humor here, and pathos too... A stirring affirmation of the human capability to nurture, support, and endure."

Theatre is Easy

"The charms of Long Story Short come from its very appealing performers, its ethnic references, its sometimes touching, sometimes stinging, and sometimes funny lyrics, and director Kent Nicholson's imaginative, nicely paced staging."

Theatre Pizzazz

"A whirlwind tour of love, marriage, children, divorce, reconciliation, grandchildren and more... A truly touching and engaging story."

Charged.fm

"A blissful departure from the usual musical theater tropes... Smart and surprising."

San Diego Union Tribune

"Funny and true...expect to laugh a lot, weep a bit, and be totally swept up in an almost through-sung tale that's told through expert language."

San Diego Theatre Scene

Characters

  • Casting: 1M, 1F
  • Casting Attributes: Strong Role for Leading Woman (Star Vehicle), Non-Traditional casting, Strong Role for Leading Man (Star Vehicle), Minority casting

  • CHARLES, a 25-year old slightly nebbishy Jewish white guy from the East Coast. The actor who plays him should be able to convincingly play somebody older (in our experience, casting somebody in their 30's is probably the right call).

  • HOPE, a worldly and slightly jaded 27-year old born and raised in LA. She has grown up in an upper-middle class family, and has a taste for the slightly finer things. She's probably a bit out of CHARLES's league. She has been roped into a blind date with CHARLES and is none too happy about it.

    • In Schulner's original play, HOPE was either Chinese or a Chinese-Filipino mix. We're leaving her race open -- she could be Asian, Latino, African-America -- but there must be an obvious difference in racial heritage between her and CHARLES; a crucial argument hinges on it.

    If HOPE is not conceivably of Chinese heritage, a few lyrics will have to change, marked in the script with an asterisk (*). See the appendix for some alternates.

    Available Material

    Name Price
    Digital Perusal Material Shipped immediately. This is optional. Order Now

    1 x Script / Vocal Book / Score Sampler

    		$10.00
    Pre-Production Pack Shipped upon receipt of a signed License Agreement and full payment of all invoices. This is optional.

    1 x Director's Script
    1 x Cast Script
    1 x Vocal Book
    1 x Piano-Conductor's 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.

    2 x Cast Scripts
    2 x Vocal Books
    3 x Director's Scripts
    2 x Piano-Conductor's Scores

    		$450.00 +$135.00/pm
    Orchestral Material Shipped with (or after) Rehearsal Material. This is optional.

    1 x Piano/Conductor
    1 x Drums/Percussion
    1 x Violin
    1 x Cello

    FEE INCLUDED WITH THE REHEARSAL MATERIAL SET

    		$0.00
    Video Licence Shipped upon receipt of a signed License Agreement and full payment of all invoices. This is optional.

    * Up to 100 copies.
    * Separate video licence required.

    		$400.00

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