Oh, how I love this musical! I like it so much I produced it no less than 4 times, each time with a new element to keep it fresh. There came a time when my ideas started to really come together to suggest a story that everyone could relate to. Crowding is one such story, and musical. The background is quite remarkable.
In August of 2002, my wife passed away. At that time we were living in California’s Central Valley, with me commuting 65 miles each way to my job in San Francisco (don’t ask, it’s a long story.) Our children had moved out so it was just me, my wife, and the cat. After she died, I was really stuck as to what I should do next. Thank goodness for Neil Simon.
I had been reading Neil Simon’s plays in an attempt to gather some of his genius. One technique he championed is called “crowding.” Basically, you hang out in a place where people talk out loud and you write down everything you can, just the way it is said. A second goal is to hear the kinds of issues and challenges that everyday people face. The best place to “crowd” is the hospital waiting room. Nope. Not for me. So I chose the Greyhound station in Stockton, California. Boom! I could not believe how remarkable the experience was.
When I told my 8th grade students about “crowding” and the bus station, the kids were, well, skeptical. So I did something weird. I told them we would produce a musical based on what we heard on the radio. I turned it on to FM and scanned the dial. Soon we had our ideas. Now all we needed was a setting. I dropped a US road atlas on the floor, covered my eyes, and dropped a pencil. It landed on Paris, Missouri. A quick trip to the internet showed that Paris claims that it was “The REAL Birthplace of Mark Twain.” Voila! It all comes together. Early morning, a fogged-in bus station in Paris, Missouri, a young writer who wants nothing more than to leave (Anywhere But Here), a station attendant who loves the music of Frank Sinatra (Croon), Al Gore! (Little White House), an aspiring baseball player ( San Diego Swing), and a young person suffering an almost unbelievable illness (Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity, one of my favorite songs of all time!) The stories mesh, (Home Medley) the passengers support each other, the fog lifts, and in the end, there is just Frank Sinatra.
To make a long story longer, the Frank Sinatra component has an interesting source. In 2001, I was in New York (at JFK) the morning of the Trade Tower attacks. After an amazing set of circumstances, I went from thinking my family may be, well dead, to realizing that in the middle of this chaos, they were alive and with me. We went to a restaurant in Bayside, Queens, where the staff pulled super-thick drapes over the windows, cooked up some great shrimp parmesan, and played…Frank Sinatra. I will never forget that evening.
I appreciate your comments. Enjoy.
THE SONGS
Anywhere But Here: Sammy, an aspiring writer, wants nothing more than to leave Paris, Missouri, even though it’s the “Real Home of Mark Twain.” His friend, Clem, has no interest in going anywhere.
Swing: Hank is a kid who wants to go to San Diego. Why? Because he can’t hit a baseball, and the two greatest hitters (in his opinion) were Ted Williams and Tony Gwynn, and they were both connected to San Diego, so off he goes. While stranded at the fogged-in bus station Paris, Mo, Hank meets 3 swing dancers who help him get into a groove.
Little White House: Also stuck at the bus station is Al Gore. He was invited to an election rally. Little does he know that the rally is for the election of the town Mayor of Paris, Mo. It seems a local man (Adlai) has a plan. Adlai will run for deputy mayor while Al Gore runs as mayor, then Al will leave to run for national office. Why would Al run for mayor? Well, he would then win the state of Missouri in the next election and, the office of mayor comes with a house, a white house! Al is thrilled, as is his head of security.
Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity: I heard about a case of EM, a real (or not real) affliction that seemed so interesting. So, I placed Chip at the bus station looking for a ticket to Bird-In-Hand, Pennsylvania, an Amish town with no electronics, a place that he could be free from his condition. To get there he needs a ticket on the oldest bus, one without electronics. Unfortunately, Sammy has the last ticket.
Croon: Tony is the ticket agent. He plays Frank Sinatra all the time and dreams of becoming a crooner. Sammy, now actively looking for stories in everyday situations, approaches Tony and asks him about his dream. Tony croons, with the help of the swing dancers.
Home Medley: Different bus station customers share their thoughts on “home”. In the end, they all are saying the same thing.
Sean Breen 