WA Jukebox Musical Project: Working Title "I Remember Larry"
Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2011 6:33 am
It was suggested I post this in Fan Creativity.
Definition:A jukebox musical is a musical made using the works of a specific musical artist that were originally written as standalone songs.
Eventually, I'll hopefully get around to writing a full script, but for the meantime, here's a tentative plot summary:
The story starts out with the cast in a movie theater. The trailer before the film, “Nature Trail To Hell”, advertises a huge horror movie release for Christmas. During a musical interlude, we get an idea of how large this event is, as all the characters are interested in seeing it. Additionally, we get some characterization for several leads: Mike is severely overweight and has a significant eating disorder, Larry is an unlikeable and arrogant joker, Amy, Larry's mistreated girlfriend, is a shy, technological nerd, and a flight attendant, and Bill is a guy who is cheerful, positive, and excitable... to a fault. When the film is over, (we do not actually see the film), Mike describes his obesity (“Fat”), and Bill plays “a cheerful little ditty from his childhood”, “Everything You Know Is Wrong”. Larry records the latter and, through manipulative editing, hopes to send it to a local government official to get Bill committed, as his latest “joke”. Mike catches wind of this and is outraged, but Larry acts offended, and attempts to create sympathy (“Why Does This Always Happen To Me”). That night, Amy is concerned about her relationship with Larry (“You Don't Love Me Anymore”), but Larry (attempts to) reassure her (“If That Isn't Love”). Bill gleefully reveals that his months-long wish to attend the opening of the town's new “Hardware Store” will soon come true, and Mike reveals to Bill that the reason he is never in town during some parts of the year is because he is in love with Amy (“Airline Amy”). The next day, Amy laments her lack of popularity but ultimately celebrates her identity (“White And Nerdy”). Bill interrupts to reveal that, through a complex series of mix-ups, the aftermath of Larry's “prank” was not being sent to an insane asylum, but rather his acceptance into the CIA (“Party In The CIA”). This gives Larry an idea for what he thinks will be the “best prank ever”! He tricks Amy into helping him construct a complex virus, which he gives to Bill to infect the CIA database (“Virus Alert”). It is now December 22nd. The new hardware store is opening, and our characters are all in attendance. Mike is significantly thinner now, due to his “Grapefruit Diet”. Bill recounts the strange effects on the government computers as of late, but is ultimately still happy, both because of the opening of the store, and because he expects Santa to come on Christmas. However, Larry shatters Bill's fantasies (“The Night Santa Went Crazy”), and reveals that he never really loved Amy (“I Was Only Kidding”), prompting her to break up with him (“Stop Forwarding That Crap To Me”).
Intermission.
When the story picks up, it is Christmas, and all of the characters are at the Nature Trail To Hell premiere. Things are suddenly interrupted by the culmination of Larry's governmental virus prank:the detonation of an atomic bomb over every major city in the world (“Christmas at Ground Zero”). The landscape is rendered post-apocalyptic. The characters attempt to get used to this. Larry is ecstatic, and engages in nostalgia (“Good Old Days”). Mike and Amy go out exploring together and become attached, and find an Amish community that remained entirely unaffected by the events. Despite the hostility of some of the residents (“Amish Paradise”), they are ultimately helpful, but when they feed the two, it causes Mike to have a flashback to his childhood (“Eat It”), and his food-related psychological issues cause him to burst out in tears, as he realizes that his “diet” was only temporarily repressing his problem. When they return to the city, they find that Bill has accidentally formed a cult (“Dare To Be Stupid”/Random Polka Medley Selected From Weird Al's Discography, Varying From Performance To Performance). Larry asks Amy to take him back, but she refuses (“Since You Been Gone”/“All About The Pentiums”). He threatens all of our heroes, but Bill's followers pull him away and sentence him to house arrest (“Bohemian Polka”). Two days after the entire nuclear incident, all the characters recount Larry's pranks, and one of Bill's followers admits that they killed him after he was sentenced to house arrest (“I Remember Larry”). Mike decides that he can remain healthy without taking an absurd diet if he is simply reasonable. Mike and Amy enter into a relationship and hope to help each other withstand the downfall of civilization. We close with a version of “Headline News” that recounts the plot.
Definition:A jukebox musical is a musical made using the works of a specific musical artist that were originally written as standalone songs.
Eventually, I'll hopefully get around to writing a full script, but for the meantime, here's a tentative plot summary:
The story starts out with the cast in a movie theater. The trailer before the film, “Nature Trail To Hell”, advertises a huge horror movie release for Christmas. During a musical interlude, we get an idea of how large this event is, as all the characters are interested in seeing it. Additionally, we get some characterization for several leads: Mike is severely overweight and has a significant eating disorder, Larry is an unlikeable and arrogant joker, Amy, Larry's mistreated girlfriend, is a shy, technological nerd, and a flight attendant, and Bill is a guy who is cheerful, positive, and excitable... to a fault. When the film is over, (we do not actually see the film), Mike describes his obesity (“Fat”), and Bill plays “a cheerful little ditty from his childhood”, “Everything You Know Is Wrong”. Larry records the latter and, through manipulative editing, hopes to send it to a local government official to get Bill committed, as his latest “joke”. Mike catches wind of this and is outraged, but Larry acts offended, and attempts to create sympathy (“Why Does This Always Happen To Me”). That night, Amy is concerned about her relationship with Larry (“You Don't Love Me Anymore”), but Larry (attempts to) reassure her (“If That Isn't Love”). Bill gleefully reveals that his months-long wish to attend the opening of the town's new “Hardware Store” will soon come true, and Mike reveals to Bill that the reason he is never in town during some parts of the year is because he is in love with Amy (“Airline Amy”). The next day, Amy laments her lack of popularity but ultimately celebrates her identity (“White And Nerdy”). Bill interrupts to reveal that, through a complex series of mix-ups, the aftermath of Larry's “prank” was not being sent to an insane asylum, but rather his acceptance into the CIA (“Party In The CIA”). This gives Larry an idea for what he thinks will be the “best prank ever”! He tricks Amy into helping him construct a complex virus, which he gives to Bill to infect the CIA database (“Virus Alert”). It is now December 22nd. The new hardware store is opening, and our characters are all in attendance. Mike is significantly thinner now, due to his “Grapefruit Diet”. Bill recounts the strange effects on the government computers as of late, but is ultimately still happy, both because of the opening of the store, and because he expects Santa to come on Christmas. However, Larry shatters Bill's fantasies (“The Night Santa Went Crazy”), and reveals that he never really loved Amy (“I Was Only Kidding”), prompting her to break up with him (“Stop Forwarding That Crap To Me”).
Intermission.
When the story picks up, it is Christmas, and all of the characters are at the Nature Trail To Hell premiere. Things are suddenly interrupted by the culmination of Larry's governmental virus prank:the detonation of an atomic bomb over every major city in the world (“Christmas at Ground Zero”). The landscape is rendered post-apocalyptic. The characters attempt to get used to this. Larry is ecstatic, and engages in nostalgia (“Good Old Days”). Mike and Amy go out exploring together and become attached, and find an Amish community that remained entirely unaffected by the events. Despite the hostility of some of the residents (“Amish Paradise”), they are ultimately helpful, but when they feed the two, it causes Mike to have a flashback to his childhood (“Eat It”), and his food-related psychological issues cause him to burst out in tears, as he realizes that his “diet” was only temporarily repressing his problem. When they return to the city, they find that Bill has accidentally formed a cult (“Dare To Be Stupid”/Random Polka Medley Selected From Weird Al's Discography, Varying From Performance To Performance). Larry asks Amy to take him back, but she refuses (“Since You Been Gone”/“All About The Pentiums”). He threatens all of our heroes, but Bill's followers pull him away and sentence him to house arrest (“Bohemian Polka”). Two days after the entire nuclear incident, all the characters recount Larry's pranks, and one of Bill's followers admits that they killed him after he was sentenced to house arrest (“I Remember Larry”). Mike decides that he can remain healthy without taking an absurd diet if he is simply reasonable. Mike and Amy enter into a relationship and hope to help each other withstand the downfall of civilization. We close with a version of “Headline News” that recounts the plot.
