Really
Rosie
by Maurice Sendak and Carole King
Director:
Jeanne Klein
Musical Director and Pianist: Michael D.
Johnson
Choreographer: Leslie Bennett
Scenic and Lighting Designer: Mark Reaney
Costume Designer: Anna Wieczorek
It's
a hot summer day in July on Avenue P, and children in the neighborhood are
bored, looking for something to do outside. Rosie imagines herself as an incredibly
talented star and decides to stage a musical movie about her life "to
find the real me." But her mother wants her to watch her little sister,
Chicken Soup, who hides herself in a box. Rosie hates Such Sufferin' and sings
about her Simple, Humble Neighborhood where her life began. To get her friends,
the Nutshell Kids, to act out her stories, she names her movie, Did You Hear
What Happened to Chicken Soup? and tells them, "It's the story of my
struggle to find joy at the top [of stardom] by overcoming the untimely and
mostly ghastly disappearance of my poor, little sister, Chicken Soup."
Now that the kids are hooked into playing with her, Rosie begins screen tests
for everyone. Alligator sings Alligators All Around about the alphabet. Johnny
counts the visitors who come to call at his house forwards and backwards in
One Was Johnny. Pierre, who doesn’t care what happened to Chicken Soup,
sings a cautionary tale about learning to care after a lion eats him. When
the kids start fighting over casting, Rosie tries to calm down their Screaming
and Yelling, but a thunderstorm forces everyone to move downstairs into the
cellar. Everyone still wonders what happened to Chicken Soup, so Rosie pretends
that she died from choking on a bone in The Ballad of Chicken Soup. Kathy
wants to stop playing Rosie secretary and go home, so Rosie lets her be a
coming attraction by singing The Awful Truth as Mrs. Dracula. When their mothers
start calling for them, each kid imagines his or her dreams Very Far Away
from their ordinary lives, and they quickly act out Rosie silent movie. To
stop everyone from going home just yet, Rosie explains how they still need
to show the producer the movie's big finale number by acting out every month
of the year. With their eyes closed, she gets everyone to imagine the producer
inviting them to make her movie. But it five o’clock and everyone goes
home, leaving Rosie all alone to dream of stardom in her big number, Avenue
P as it ought to be.
Now that everyone's gone, Rosie lifts the box that Chicken Soup has been hiding
in all along. She invites her little sister to play January in her big finale
number, Chicken Soup with Rice, and each of the Nutshell Kids comes back to
play their parts. Rosie has succeeded in defeating summer boredom by entertaining
herself and her friends through her wonderful imagination and dramatic play.
February 21st at 7:30
p.m.
February 22nd at 2:30 p.m.
Musical
Numbers
Overture
Really Rosie..........Rosie
Such Suffering..........
Rosie
Simple Humble Neighborhood..........
Rosie
Alligators All Around..........
Alligator and Company
One Was Johnny..........
Johnny and Company
Pierre..........
Pierre and Company
Screaming and Yelling..........
Rosie and Company
The Ballad of Chicken Soup..........
Rosie and Company
The Awful Truth..........
Kathy and Company
Very Far Away..........
Company
Avenue ..........
Rosie
Chicken Soup with Rice..........
Company
Really Rosie (reprise)..........
Rosie
Teacher's
Guide for Teachers and Parents
| Set Renderings by Mark Reaney | ||
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