Gaslight Girl
or Virtue Tested
Musical. Music by Claire Strauch. Book and lyrics by John Jakes.
Synopsis
There's something uniquely new about this old-fashioned melodrama musical. This sort of show has always been a delicious staple of the popular theatre but always with period songs just dropped in as musical intervals in the text. What's so exciting about this new approach is that, without sacrificing the marvellous and familiar elements - the virtuous heroine, the unspeakable villain, the handsome hero, the comic secondary characters, all playing out an utterly improbable plot with intense emotions and perfectly straight faces - it's all done in terms of a genuine musical comedy approach. Songs and dances are integrated into the story line and are inseparable from it. The author's aim was nothing short of blending the best of two worlds - nineteenth century melodrama and twentieth century musical theatre - into a delightful single show. We think your cast and your audience will love it!
Cast:
6m., 4w., plus chorus which plays bit parts also.
Principals:
- Mary Goodhue - the lovely, pure hearted heroine
- Bess Belcher - her friend
- Francis X. Cadbury - the villain
- Milo Smark - a poor besotted wretch
- Newsboy - a friend in need
- Richard Renssalaer Van Dorp III - the hero
- Amelia Armstead Van Dorp - his mother
- Gwendolyn Steerforth-Myles - Richard's fiancée
- Montague - major-domo of the Van Dorp household
- Bill - a drayman
Smaller Parts:
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Area staging
Orchestration available.