THE ME NOBODY KNOWS A musical entertainment in 2 acts : Music Gary William Friedman : Lyrics Will Holt : Book Robert H. Livingston, Herb Schapiro, Stephen M. Joseph Spoken text written by children (7 - 18) attendiung NYC public schools - Edited by Stephen M. Joseph OrpheumTheatre, Off-Broadway - Opened 18th May, 1970: Closed 15th November, 1970. Transferred Helen Hayes Theatre, Broadway 18th December, 1970, Closed 28 August, 1971, Transferred Longacre Theatre Opened 15th September, 1971- Closed 28th November, 1971 (total 689 perfs) 1970 Obie Award and a Tony Award nomination for Best Musical. SYNOPSIS The adaptation was inspired by the writings of nearly 200 New York City students, aged 7 to 18. Stephen M. Joseph, a teacher, edited the collection, which was subtitled "Children's Voices From the Ghetto". Mr. Joseph wrote that the children had written about their feelings and their neighbourhoods. According to Mr. Joseph, they wrote "for keeps" and "like it is." At odds with a squalid setting and a cynical, materialistic view of the world, themes of hope and renewal emerged. To guarantee uplift, samples from the students' work were interwoven with a score that combined rock music, classical fugues, early rap and jazz. Critics were overwhelmingly impressed by the vitality, passion, honesty and powers of observation shown by the young writers, as they painted a moving, but sometimes ugly, picture of inner city life. CAST • Rhoda • Lillian • Carlos • Lillie Mae • Benjamin • Catherine • Melba • Donald • Lloyd • Clorox • William • Nell MUSICAL NUMBERS 1. Dream Babies (lyrics by Herb Shapiro) - Melba 2. Light Sings (lyrics by Herb Shapiro) - William and Company 3. This World (lyrics by Herb Shapiro) - Company 4. Numbers - Company 5. What Happens to Life - Lillian and Lloyd 6. Take Hold the Crutch - Nell and Company 7. Flying Milk and Runaway Plates - Benjamin and Company 8. I Love What the Girls Have - Donald 9. How I Feel - Catherine and Carlos 10. If I Had A Million Dollars - Company 11. Fugue for Four Girls(these are children's poems, presented exactly as they were written) - Lillie Mae, Catherine, Lillian and Nell 12. Rejoice - Clorox 13. Sounds - Nell and Catherine 14. The Tree - Carlos 15. Robert, Alvin, Wendell and Jo Jo - Rhoda, Lillian, Lillie Mae and William 16. Jail-Life Walk - Donald, Lloyd, Clorox and Carlos 17. Something Beautiful - Rhoda 18. Black - Benjamin, Clorox, Lillie Mae, Lloyd, Melba, Nell, Rhoda and William 19. The Horse - Lloyd 20. Let Me Come in - Company 21. War Babies - Lloyd SCENES AND SETTINGS The action takes place at the present time in New York City's ghetto The Me Nobody Knows - Off-Broadway Cast Recording
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