SHOUT! the MOD MUSICAL 1 act Revue: Co-Creator: Phillip George and David Lowenstein; Continuity: Peter Charles Morris SHOUT! is the mod musical magazine that brings back the beautiful birds and smashing sounds that made England swing in the '60s. From cover-to-cover SHOUT! travels in time from 1960 to 1970 chronicling the dawning liberation of women. Just as Dusty Springfield, Petula Clark, Cilla Black, and Lulu were independent women with major careers, English and American women were redefining themselves in the face of changing attitudes about gender. SHOUT! reflects that change through the unforgettable music of the time. Though SHOUT! wears its heart on its sleeve, it also has its tongue planted firmly in its cheek. Everything from the period is recreated - from the fashions and the dances to the music and the hair; all of which is heightened and made just a tiny bit larger. With a shimmy and shake, the songs are tied together by hilarious sound bites from the period - from '60s advertisements for anything and everything - to lonely hearts letters answered by an advice columnist who thinks every problem can be solved with a "fetching new hair style and a new shade of lipstick." STORY Lights up on five young women in London, England during the swinging 1960s. They are swept up in the enthusiasm of the city and the era, looking for excitement around every corner (“Shout Opening: England Swings/Round Every Corner/I Know A Place”). The women are all subscribers to the fictional Shout! magazine, which identifies them with colors based on their personalities. Orange is domestic and maternal -- completely content and in denial; Red is an exciting blend of youthful contradictions; Blue has poise and beauty -- and no friends; Green is a bit of a slut; Yellow is driven by her emotions, otherwise known as American. Though they are all very different, they have one thing in common...they’re looking for love (“Talk About Love”). Shout!’s advice columnist, Gwendolyn Holmes, answers the women’s letters. Orange asks if she should rush into marriage and Gwendolyn tells her it is never a mistake to get married. Orange only has eyes for her new man, Miles, and she wants to make sure everyone knows it (“I Only Want To Be With You/Tell the Boys”). The 1964 edition of Shout! comes out and the women gab about their new fashion choices, which are chic but not quite functional. Red writes to Gwendolyn Holmes explaining that she is not traditionally pretty, and asks if she should be suspect of her new beau’s affection. Gwendolyn sends her to a beauty salon. The women wonder how you know if a guy is in to you and strategize how to get their men (“How Can You Tell/ Wishin’ and Hopin’”). An advertisement for the skin product, Ectocil, which pushes dead skin cells right off your face, transitions us to outside of Paul McCartney’s house. Yellow is waiting in the bushes for him to emerge; she’s come all the way from Ohio. When he brings out the trash, other women also hiding in the bushes, rush toward his garbage. Yellow, however, manages to wrestle away his comb (“One Two Three/Paul McCartney’s Comb/To Sir With Love”). Then, Green enters and explains her many tactics for breaking up with men. We now see Orange, at home, waiting for her husband to come home for their second wedding anniversary. She remembers their time together fondly, until it becomes clear Miles is stuck at the office again (“Wives and Lovers [My Handsome Prince]”). Blue, meanwhile, performs a song & dance number expressing her malaise for her many suitors (“Don’t Sleep In The Subway”). The Shout! 1965 is released with a new round of advice and gossip tidbits. An ad comes on for the pill,
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