Composer • Arranger • Musical Director • Teacher
THE SHOP
Cast Requirements
3M/2F/1 young boy (11yrs old). Minimum 6 ensemble (evenly split male/female). Many featured supporting roles.
Band
Keys 1 (Piano/MD), Keys 2 (Synth), Trumpet, Reed (Flute, Alto Sax, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet), Upright Bass, Drum Kit (standard).
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Music & lyrics by Grant Martin
Book by Luke Fredericks and Grant Martin
Based on the novel by Jean Teulé.
'The Shop’ is a story of hope. Set against the bleakness of a society in which humanity has gone to the brink, this is a darkly comic narrative depicting love and optimism; the ultimate morality tale that tests the adage of living life with the ’glass half full’.
In the very distant future the world has been ravaged by global warming, nuclear war, and is in a near apocalyptic state. Acid rain torments a city on a continent where disease, pandemics, terrorism and natural disasters are rife. With the cost of living unmanageable, depression and despair is the accepted and unquestioned way of life. The Suicide Shop is a converted church, now a bespoke parlour, tucked away on a side street in the heart of the city.
However, a young boy, unburdened and unblemished by the prejudices and expectations of society, infects his kindness and empathy upon his family and eventually upon those around him, dispelling their outlook of resignation and despair to that of hope and joy.
SHEET MUSIC
Tenor. Comedy/Patter song. Vaudeville/Broadway (A4)
With flair and style, a showman proudly articulates the foundation and wares of his shop; a multitude of contraptions designed to entice the tricky customer.
Tenor. Comedy. Fast/Energetic Swing. (A4)
A heartbroken twenty-something psychs himself up to do the dreaded dead after being rejected by the women he loves and unable to see any hope ahead.
Mezzo. Comedy. Bright swing. (D)
The matriarch describes her passion, history, and skill at making her award-winning poisonous potions; selling her deadly cocktails to customers who wish to end their life with a 'feminine touch'.
Mezzo. Comedy. Soft-shoe/swing. (E)
Driven by curiosity and adolescence, the overlooked and unimpressive teenage daughter longs for a spark of adventure and to understand and experience, if only briefly, the male species.
Tenor/High Baritone. Comedy/Character
With the multitude of deaths per day, funerals are a booming conveyor belt business. A preacher has the ceremony down to a fine art, able to conduct it in 3-minutes precisely!
