Synopsis
In Song Poems Wanted! The Musical, we explore the hopes and dreams of the poets and the musicians whose lives are connected through the fictional "Star Records." We get to know the characters who submit their poems and then later hear their poetry set to music. We experience the frustrations of the musicians and singers who, by working for Star Records, choose money over art.
Star Record is run by Sharkey, who is only interested in "grinding out songs like sausages, one after the other." The main character in our show is Josh Williams, who is hired by Sharkey to compose Song Poems. But Josh is not content to crank out one meaningless song after another. He actually cares about the poets and wants to create more than just junk.
His addiction to writing Song Poems and his obsession with pleasing the poets grates on his girlfriend, Christine (Sharkey's daughter) who, in order to get some of his attention, resorts to submitting poems surreptitiously under the pseudonym "Missy Anonymous." Josh slowly falls in love with "Missy."
The four poets we focus on are: Lila Bloom, a woman, battling cancer; Jamie Lynn Hughes, a housewife who writes poetry, in spite of her husband, who belittles the activity; Paul, a man who has lost his one true love; and Captain Bicycle, a nerdish young man who believes he can save the world with the three most powerful forces on the planet — rock and roll, Jesus Christ and big-breasted women.
To tell this story, we use original material written specifically for this show and incorporate actual Song Poems with lyrics written by everyday, ordinary people. The composer, Arthur Kaufman, has been involved in the song-poem industry for over 20 years. His experiences in the song-poem business and relationships with a vast collection of unique clients have served as the inspiration for this musical.
The show can be performed with as few as 7 actors (4M, 3W) or as many as desired. The set, costuming, props and production values can be minimal or expand based on interpretation and budget. Musically, the same applies: keyboard and guitars (utilizing drum tracks, etc.) or expanded to a larger band. Written into the piece are actors who play instruments, especially Josh, the lead character (guitar). The element of musicians playing live on stage is critical to making the show work.
Song Poems Wanted! features over 25 songs, lots of laughs and a big heart.
