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Music by Dan GibsonBook and Lyrics by Alex Higgin-Houser
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The Story
1997, Colorado Springs. Monday Night Murderfest, the nation’s
premiere professional wrestling show, has put out a call for new
wrestlers. The reason: George “The Gorilla” Sacks, the president of
Monday Night, is retiring, handing the reins over to his daughter,
Mel, who, unbeknownst to her father, wants to move wrestling in a
more progressive direction.
Meanwhile, Julian Masters, a gay, overweight, and underemployed
actor, is content with his job as a fast food mascot. However, the
object of his affection, Eddie Green, a shining beacon of
unexamined masculinity, is determined to answer the call for new
wrestlers, and ropes Julian into joining him. They record a demo
tape, which catches Mel’s eye.
Julian and Eddie’s journey into pro wrestling, guided by Mel and
countered at every turn by George, brings them face-to-face with
conflicting ideas of manhood, both in and out of the ring, as they
fail spectacularly on national TV, hone their skills in the amateur
leagues, and ultimately face off against the Gorilla in an epic
final match that changes the face of wrestling forever.
Beast Mode Champion is a high-octane rock musical set in the
sweaty, masculine, and hilarious world of professional wrestling.
The show, slamming to life in and around the wrestling ring, plumbs
the murky depths of manliness, identity, and performance through
the story of an unlikely hero, thrust into the arena of pro
wrestling on a quest for love.
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Show at a Glance
Flexible Unit set: wrestling ring, entrance, and a catwalk in
between. Can be staged in the round, in proscenium, or thrust.
Cast Size: 5 leads (3M/2F) 4-12 ensemble (M/F split)
NOTE: Reading can be done with 7 actors (5 lead, 2 ensemble),
and a piano.
Band Size: 7-11 pieces● MD/Keys 1● Keys 2● Electric Bass● Drums●
Guitar● Reed 1: Alto/Soprano Sax● Reed 2: Tenor Sax, Clar.
Ideally add:● Guitar 2● Reed 3: Bari Sax, Bass
Clar. ● Trumpet● Trombone/Bass Trombone
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Professional Wrestling is bigger than you think.
Globally, professional wrestling is among the most-watched
sporting events in the world, annually beating the World Series,
the NCAA Division I Men's basketball playoffs, and all of college
football in the competition for ratings. For live attendees,
Wrestlemania, the largest annual wrestling event, outdraws even the
Superbowl. It's hard to overstate how large and diverse the
audience for professional wrestling has become. By extension, this
arguably makes professional wrestling the widest-reaching live
theatrical event in the country. But, despite the larger-than-life
characters, the high-stakes drama, and the mass appeal, there has
never been a professional wrestling musical on Broadway... until
now.
Professional wrestling lives at the intersection of theatre and
athletics. Like theatre, the characters and outcomes are
predetermined, and like all the best sporting events, the action
that gets us there is created in the moment. And unlike any other
event in the world, even pre-scripted matches can take unexpected
turns: in the over-the-top world of wrestling, sometimes a
wrestler's ego is too big for them to lose, and so other wrestlers
need to be dispatched to "force a loss." In fact, this conflict
lives at the heart of Beast Mode Champion!
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Characters .
GEORGE SACKS (60s/M)
George is the president of Monday Night Murderfest, and is Mel’s
father. He wrestles as The Gorilla, in a full-body gorilla suit. He
plans to retire and hand over the reins….for now.
Worn Baritone (Neil Diamond meets old Johnny Cash), F2-E4
MEL SACKS (30s/F)
Mel is the heiress apparent to Monday Night Murderfest. She
wants to make the show more progressive, even if it means
alienating their fans. She appears on MnM as “the sexy zookeeper”,
which she hates.
Pop/ Rock Soprano, High Belter (Christina Aguilera meets Ariana
Grande) A3-A5
The ANNOUNCER (Flex age/F/T/NB)
The ever-present shot-caller and hype-maker for all things
wrestling. Part narrator, part emcee. Drag king energy.
Rock Alto (Melissa Etheridge) F3-D5
JULIAN MASTERS (20s/M/ Plus-sized)
Julian is a born performer who no one will cast: he’s too big,
too obnoxious, and comes across as too gay. He’s drawn to Eddie,
who in turn draws him into professional wrestling. His day job is
as the mascot at Hamburger Chalet, where he wears a full-body
hamburger costume.
Rock/Pop Tenor (Freddy Mercury, Adam Lambert) C3-C5
EDDIE GREEN (20s/M/small)
Eddie is out to get the fame, fortune, and glory that he
believes he deserves, and he’ll do anything to do it...including
stringing along Julian. His day job is as “The French Fry”, the
sidekick mascot to Julian’s hamburger.
Spunky Bari-tenor (Bruno Mars meets Mark Hoppus from Blink 182)
C3-Ab4
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Characters .The ENSEMBLE
4-12 actors playing various characters, including:● Cardinal
Sin● Sister Mary Manslaughter● Molly O’Blivion● Roidbucket: the
Bucket of Steroids● Mountain Brian● Wrestling fans● Hamburger
Chalet dancers
...and a whole lot more.
We encourage diverse casting and gender-bending, especially
within the ensemble. If there is a contralto who sounds like a
hard-core baritone, go for it! If there is a tenor who can wail
like a soprano belter, let’s hear it! We leave it up to the music
director to balance an ensemble of voices that will leave even Jim
Steinman shook.
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CREATIVE TEAMALEX HIGGIN-HOUSER Book and Lyrics
Alex is a playwright and director living in NYC. His most recent
work, Haymarket, received the 2019 Joseph Jefferson Award for Best
New Musical following an extended commercial run in Chicago.
Adventurers!, an immersive D&D musical, recently had its first
workshop production at the Chicago Musical Theatre Festival. His
TYA musical, 57th National Mathlete Sum-It (2016 NYMF invited
production), was recently published by TRW, and has been performed
across the country. As founding artistic director of Underscore
Theatre Company, Alex has produced new musicals in Chicago since
2011. Alex attends Tisch School of the Arts, where he will complete
an MFA in musical theatre writing in May of 2020.
DAN GIBSON Music
Dan Gibson is an NYC based composer and music/vocal director.
His first musical I.D., premiered in 2010 at Elon University’s New
Musical Theatre Workshop. Dan joined The BMI Lehman Engel Musical
Theatre Workshop where he wrote Edward Scissorhands before being
invited to their advanced workshop. As Music Director/Vocal
Director: Enlightened Theatrics (OR), Curtain Call Inc. (CT),
Broadway Kids Auditions, and Manhattan Movement and Arts Center
(NYC). Dan spent a year as Associate Music Director at The Flat
Rock Playhouse where he has been an actor, vocal coach, music
director and educator for almost 20 productions. Member AEA. BFA
Elon University, where his song “I Will Turn To You” is performed
annually. Currently at NYU’s Graduate Musical Theatre Writing
Program (Spring 2020.)
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ContactAlex [email protected] 723
0392
Dan [email protected] 208 2208
