Doonesbury: A Musical Comedy
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| Broadway Show | |
| Image:Doonesbury.JPG The cover of the Playbill magazine issue about the musical. | |
| Doonesbury: A Musical Comedy | |
|---|---|
| Theatre | Biltmore Theatre |
| Opening night | November 21 1983 |
| Tony nominations | 0 |
| Tony awards | 0 |
| Author(s) | Book & lyrics by Garry Trudeau; Music by Elizabeth Swados |
| Director | Jacques Levy |
| Leading original cast members | Ralph Bruneau, Mark Linn-Baker, Gary Beach |
| Closing night | {{{closing}}} |
Doonesbury: A Musical Comedy is a stage play, written by Garry Trudeau (lyrics) and Elizabeth Swados (music), based on Trudeau's comic strip Doonesbury. Trudeau took an 18-month 'sabbatical' from the strip to write the play. The play marks the point in Doonesbury's history where the main group of characters graduate from college, enter the workforce, and begin ageing, after more than a decade of being perpetual college students and commune-dwellers.
The only production of the play opened at the Biltmore Theater in New York City on November 21, 1983, and played 104 performances. It was directed by Jacques Levy. A cast album was recorded and released by MCA Records, and a book was published containing the lyrics of the play along with photos of the production. The cast featured Mark Linn-Baker as Mark Slackmeyer, Keith Szarabajka as B.D., Gary Beach as Uncle Duke and Lauren Tom as Honey.
Contents |
[edit] Synopsis
[edit] Act One
The musical's storyline opened the day before graduation at Walden College, with many of the characters (Mike Doonesbury, B.D., Mark Slackmeyer, Zonker Harris, Boopsie) preparing for the day. B.D. has been drafted into professional football (later revealed to be the Dallas Cowboys), Mike is preparing to propose to J.J., and Zonker has a flashback to his days as a pro suntanner. Meanwhile, Duke and Honey are at Duke's trial for cocaine possession in Los Angeles County, California. The action returns to Walden, where Mike is on the phone with J.J., upset that Mike has invited her mother, Joanie, who arrives with her infant son from her second marriage, Jeffrey. Boopsie and the cast discuss her plans to become a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, intending on following B.D. to Dallas. Mark reveals Mike's plan to propose to J.J. to Zonker and Joanie.
Back at the courthouse, Duke is found guilty and sentenced to probation, required by the court to open and manage a drug rehabilitation center for the next five years. Then back at Walden, J.J. arrives, only to discover that Mike has planned out their weekend down to the very minute. Joanie returns from grocery shopping, and Mike attempts to mediate the tension between mother and daughter. This fails, and J.J. storms out. Meanwhile, at the campus radio station, Mark is interviewing Roland Hedley, and the two campaign on the air to get Mark a job after graduation.
Back at Walden Commune, Mike is preparing dinner while Boopsie is exercising, Joanie is nursing Jeffrey, Zonker is building a beer-can pyramid, and B.D. is ranting about all of them. Mark returns from the radio station, and J.J. offers to help Mike with dinner. When the meal is served, the cast mocks Mike's cooking. As dinner concludes, Zonker attempts to renew the lease on the commune, but is turned down. As Act One ends, it's discovered that Duke and Honey are having them evicted after graduation for his court-ordered drug rehabilitation center.
[edit] Act Two
The following morning, the residents of Walden awake to find a bulldozer outside the house bulldozing the front yard and adjacent meadow. The cast, including Duke, threatening to force the residents to leave the house or get bulldozed, sing on the theme of whether or not Walden is "just a house." Joanie intervenes, telling Duke that her clients (the residents of Walden) will be seeking an injunction against his redevelopment of the house without rezoning permits, and threatens Duke with harassment charges. Duke exits, but soon resumes bulldozing. Mike leaves with Joanie to attempt legal action against Duke.
Boopsie and B.D. have a discussion about B.D.'s feelings, which is broken off when B.D. receives a message from Sid Kibbitz, his agent. B.D. is being traded to Tampa Bay from Dallas. B.D. leaves, Honey enters, and Honey and Boopsie sing about the complicated men in their lives (Duke and B.D., respectively). Outside, Zonker attempts to confront Duke, but is soon lured into Duke's plan to redevelop Walden into condos.
Mike and Joanie return to Walden, where J.J. has been taking care of Jeffrey. Mike runs off to get dressed for graduation, and Joanie and J.J. attempt reconciliation. Roland arrives with a crew to interview the new graduates, and informs Mark of a potential job offer at a radio station on Long Island, New York. Roland also discusses B.D.'s trade to Tampa Bay, both sing in praise of President Reagan's domestic policies, and introduce "Muffy and the Topsiders", a band made up of preppies (Boopsie, Mike, Mark and Zonker in different costumes).
Zonker reveals Duke's plan for condos to Mike and Mark, as Duke crashes the bulldozer into their living room. Mike blurts out his proposal to J.J., who accepts. Duke falls to side effects of the drugs he's taken, collapsing on the couch.
At graduation, Mike and J.J. reveal their plans to Zonker to go off and be married, and Mark reveals his plans to go to New York, leaving Zonker as the only remaining resident of Walden. Roland covers the ceremony, in which full names of several of the characters are revealed.
[edit] Plot devices
Breaks in the action and scene-changes were accomplished with voice overs behind a screen of the White House, while jokes about the Reagan White House were made.
[edit] References
- Trudeau, Garry (1984). Doonesbury: A Musical Comedy. Holt, Rinehart and Winston. ISBN 0-517-05491-4.
- Trudeau, Garry, Doonesbury Flashbacks CD-ROM for Microsoft Windows. Published by Mindscape, 1995.
