HOT METAL MUSICALS, 2nd Edition Was Completely Sold Out!!!
On Monday, July 17th 2017, 7:15pm, at Cabaret Theater in Theater Square, 21 songs and 31 artists were featured in the second edition of Hot Metal Musicals. Directed by Steve Cuden, with musical directions by Douglas Levine, singers Leon Zionts, Dan Mayhak, Jason Shavers, Hope Anthony, Natalie Hatcher, Paul Hambidge, Alex Manalo, and Maria Mauti (all pictured above) presented original songs from these sixteen musicals-in-the-works:
Pictures that Move, book, music and lyrics by David Michael King.
3M, 2W. Contact: kingsomma@igc.org A light-hearted look at the beginning days of moving pictures. Edwin Porter is an enthusiastic young filmmaker who believes movies can be more than a vaudeville theater novelty. With audiences losing interest, his boss, Thomas Edison, shuts down his movie business. Porter sets out to make The Great Train Robbery, and show what moving pictures are truly capable of. It’s a celebration of the joy, wonder and power of the movies. 
Juiced!, book, music and lyrics by Jeanne Drennan;
additional music by Michael M. Miller and Chuck Sperry; additional lyrics by Stephanie Riso. 4M, 2W. Contact: jeannedrennan@gmail.com When Mikey, the isolated young math genius of Lost Highway High School, tries juicing to win the beautiful Laura, his problems skyrocket. Laura is horrified at what he's done, the juice attacks Mikey's ability to sling equations, and now he owes a bunch of money for a failed experiment. But what's a juicy dilemma if it can't be solved by a jock-genius alliance, a Bible stuffed with cash, and a midnight raid on an animal shelter? To a pop/rock beat, Mikey discovers that he's not alone, that friendship and love pretty much top everything. 
Class, book and lyrics by
Alicia Johnson, music and lyrics by Bridgette Perdue 10M, 10F, + ensemble Contact: AliciaJohnson026@gmail.com Class is a satirical tale about an idealistic college graduate, Meggan, who sets out to change the world of education one student at a time. Little does she know that she will contend with burnt-out teachers, a complacent school board, apathetic administration, and the oppression of the American Education System. She will also have to deal with unexpected student loan debt and the regret at pursuing a career in education in the first place. 
Kitty, book by John Keating,
music and lyrics by Sandra Lowell 5M, 4W; ensemble 3M, 3W Contact: johnckeating@roadrunner.com Kitty, set in Ireland and England during the turbulent 1880s, presents the secret love affair between Irish Home Rule leader, Charles Stewart Parnell, and his English-born and married lover, Katharine O’Shea. In one of the biggest scandals in political world history, all is well for two years until the indifferent Captain Willie O’Shea becomes less tolerant of the couple’s “arrangement” and files for divorce. Once the scandal becomes public, the Irish and the English both shun the couple for the part they play in undermining the sanctity of marriage and destroying all hope for achieving Home Rule from England. |
You Can't Do That!, book by Jim Lueers, music and lyrics by Jim Lueers and
Lisa Cosentino. 10-12+ children. Contact: mpcArts@gmail.com "You Can't Do That!" the cast exclaims as they romp through the miracles of Jesus with members of the audience selected to play Jesus in each scene. From turning water into wine to a stunning resurrection, this playful show holds some surprises for everyone. But then again what else would you expect from the Savior of the World? It's just all in a day's work for God! 
Finding Hope, book, lyrics, and music by Laura Lind.
In early development: 2M, 3W Contact: l_lind@verizon.net Hope is vivacious, bright, and kind. At 40, she has met a wonderful guy, and it seems that her life is on an exciting new path. However, she hides a painful secret—her severe cluttering that chokes her living space and her self-esteem. This honest, revealing musical follows Hope's quest to come out of hiding and unearth a new life from among the chaos. 
A Show Boat to China,
book and lyrics by Joe Warik, music by Chuck Sperry 7M, 2W, +ensemble Contact: jowar60@comcast.net This Musical Farceody is the story of a stuck-in-the-mud show boat on the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh from 1876 to 1949. It is owned and operated by Cap'n Kandy (real name is Kandovsky) whose ambition is to play the Big Time, the Mississippi. His nemesis is an evil riverboat gambler named Basil Bumwhacker who tries to take over the boat by ruining President Grant's Command Performance of Cap'n Kandy's "Ye Awfule Travestie of King Dickie Crookback Ye IIIrd", The Bard on Board. 
Tuesday Night with Terry and Rae,
book, music and lyrics by Ramona Fischer; additional music and lyrics by Jude Reseigne. 2M, 2W; ensemble 1M, 2W Contact: ramonargirl@hotmail.com Have you ever dreamed of a second chance? In a Pittsburgh bar on karaoke night, Rae Louis hopes to rekindle the flame of past glories and bury a scandal for good. Join Flip, the bartender and the karaoke regulars for Tuesday Night with Terry and Rae. |
Future, Here, book, music and lyrics by Jeremy Richter
2M, 3W Contact: JeremyFRichter@gmail.com Every state has a Future, an unincorporated village being monitored by Society. The village population – five randomly selected, 6-year old children – is driven by a national effort to develop “appropriately adapted young citizens”. At the end of each day, the residents meet to share what they’ve learned. The residents are now 18. It is their last day together; Today they will learn of their next residence outside of Future. Until Tomorrow, book and lyrics by Michelle Do,
music and lyrics by Ethan Crystal In early development, 3M, 3W, ensemble 5-8 Contact: EthanCrystal13@gmail.com Inspired by the true story of Arie van Mansum, Until Tomorrow takes place in Holland during WWII and follows the story of a young man as he becomes involved in a resistance movement following the German occupation. A historical journey of high stakes and heartbreaking realities, this musical is a story about being the voice for the oppressed. 
The Golden Door, book by Michelle Van Doeren and Andrew Swensen; lyrics by Andrew Swensen, Michelle Van Doeren and Scott Anderson; and music by Scott Anderson
3M, 3W Contact: ajswensen@gmail.com The Golden Door tells the story of five young people from different national heritages, all traveling to Ellis Island in 1903, and is told through a frame narrative in contemporary times as an Arab-American girl reads the diary of the 1903 protagonist, Marie-Louise LeDuc. The Golden Door considers: the uncertainties faced by immigrants; the changing American attitudes toward immigration itself, which remains a relevant social topic to this day; and the inherent challenges of a multiethnic society in which ideas of “we” and “they” are ever in flux. 
The Glorious Ones, book and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens,
music by Stephen Flaherty 4M, 3W. Contact: John Buzzetti at William Morris Endeavor: JBuzzetti@WMEentertainment.com Both slapstick and serious, the musical follows seven archetypal characters – the charismatic leading man, the sly harlequin, the quack doctor, the old miser, the voluptuous leading lady, the devoted dwarf and the elegant Moon Woman – as they search for immortality and love. In their search for glory and fame, the characters are thrown out of France by the religious court because of their "lewd" performances. The leading man, Flaminio, struggles with the court's decision and how it affects his life as a performer. Smutty and nutty, yet sentimental and deeply moving, The Glorious Ones has "one hand on the crotch, and one hand on the heart." |
Hall of Presidents, book and lyrics by Brian Pope;
music and lyrics by Nick Stamatakis In early development Contact: nps130@gmail.com Three obscure presidents come to life at the Hall of Presidents ride in Disney World. Guided by a young teen, the presidents navigate Florida and Washington DC to try to get back to their lives as robots while confronting truths about their pasts. 
The Humble Rapture of MARY ANNING,
"Princess of Paleontology" (who sold sea shells by the seashore), book, music and lyrics by Laurie Klatscher 3M, 1W; ensemble 3M, 3W Contact: lklatscher@gmail.com Thrust into the 19th-century world of one of the greatest female paleontologists of all time, we journey with Mary -- a girl who sold sea shells by the seashore -- from the cliffs of Lyme Regis where she resides with her dog, Tray, to Deep Time where beautiful monsters await, and into the not-so-distant past where she seeks her lost Father and siblings. This surprising tale of the humble, brilliant, vibrant and grieving English girl at odds with, but also deeply linked to, “gentlemen” scientists in an era of Scientific Wonder, brings us closer to this curious and relatively unknown fossil hunter. 
Fly by Night, book, lyrics and music by Michael Mitnick,
Will Connolly, and Kim Rosenstock. 5M, 2W Contact: Derek Zasky at William Morris Endeavor: DZasky@WMEentertainment.com In this darkly comic rock-fable, a melancholy sandwich maker's humdrum life is intersected by two entrancing sisters. A sweeping ode to young love set against the backdrop of the northeast blackout of 1965, Fly By Night is a tale about making your way and discovering hope in a world beset by darkness. 
Another Miracle [working title],
book, music and lyrics by Chuck Sperry 4M, 2W; ensemble. 4M, 4W Contact: sperrymightyblue@verizon.net Sixteen-year-old Mary of Bethany knows she’s not aimed at the life of wife and mother. Her brother Lazarus’s friend Jesus holds out hope for a spiritual and purposeful life, but her way into it is filled with roadblocks, like an unwanted suitor. And when her beloved Lazarus dies, unsaved by Jesus, Mary’s faith is put to the test. A new take on a familiar gospel story, exploding with a powerful rock/pop score. |
In addition, Hot Metal Musicals also introduced a spattering of stand-alone songs from these MTAP artists--
- Gil Bigenho, "Dream Called Love"
- Frank Gagliano and James Rushin, "The Moment"
- Linda Marcus and David Berlin, "Seize the Bouquet"
- Marisa Wexler, "The Refugee", and
- Douglas Levine, "The Friend Song."
