Charity Valentine is a young woman in New York who works as a taxi dancer at the Fandango Ballroom, meaning gentleman pay her to dance with them by the hour. One evening she meets up with her deadbeat boyfriend Charlie, who she imagines is a lot more complimentary than he is in real life (“You Should See Yourself”). Shockingly, he ends up stealing her purse and pushing her into the lake. She is saved by a passerby and returns empty-handed to the Fandango.

The other girls are unsurprised that Charity has had her heart broken yet again, and encourage her to get more street smarts. They hit the dancefloor, looking for another “Big Spender” to spend a little time with. Charity’s friends Helene and Nickie try to help her through her heartbreak in “Charity’s Soliloquy.”

Leaving work, Charity gives all of her money away to beggars and realises she now won’t be able to eat. Suddenly a film star, Vittorio Vidal chases his girlfriend, Ursula, past Charity. When Ursula refuses to return to him, Vittorio impulsively grabs Charity instead, and she is thrilled with her luck. Vittorio and Charity head to the swanky Pompeii Club, where the clientele are dancing the “Rich Man’s Frug.” Famished after her long day, Charity faints, and encourages Vittorio to bring her to his apartment to rest.

Charity thinks she has all the luck and sings “If My Friends Could See Me Now,” before Ursula arrives to reconcile with Vittorio. Vittorio hides Charity in a closet, where she ends up staying overnight. Vittorio sneaks her out the next morning, and she returns to the Fandango, where she and the girls agree “There’s Gotta Be Something Better Than This.”

In another twist of fate, Charity finds herself stuck in an elevator with a tax accountant named Oscar Lindquist, and she allays his fears with “I’m the Bravest Individual.” They are eventually rescued, and Oscar persuades Charity to visit his hippie church, where they sing “The Rhythm of Life.” When Oscar tries to guess Charity’s profession, he decides she works for a bank and she claims he is correct. Besotted once again, Charity agrees to start dating Oscar, who now calls her “Sweet Charity.”

Charity continues not to reveal her true profession. When she’s cheated out of a client by the new girl she decides to quit Fandango, though she wonders what the future will hold for her (“Where Am I Going?”). She meets up with Oscar and confesses that she is a taxi dancer, to which he confesses that he had followed her one night and already knew. Oscar assures her he doesn’t care what she does for a living and wants to marry her. Charity is thrilled and agrees, singing “I’m a Brass Band.”
Charity returns to the Fandango Ballroom to say goodbye to her friends, who “Love to Cry at Weddings.” Oscar and Charity walk through Central Park, where Oscar suddenly announces that his jealousy of the men she dances for has caused him to decide he cannot go through with the wedding. He pushes her into the lake, just as her previous boyfriend did, but Charity realises at least he didn’t steal her purse and asserts herself with a reprise of “I’m the Bravest Individual.”

ACT I

• Overture
• You Should See Yourself
• Big Spender
• Charity’s Soliloquy
• Rich Man’s Frug
• If My Friends Could See Me Now
• Too Many Tomorrows
• If My Friends Could See Me Now (Reprise)
• There’s Gotta Be Something Better Than This
• I’m The Bravest Individual

ACT II

• Entr’acte
• Rhythm Of Life, The
• Baby Dream Your Dream
• Sweet Charity
• Big Spender (Reprise)
• Where Am I Going?
• I’m A Brass Band
• I Love To Cry At Weddings
• Finale

1966 Tony Awards: Best Choreographer (Bob Fosse)

1986 Tony Awards: Best Revival, Best Featured Actor & Actress in a Musical, Best Costume Design

1986 Drama Desk: Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical

2005 Drama Desk: Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical

UK: Music Scope UK

USA: Tams-Witmark

In 1884 Paris, George Seurat is making sketches to prepare for his famous painting “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte.” His partner, Dot, is modeling for him despite her frustrations. The scene shifts to an art gallery where Georges’ artist friend Jules and his wife Yvonne remark that his work has “No Life.”

Back at Georges’ studio, Dot is eagerly preparing for their trip to the Follies, but once again Georges chooses his painting over Dot and they do not go.  Back on the island, Dot turns up with a new beau Louis, which prompts two girls, both named Celeste, to “Gossip” about them. The girls set their sights on a pair of sailors who have arrived. Jules berates Georges for what he views is his poor artistic skills. Dot laments losing Georges, but decides that being with Louis was the right choice (“Everybody Loves Louis”). The Celestes fight over the soldiers, with each of them wanting “The One on the Left.”

As everyone leaves the island, Georges is sad to have lost Dot, but realizes that art will always take precedence for him (“Finishing the Hat”). Dot arrives at his studio to reveal she is carrying his child but will soon be moving to America with Louis. Yvonne and Jules arrive to convince Georges to give up his unconventional method of painting, but he refuses. After they leave, Dot and Georges finally agree they will never work as a couple (“We Do Not Belong Together”). At the park again, all of Georges’ subjects are squabbling before he finally asserts his control and paints the simple harmonious scene he wants as the characters form their famous tableau (“Sunday”). The subjects in the painting remark on how they dislike being stuck in the same spot (“It’s Hot Up Here”), before revealing their sadness at Georges’s premature death at the age of 31.

In 1984 New York City, Georges and Dot’s great-grandson George is also an artist and reveals his latest creation, “Chromolume #7” which was inspired by Georges’ famous painting. George’s grandmother (Georges and Dot’s daughter) Marie arrives to help with his presentation. The art critics are very impressed with the work, but George still finds it difficult to maintain a career in art (“Putting It Together”). Marie reflects on her pride at the family’s legacy (“Children and Art”).

A few weeks later, Marie has died, and George has arrived in Paris to present his work on the island that inspired Georges’ painting. He reads from a book Dot passed down to Marie and reflects on his similarities to his ancestor. A vision of Dot appears and encourages George to continue to pursue art (“Move On”). The characters from the painting resume their positions in the tableau (“Sunday”) before disappearing, leaving only a blank canvas with unlimited possibilities. 

Act I

• “Sunday in the Park with George” – Georges & Dot
• “No Life” – Jules, Yvonne
• “Color and Light” – Dot, Georges
• “Gossip” – Celeste #1, Celeste #2, Boatman, Nurse, Old Lady, Jules, Yvonne
• “The Day Off” – Company
• “Everybody Loves Louis” – Dot
• “The One on the Left” – Soldier, Celeste #1, Celeste #2, Georges
• “Finishing the Hat” – Georges
• “We Do Not Belong Together” – Dot, Georges
• “Beautiful” – Old Lady, Georges
• “Sunday” – Company

Act II

• “It’s Hot Up Here” – Company
• “Chromolume #7″ – Orchestra
• “Putting It Together” – Company
• “Children and Art” – Marie
• “Lesson #8″ – George
• “Move On” – George, Dot
• “Sunday” (Reprise) – Company

Winner of the 1985 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Tony Awards Won

• Best Scenic Design (Tony Straiges)
• Best Lighting Design (Richard Nelson)

UK: Josef Weinberger

USA: Musical Theatre International

The show opens with the voice of ‘Control’ who is playing with his toy train set. He begins to fall asleep as the “Overture” begins, and as the music builds, the “Entry of the National Trains” begins. The trains speed around the stage, and are rudely interrupted by Greaseball and his gang of thugs who sing “Rolling Stock”. Greaseball challenges any train to a race, saying he cannot be beaten.

Rusty the steam train enters and is shunned by other trains. He wants to compete in the race, but the coaches are unsure that he will be safe racing against faster machines. The coaches introduce themselves as Dinah the food car, Buffy the buffet car, Ashley the smoking car and Pearl who had previously agreed to race alongside Rusty. Greaseball and his cronies try to impress the gathered crowd to show how strong they are and to prove the supremacy of Diesel engines, (“Pumping Iron”). Rusty brings on the freight trains who tell everyone that “Freight is Great”.

As the first race is about to start and the trains line up, the lights go dark and Electra arrives onstage singing “AC/DC” and impresses everyone by being an electric train. He has his pick of all the carriages, and Pearl dumps Rusty in order to connect with Electra, (“He’ll Whistle At Me”). In the first heat, Greaseball and Dinah cheat to win, but Dinah is not very happy and as she tries to protest Greaseball knocks her to the floor.

Poppa enters and teaches everyone how to sing the blues, (“Poppa’s Blues”) as Rusty enters and looks downhearted. Poppa tells him to believe in himself and that he can race with Belle the Sleeping car. In the second heat Rusty loses to Electra and Pearl and Poppa tells Rusty to believe in the power of the Starlight Express. Rusty rejects his help, but they hear that heat three needs an extra racer to take the place of the British train who has broken down. Poppa jumps into the race and wins narrowly, proving the power of the Starlight Express. Rusty finally believes and sings to it for guidance and help “Starlight Express”.

Act II begins with “The Rap” as Poppa pulls out of the race and Rusty takes his place in the finals. Greaseball dumps Dinah in favour of Pearl, and Dinah mourns the loss of her partner in “U.N.C.O.U.P.L.E.D”.

Rusty suffers from nerves once again, and speaks to the Starlight Express who convinces him he can win, and to look inside himself to realise he can win. In a heated final race, Electra and Greaseball fight between themselves over who will win. As Greaseball dumps Pearl mid-race, Rusty steps in to save her, and as the two fight between themselves he crosses the finishing line first. Pearl realises that she should have been with Rusty from the beginning and sings “Only He”. The rest of the cast celebrate and sing “Light at the End of the Tunnel”.

Act I

• Overture
• Rolling Stock – Greaseball and the Gang
• Taunting Rusty – Rusty, Greaseball, Gang
• Call Me Rusty – Rusty, Pearl, Dinah, Buffy and Ashley
• Rusty, You Can’t Be Serious – Rusty, Pearl, Dinah, Buffy and Ashley
• A Lotta Locomotion – Dinah, Ashley, Buffy and Pearl
• Pumping Iron – Greaseball, Pearl, Ashley, Dinah, Buffy, 2nd and 3rd class Sleepers
• Freight – Pearl, Ashley, Dinah, Buffy, Rocky I, Rocky II, Rocky III, C.B, Dustin, Flat-Top
• Entry of the National Trains – National Engines and Marshals
• AC/DC – Electra, Krupp, Wrench, Purse, Joule, Volta and Company
• Hitching and Switching – The Company
• Pearl, You’ve Been Honoured – Purse, Pearl, Rusty
• He Whistled at Me – Pearl
• Race: Heat One – Greaseball and Dinah, Espresso and Buffy, Hashamoto and C.B.
• That was Unfair – Dinah, Greaseball, C.B.
• There’s Me – C.B.
• Poppa’s Blues – Poppa, Rocky I, Rocky II, Rocky III, Rusty
• Belle the Sleeping Car – Belle
• Starlight Express Introduction – Poppa, Rusty, Belle
• Race: Heat Two – Electra and Pearl, Weltschaft and Joule, Rusty and Belle
• Boy, Boy, Boy – Poppa, Rusty, Belle, Trucks
• Race: Heat Three – Poppa and Dustin, Turnov and Wrench, Bobo and Ashley
• Laughing Stock – The Company
• Starlight Express – Rusty

• The Rap – The Company
• Pearl Twirl – Greaseball, Pearl, Dinah, Buffy, Ashley
• U.N.C.O.U.P.L.E.D. – Dinah
• Rolling Stock (Reprise) – Dinah, Belle, Ashley and Buffy
• C.B. – C.B, Electra, Krupp, Wrench, Purse, Joule, Volta
• Race: Uphill Final – Electra and Dinah, Rusty and C.B., Greaseball and Pearl
• I Was Robbed – C.B., Rusty, Greaseball, Electra, Pearl, Trucks
• Right Place, Right Time – Rocky I, Rocky II, Rocky III
• I Am The Starlight – Rusty, Starlight Express, Dustin
• He Whistled at Me (Reprise) – Dinah, Electra, Krupp, Wrench, Purse, Volta, Joule, C.B.
• Race: Downhill Final – Rusty and Dustin, Electra and C.B, Greaseball and Pearl
• No Comeback – Electra, Krupp, Wrench, Purse, Joule, Volta
• One Rock & Roll Too Many – Greaseball, C.B.
• Only He (Has The Power to Move Me) – Pearl, (Rusty)
• Only You – Pearl, Rusty
• Light at the End of the Tunnel – The Company
• Light at the End of the Tunnel (Reprise)

1987 Tony Awards: Best Costume Design (John Napier) 

UK: Really Useful Group

USA: Really Useful Group

It’s late 19th Century Germany and Wendla Bergmann, a teenager is angry at her mother for not teaching her what she needs to know in life, (“Mamma Who Bore Me”). She asks to learn about where babies are from but her mother cannot bring herself to tell her, saying it happens only when a woman loves her husband very much.

At school a group of teenage boys are studying Latin. Moritz Stiefel is a nervous boy and is yelled at by his teacher for getting a line wrong. His friend Melchior Gabor jumps to his defence but the teacher hits him with a cane. Melchior discusses the wrongs with society, (“All That’s Known”). Moritz tells Melchior about dreams he has been having that he thinks makes him insane. Melchior explains to him that these erotic dreams are normal and all boys experience them. Moritz asks Melchior to write down all the information in a book as he is scared of discussing it, (“The Bitch of Living”).
A group of girls fantasise about marrying boys they know, especially Melchior, (“My Junk”). Hanschen masturbates whilst looking at an erotic picture and Georg has fantasies about his piano teacher. Moritz has used the book Melchior made for him, but admits that it has only fuelled his imagination further. The boys and girls sing about their desire to be intimate, “Touch Me”.

Wendla finds Melchior in the woods and they sit together. They discuss the possibility of giving in to their desires but decide not to, (“The Word of Your Body”). Moritz looks at his school marks to see that he has passed his midterms, but is failed by his teacher anyway. Martha tells her friends that her father sexually abuses her and that her mother does nothing to stop it. The girls are shocked but promise not to tell anyone. She doesn’t want to end up like Ilse, an old friend who has been kicked out of the house (“The Dark I Know Well”). Wendla tells Melchior about the abuse and asks him to hit her with a stick and he reluctantly does, enjoying it the more he hits her. He runs away and Wendla finds his diary.

Mortiz’s parents are disgusted to learn their son has failed his exams and are worried about what other people will think. Moritz writes to Melchior’s mother and asks for money to run away to America, and begins to contemplate suicide when she refuses. Wendla meets Melchior in a hay loft where Melchior is disturbed at the thought of being stuck between adulthood and childhood (“The Mirror Blue Night”). He begins to kiss Wendla who doesn’t understand his advances and soon they are having sex, and it is unsure if Wendla consents, (“I Believe”).

Melchior and Wendla reflect on their post-coital feelings, (“The Guilty Ones”). Moritz begins to wonder around the woods after being thrown out of his home. He is carrying a pistol and meets Ilse on the road, (“Don’t Do Sadness”). Ilse is in love with Moritz but he refuses her advances, (“Don’t Do Sadness”) and as they come close to kissing she leaves. Moritz realises his feelings and tries to call to her but she has disappeared. He shoots himself.

At his funeral the school children gather around his grave (“Left Behind”). The school teachers go through his belongings and find the book written by Melchior and blame him for Moritz’s death and expel him, “Totally Fucked”. Hanschen meets his classmate Ernst and the two kiss (“Word of Your Body Reprise”).

Wendla is taken to the doctors and her mother is told that she is pregnant. She does not know how it has happened and realises that her mother has lied to her about where babies come from. She tells her mother who the father is and it ends with a certain degree of optimism, (“Whispering”). Melchior’s parents begin to discuss sending him to reform school but argue about what to do with him. They find out he is the father of Wendla’s child and send him away. Wendla and Melchior communicate with each other through letters and Melchior escapes to find her but doesn’t realise that she has been taken to have an abortion clinic. He tries to find her and comes across Mortiz’s grave. Melchior then sees the grave of Wendla and realises she has died from a botched abortion. As he is about to kill himself, the spirits of Moritz and Wendla come to offer him strength, (“Those You’ve Known”). The whole company arrive and sing “The Song of Purple Summer”.

Act I

• Mama Who Bore Me” – Wendla
• “Mama Who Bore Me” (Reprise) – Wendla and Girls
• “All That’s Known” – Melchior
• “The Bitch of Living” – Moritz, Melchior and Boys
• “My Junk” – Girls and Boys
• “Touch Me” – Boys and Girls
• “The Word of Your Body” – Wendla and Melchior
• “The Dark I Know Well” – Martha, Ilse and Boys
• “And Then There Were None” – Moritz and Boys
• “The Mirror-Blue Night” – Melchior and Boys
• “I Believe” – Boys and Girls

Act II

• The Guilty Ones” – Wendla, Melchior, Boys and Girls
• “Don’t Do Sadness” – Moritz
• “Blue Wind” – Ilse
• “Don’t Do Sadness/Blue Wind” – Moritz and Ilse
• “Left Behind” – Melchior, Boys and Girls
• “Totally Fucked” – Melchior and Full Company (except Moritz)
• “The Word of Your Body” (Reprise) – Hanschen, Ernst, Boys and Girls
• “Whispering” – Wendla
• “Those You’ve Known” – Moritz, Wendla and Melchior
• “The Song of Purple Summer” – Ilse and Full Company

2007 Tony Awards: Best Musical, Best Book, Best Original Score, Best Featured Actor, Best Direction, Best Choreography, Best Orchestrations, Best Lighting Design.

2010: Oliver Awards: Best New Musical, Best Actor in a Musical, Best Performance in a Supporting Role, Best Sound Design.

UK: Josef Weinberger

USA: Musical Theatre International

At a Midtown Manhatten High School Peter Parker is giving a book report about Arachne, the Goddess of the Weavers. During the report Arachne tumbles onto the stage and takes over telling her own story. She tells how she once was a skilled weaver and battled with Athene. She was then turned into the world’s first spider and forced to wander the universe spinning webs. Peter is bullied at school by a gang of kids that includes his ex-best friend Flash Thompson. Peter has a crush on Mary Jane who lives next-door and they bond over having mutually unhappy lives. Mary lives with an abusive father and Peter lives with his aunt and uncle after his parents dies in a plane crash.

The school go on a trip to a genetics lab, which is thrown into disarray when a genetically modified spider escapes and bites Peter. He begins to develop spider-like powers and muscular physique, discovering he can emit webs from his wrists. He utilises these powers to defeat the school bullies and impress Mary Jane by winning a wrestling tournament. His Uncle is shot by a carjacker and he is distraught at his recent selfishness. Guided by his Aunt and Arachne, he decides to use his gift to fight evil in the world. He vows to avenge his Uncle.

Peter makes his iconic costume and becomes Spider-Man, fighting criminals and saving people’s lives. ‘The Daily Bugle’ begins to report on his antics, and Peter is hired by them as a photographer. He then shares a romantic encounter with Mary Jane. Meanwhile Norman Osborn is jealous of Spider-Man, thinking that his research has been stolen. He rushes his research causing a power surge, which mutates him into the Green Goblin.
The Green Goblin then uses his research to mutate other humans and creates a company of villains from his former employees. They go on a rampage through New York and come into battle with Spider-Man who defeats them, but the Green Goblin escapes. The Goblin visits the Daily Bugle and convinces them to print bad news about Spider-Man which affects his reputation. Peter sees Arachne in a vision who reminds him that being a hero is his destiny.

Mary suggests that her and Peter take a break, as Spider-Man commitments begin to get in the way of their relationship. Peter decides to give up being Spider-Man and gives his costume away and proposes to her. The Green Goblin sends a message to say that he will target Spider-Man’s loved ones, which forces Peter to break up with Mary to protect her. He realises that he needs to be a hero for the whole world, not just for Mary. He finds his costume again and rushes off to take on the Green Goblin.

At the top of the Chrysler Building the Goblin threatens Mary-Jane, which results in a huge battle over the audience. Spider-Man ties the Goblin to a piano which falls from the sky, sending him to his death. Mary Jane has now guessed Spider-Man’s identity and the pair contemplate their life together.

Act One 

• “The Myth of Arachne” – Peter
• “Behold and Wonder” – Arachne, Ensemble
• “Bullying by Numbers” – Peter, Bullies, High School Students
• “No More” – Peter, Mary Jane
• “D.I.Y. World” – Norman, Emily, Peter, High School Students, Lab Assistants
• “Venom” – Bullies
• “Bouncing Off the Walls” – Peter, High School Students
• “Rise Above” – Peter, Arachne, Ensemble
• “NY Debut” – Orchestra
• “Pull the Trigger” – Norman, Emily, Viper Executives, Soldiers
• “Picture This” – Peter, Mary Jane, Norman, Emily

Act Two 

• “A Freak Like Me Needs Company” – Green Goblin, Ensemble
• “If the World Should End” – Mary Jane, Peter
• “Sinistereo” – Reporters
• “Spider-Man!”– Citizens of New York
• “Turn Off the Dark” – Arachne, Peter
• “I Just Can’t Walk Away (Say It Now)” – Mary Jane, Peter
• “The Boy Falls from the Sky”– Peter
• “I’ll Take Manhattan”– Green Goblin
• “Finale – A New Dawn”– Full Company

Winner of no major awards

During World War II, an American Navy nurse named Nellie Forbush arrives on an island in the South Pacific, where she quickly falls in love with Emile de Becque, a dashing French plantation owner. While everyone else is concerned with the war around them, Nellie assures Emile that as a “Cockeyed Optimist,” she knows everything will turn out well in the end. They express their love for each other (“Some Enchanted Evening”) before she heads back to the hospital.

The navy men are growing restless, as the women on the island are all commissioned nurses and thus off limits to them. The only female civilian is “Bloody Mary,” a flirtatious middle-aged Tonkinese woman who sells grass skirts and other novelties. Luther Billis and the other men hope she will one day take them to the legendary island Bali Ha’i, which is allegedly full of women, as they all agree “There is Nothing Like a Dame.”

Marine Lieutenant Joseph Cable arrives on the island to carry out a military mission. Bloody Mary convinces him that “Bali Ha’i” will be important to him, and he agrees to go along with Billis and some other friends. He has heard of Emile and feels his knowledge of the area would be useful on their next mission and asks Nellie to find out more about his character, as he has heard unsavoury rumours about him, including that he killed a man in France.

Nellie is furious at the allegations and decides she is done with Emile (“I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair”). However, he soon arrives and manages to persuade her to join him for a party where he will introduce her to his friends. At the party, he reveals that he killed a man in self-defence and a relieved Nellie accepts his marriage proposal (“I’m in Love With a Wonderful Guy”).

Cable asks Emile to join his mission, but Emile is eager to start his new life with Nellie and refuses. Cable and Billis head to the island of Bali Ha’i, where Bloody Mary introduces Cable to her daughter Liat, knowing that her only chance of a better life is marrying an American soldier. Cable and Liat instantly fall in love (“Younger Than Springtime”). Meanwhile, Emile introduces Nellie to Jerome and Ngana, who he reveals are his children with a Tonkinese woman who has since died. Nellie likes the children but cannot bring herself to be mother to children who are not white and leaves Emile dumbfounded.

Bloody Mary encourages Cable and Liat’s blossoming romance (“Happy Talk”), and advises they get marries. Cable reveals he could never marry a woman who is not white because of his family’s prejudice, and Bloody Mary furiously tears her away. Later, Emile confronts Cable about his and Nellie’s racist views, and Cable explains that this is the way American society has raised them (“You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught”).

Emile laments losing Nellie and wonders what might have been (“This Could Have Been Mine”). He decides to join Cable on the dangerous mission, as he has nothing to lose. Though the mission is successful, Cable is killed and Emile is now missing. When Nellie finds out the news, she is forced to tell Liat her love is dead. The rest of the soldiers head off to battle, but Nellie decides to stay behind and look after Emile’s children, soon growing to love them. As they sing “Dites-Moi” together, they hear Emile’s voice join them, and Nellie assures him she has given up her prejudice and wants to be with him for good.

Act I

• Overture
• Dites-Moi
• Cockeyed Optimist, A
• Twin Soliloquies
• Some Enchanted Evening
• Bloody Mary
• There Is Nothin’ Like A Dame
• Bali Ha’i
• I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair
• Wonderful Guy, A
• Younger Than Springtime

Act II

• Happy Talk
• Honey Bun
• You’ve Got To Be Carefully Taught
• This Nearly Was Mine
• My Girl Back Home
• Finale

1949 Tony Awards: Best Musical, Best Male Performer (Pinza), Best Female Performer (Martin), Best Supporting Male Performer (McCormick), Best Supporting Female Performer (Hall), Best Director (Logan), Best Book and Best Score.

1950 Pulitzer Prize for Drama

UK: Josef Weinberger

USA: R & H Theatricals

The show begins with a spotlight on a single woman, growing to 2 women and 2 men. They sing about their hopes, dreams and ambitions as if they were explorers looking for a new world. We are taken aboard a 16th Century ship taking passengers to shore. As the struggle to survive the crossing they think about God and ask for support in their new life, (“On the Deck of the Spanish Sailing Ship”). A woman standing on a ledge of her penthouse is threatening to take “Just One Step” and jump as a crowd gathers below to watch her suicidal mission. She is scared about stepping forward into a new life.

A new mother appears and sings to her new born child, saying that strength will see her through, (“I’m Not Afraid of Anything”). We then see two men talking about the idea of wealth and rewards, wondering why some are lucky and others are not, “The River Won’t Flow”. Meanwhile, a woman who has married into wealth looks back at her life and questions the decisions she made and if she really is happy (“Stars and the Moon”).

We then see a different form of relationship as a man struggles with the woman he loves who continues to lie to her. Despite this, he chooses to go back to her, (“She Cries”). In the Bronx a hard young man dreams of being a basketball star and his passion inspires him to fight to achieve his goals (“The Steam Train”).

As the second act begins we see a man struggle to talk to his father after he has failed in life and is unable to make a clear decision, “The World Was Dancing”. Mrs Claus enters and laments about being married to Santa Claus at the prospect of spending another festive season on her own, “Surabaya-Santa”. In direct contrast, a less fearsome woman turns to God to help her find purpose in the real world as she sings a “Christmas Lullaby”.

We cut to a man in his prison cell who questions why he is there and the actions he has taken, (“King of the World”). Straight afterwards we see a couple separated, trying to make their life together work, (“I’d Give it All For You”). A mother of an American Revolutionary soldier sews a flag whilst waiting for news of her son, (“The Flagmaker 1775″). A young man hears the voices of angels and realises he is “Flying Home”. All the four singers come together to talk once again about their hopes, dreams and ambitions they hope to carry on to the new world, “Hear My Song”.

Act One

• Opening: The New World
• On The Deck Of A Spanish Sailing Ship, 1492
• Just One Step
• I’m Not Afraid Of Anything
• The River Won’t Flow
• Stars And The Moon
• She Cries
• The Steam Train
• The World Was Dancing

Act Two

• Surabaya-Santa
• Christmas Lullaby
• King Of The World
• I’d Give It All For You
• The Flagmaker, 1775
• Flying Home
• Hear My Song

UK: Josef Weinberger

USA: Musical Theatre International

The Cat in the Hat arrives and welcomes the audience to the show, telling them to let their imagination go wild (“Oh The Things You Can Think!”). We arrive in the Jungle of Nool, where Horton the Elephant hears a peculiar noise from a small speck of dust, (“Horton Hears a Who”). He places it on a four leaf clover to protect it from the other animals, who mock him for being able to hear it. Gertrude McFuzz acts as his only friend and begins to fall in love with Horton. As the voices continue to get clearer, the Mayor of Who tells Horton about their very small and very fragile planet, as The Cat in the Hat zooms in on the whole land, (“Here on Who”).

Jojo, the mayor’s son is a daydreamer and is told off by his parents for thinking ‘thinks’ that often distract him from everyday life, especially his school work. He continually tries not to think as much, but he begins to imagine that his bathtub is McElligot’s pool, and everything spins out of control, (“It’s Possible”). The Mayor and his wife are worry about “How to Raise a Child”, and they decide to send him to military school to correct him. The school is run by the tyrannical General Genghis Khan Schmitz who picks fights with other people and has declared war on those people who eact their bread with the butter side down, (“The Military”).

Horton the Elephant meets the small Jojo and they bond about being socially excluded, (“Alone in the Universe”). Gertrude wonders why Horton isn’t in love with her and thinks it is because her tail is small and has only one feather. She is upset and seeks help from Mayzie LaBird who has a beautiful tale. She is told to get pills from Dr Dake who lives by the lake, and Mayzie tells her that it will make her tail beautiful, (“Amazing Mayzie/Amazing Gertrude”). Gertrude overdoses on the pills and her tail grows out of control.

Meanwhile, Horton is attacked by the Wickersham Brothers, a gang of naught monkeys that steal his clover, that ends up getting lost in a large field of identical clovers (“Chasing the Whos”). The audience are told by The Cat in The Hat how lucky they are to not be a Who, (“How Lucky You Are”). Horton attempts to find the clover in the field whilst Gertrude continues to struggle to get Horton to notice her and she takes more pills, (“Notice Me Horton”). Mayzie has been left with an egg and begs Horton to look after it so she can have some time off. She flies away and doesn’t return, as the seasons change and Horton is captured by hunters. Gertrude tries to save him, but her tail is now so large she can’t get off the ground.

As Act II begins, Horton is sent to New York City and sold to a travelling Circus, (“Egg, Nest and Tree”). Whilst Horton is depressed (“The Circus on Tour”), Mayzie is sick of sunbathing in Palm Beach and decides to visit Horton in the Circus with the egg. Horton begs her to take the egg back, but she refuses and tells him to keep it forever. He swears to look after the egg and sings to it, telling it about a magical place called “Solla Sollew”.

Jojo continues to live in the Military, and is deployed to fight in the Butter Battle. Jojo tells the General that he believes war to be immoral, causing an explosion of “Green Eggs and Ham” that is thought to have killed him. The Mayor and his wife are told of their loss during their Christmas celebrations. The Cat in the Hat jumps in and brings Jojo back from the dark place he has ended up, reuniting him with his parents.

Gertrude arrives at the circus to free Horton, after having her tail trimmed (“All For You”) and she brings the clover. Horton is pleased that the Whos are safe and looks at Gertrude differently. Their happiness is short lived, as the Sour Kangaroo and the Monkeys drag Horton back to the jungle to put him on trial for talking to dust and looking after the egg. Yertle the Turtle says the clover should be boiled, and Horton tells the Whos to shout to prove their existence. Jojo has one of his ‘thinks’ and gets the whole land to yell the word ‘YOPP’ which results in them being saved and his parents finally appreciating him. The charges against Horton are dropped, just in time for his egg to hatch as an Elephant-Bird emerges. Horton and Gertrude decide they will both teach it what to do, and will raise it together.

• Oh, The Thinks You Can Think! ………………The Cat in the Hat and the Company
• Horton Hears A Who ……….Bird Girls, Horton and Citizens of the Jungle of Nool
• Biggest Blame Fool ………Sour Kangaroo, Horton, Wickersham Brothers, Bird Girls,
  Gertrude McFuzz, Mayzie LaBird, Citizens of the Jungle of Nool and The Cat
• Here On Who ……………Mayor of Whoville, Mrs. Mayor, The Grinch, Whos, Horton
• A Day for The Cat in The Hat ………………….The Cat, JoJo and Cat’s Helpers
• It’s Possible (McElligot’s Pool)………………………JoJo, The Cat and Fish
• How To Raise A Child …………………………………..Mayor and Mrs. Mayor
• The Military ……..Gen. Genghis Kahn Schmitz, Mayor, Mrs. Mayor, JoJo and Cadets
• Alone In The Universe ………………………………………Horton and JoJo
• The One Feather Tail of Miss Gertrude McFuzz ………………………..Gertrude
• Amayzing Mayzie ……………………………..Mayzie, Gertrude and Bird Girls
• Amayzing Gertrude …………………………..Gertrude, The Cat and Bird Girls
• Monkey Around ………………………………………….Wickersham Brothers
• Chasing The Whos ………..Horton, Sour Kangaroo, Bird Girls, Wickersham Brothers,
  The Cat, Vlad Vladikoff and Whos
• How Lucky You Are …………………………………………………The Cat
• Notice Me, Horton ………………………………………Gertrude and Horton
• How Lucky You Are (Reprise)……………………….Mayzie, Horton and The Cat
• Act I Finale …………………………………………………Full Company

ACT TWO

• How Lucky You Are(Reprise)………………………………………..The Cat
• Egg, Nest, and Tree …….Sour Kangaroo, Bird Girls, Wickersham Brothers, The Cat,
  Cat’s Helpers and Hunters
• The Circus McGurkus ………..The Cat, Horton and the Circus McGurkus Animals and
  Performers
• The Circus on Tour …………………………………………………Horton
• Mayzie in Palm Beach ……………………………..Mayzie, The Cat and Horton
• Solla Sollew ………..Horton, Animals and Performers, Mayor, Mrs. Mayor and JoJo
• The Whos’ Christmas Pageant ……………………………..The Grinch and Whos
• A Message From The Front ……………Gen. Schmitz, Mayor, Mrs. Mayor and Cadets
• Havin’ a Hunch ………………………………The Cat, JoJo and Cat’s Helpers
• All For You ………………………………………..Gertrude and Bird Girls
• The People Versus Horton The Elephant …………………..Horton, Sour Kangaroo,
  Wickersham Brothers,Marshal, Judge Yertle the Turtle, Bird Girls,
  Gertrude, Mayor, Mrs. Mayor, JoJo, Whos and The Cat
• Finale / Oh, The Thinks You Can Think! ………………………….Full Company

2001 Tony Awards: Nominated for – Best Actor in a Musical, Kevin Chamberlin.

2001 Drama Desk Awards: Nominated for –  Outstanding Actor in a Musical – Kevin Chamberlin, Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical – Janine LaManna (nominee), Outstanding Music – Music by Stephen Flaherty (nominee)

UK: Josef Weinberger

USA: R & H Theatricals