I did a marathon revision session for SING ME TO SLEEP, the Musical yesterday. I polished it up and sent it off to my collaborator, award-winning composer, Harriet Bushman, from London, England. We're hoping to produce it in 2013. Harriet wrote the music for "Beth's Song" and "Take me Home" so you know the music will be fantastic.
Would you like to read some? Here's the opening scene. It's a big, up-tempo dance number. Do you think I captured the scene? Writing it as a musical play is so different from a chapter in a novel. You have to sacrifice a lot of details, but it's fun to imagine it on the stage while you write.
SING ME TO
SLEEP
adapted from the
novel, Sing me to Sleep by Angela
Morrison
Book by Angela
Morrison
Lyrics by Angela
Morrison
Music by Harriet
Bushman
ACT I
Scene 1
Setting: The
halls of Port High School, designated by a row of lockers or locker flat.
At Rise: Lights
up on row of lockers, HIGH SCHOOL KIDS, COLBY, HORSEMAN2, milling in the hall
before the first bell rings. COLBY is the center of everyone’s attention.
(Song:
“WE’RE COOL, WE RULE”)
COLBY
I BUST MY BUTT TO MAKE PORT
HIGH THE BEST
ALL GUYS
SATURDAY’S
GAME WE’L FACE THE TEST
GIRLS
DON’T
WORRY, GUYS—YOU ALWAYS WIN
ALL HIGH SCHOOL
KIDS
LET’S
DO IT ONE MORE TIME!
WE’LL BE LOST COLBY WHEN YOU
LEAVE
COLBY
I
GOTTA GRADUATE—AND BE FREE!
ALL HIGH SCHOOL
KIDS
WHO
WILL TELL US HOW TO WALK AND TALK?
COLBY
I’LL
SAY IT ONE MORE TIME—
I’M
COOL
I
RULE
THERE’S
NO PLACE TO HIDE FROM ME
FOR
LOSERS CRYING
IT
AIN’T RIGHT.
ALL
WE’RE
COOL
WE
RULE
WE
KNOW WHAT TO WEAR AND DRIVE
NOT
LIKE LOSERS CRYING
IT
AIN’T RIGHT.
(Enter
HORSEMAN1 with THE OFFERING. THE OFFERING wears only white briefs, black socks
and tennis shoes.)
COLBY, HORSEMEN
1 & 2
(stick
a bike chain through THE OFFERING’s underwear and chain him to BETH’s locker
while singing)
NOWHERE TO HIDE FROM US,
NOWHERE TO RUN.
PLACES PEOPLE THIS JOKE WILL
BE FUN!
THERE SHE IS—WE’LL GET HER
ONE MORE TIME!!
ALL
BETH THE BEAST POLLUTING OUR HALL
SHE’S DAMN UGLY AND TOO DAMN
TALL
FREAKS LIKE HER SHOULDN’T BE
ALLOWED TO BREATHE.
WE’RE COOL
WE RULE
THERE’S NO PLACE TO HIDE FROM
US
FOR LOSERS CRYING
IT AIN’T RIGHT
WE’RE COOL
WE RULE
WE KNOW WHAT TO WEAR AND
DRIVE
NOT LOKE LOSERS CRYING
IT AIN’T RIGHT
REMEMBER OUR FUNNY PLAYGROUND
GAMES?
BROKEN GLASSES—SUCH A CRYING
SHAME
VIPER, FOUR-EYES, SQUIRREL
FACE CAN’T BE
ALLOWED TO BREATHE!!!
AND SCOTT THAT HYPER KID
GLUED TO HER SIDE.
WE KICKED HIM DOWN, HE RAN
HOME AND CRIED.
COLBY
ACT NATURAL—PLACES—PEOPLE
ONE MORE TIME!!!
(Music
continues under the action and dialogue. ALL take up natural places at lockers
or in groups talking. Enter BETH, left. She walks hunched over, hiding behind
her hair, watching her feet. Everyone pretends to ignore her, stares after her
when she walks by. Ad lib, suppressed sniggering.)
(BETH
sees the OFFERING, rushes up to him.)
BETH
Are you okay? Did they hurt you?
(BETH
touches THE OFFERING’s arm. He pulls back and stares at it like its going to
turn to stone.)
THE OFFERING
(frightened)
They said to tell you I’m the offering.
They said the Beast requires a sacrifice every full moon.
(ALL
gather behind BETH, laughing and catcalling.)
COLBY
Dude, the Beast’s got a mate.
BETH (ignoring
the crowd behind her)
It’s okay. We’ll get Mr. Finney to bring
his bolt-cutters. I don’t eat freshmen for breakfast.
THE OFFERING
That’s not what they said you’d do.
ALL
(Explode
with laughter. Music up. During the song, BETH tries to escape but they won’t
let her. Lots of pushing back and jeering. BETH keeps her head down, fighting
back tears. BETH ad libs, “Excuse me.” “Let me go, please.” “Guys, come on.” etc.)
WE’RE COOL
WE RULE
THERE’S NO PLACE TO HIDE FROM
US
FOR LOSERS CRYING
IT AIN’T RIGHT
WE’RE COOL
WE RULE
WE KNOW WHAT TO WEAR AND
DRIVE
NOT LOKE LOSERS CRYING
IT AIN’T RIGHT
WE’RE COOL
WE RULE
THERE’S NO PLACE TO HIDE FROM
US
FOR LOSERS CRYING
IT AIN’T RIGHT
WE’RE COOL
WE RULE
WE KNOW WHAT TO WEAR AND
DRIVE
NOT LOKE LOSERS CRYING
IT AIN’T RIGHT
(Song:
“BONES BLOOD AND FLESH” ALL continue to sing “WE’RE COOL WE RULE” in the
background.)
BETH ALL
YOUR WORDS— WE’RE
COOL
WHY DO THEY DEFINE ME? WE
RULE
WHY DO I BELIEVE YOU? THERE’S
NO PLACE TO HIDE
YOUR FACE. FROM
US
YOUR LIPS, AND YOUR FINGERS— FOR
LOSERS
DON’T SPILL THEM ON ME. CRYING
IT AINT RIGHT
I’M BONES, BLOOD AND FLESH WE’RE
COOL
NOT CLAY TO BE POUNDED WE
RULE
AND SCORCHED IN THE HATE YOU FEEL WE
KNOW WHAT TO DRIVE
I BLEED WHEN YOU WOUND ME AND
WEAR
JUST LIKE THE PRETTY GIRLS DO NOT
LIKE LOSERS CRYING
IT AIN’T RIGHT!
YOUR WORDS—
YOUR LIPS AND YOUR FINGERS
WE’RE
COOL
WE
RULE
NO
PLACE TO HIDE FROM US
(BETH
gets frantic, trying to break free, plugging her ears. Enter SCOTT and MR.
FINNEY, carrying bolt cutters. MR. FINNEY menaces bolt cutters at the crowd and
shoos them away. BETH breaks free, almost falls, SCOTT steadies her. The crowd
continues to sing or hum “WE’RE
COOL WE RULE” as they saunter off to class. MR. FINNEY goes to THE OFFERING to
cut him free.)
COLBY
(encountering BETH)
Get out of my way, you damn ugly beast!
(Curtain
or black-out leaving BETH and SCOTT in front of curtain or in a spotlight for
Scene 2. Everyone else exits.)
