ALL ABOARD FOR BROADWAY!

ALL ABOARD FOR BROADWAY! Performance Rights To copy this text is an infringement of the federal copyright law as is to perform this play without royalty payment. All rights are controlled by Eldridge Publishing Co. Inc. Call the publisher for further scripts and licensing information. On all programs and advertising the author s name must appear as well as this notice: Produced by special arrangement with Eldridge Publishing Co. PUBLISHED BY ELDRIDGE PUBLISHING COMPANY www.histage.com 1999 by Craig Sodaro and Eldridge Publishing Company Download your complete script from Eldridge Publishing http://www.histage.com/playdetails.asp?pid=1299

2 THE STORY New York, 1917. Florence Zweibach is putting on a Broadway show, and lots of hopeful girls long to be part of the Florry Dorry Girls of 1918. On the way to the audition, Mary Conklin, a sweet, budding ingenue, meets Harry Harrigan, a down-and-out Tin Pan Alley tunesmith, and the romantic sparks start to fly. Harry has never made a dime peddling his songs, so he owes the Delaney Sisters, two feisty loan sharks, two hundred dollars for his piano. Harry dodges them by enlisting in the war that s just broken out in Europe, leaving Mary behind with just a portfolio of sheet music and dream of what might have been. Flo Zweibach changes Mary s name to Gracie Parker and features her in his patriotic revue, Yankees Away. Much to the chagrin of his fiancee, Billie Fine, Zweibach falls in love with his new Broadway star. The revue is a big flop until Mary pulls out a song that Harry wrote, and soon a new show, Grand Ol Flag, is a Broadway smash hit. Harry is wounded and returns from the trenches to discover he s a celebrated songwriter and he and Mary are blissfully reunited. The fireworks explode like the Fourth of July in this All-American backstage musical featuring the songs of George M. Cohan including, I m a Yankee Doodle Dandy, Over There, Give My Regards to Broadway, Harrigan, Mary s a Grand Old Name and many more!

3 CHARACTERS (10 M, 18 F, 8 flexible, Chorus) LORETTA: Ticket salesperson for the subway, 20s. GEORGIA: Hotel maid, 40s. MARY CONKLIN: Aspiring actress, 20s. ETHEL BLOCK: Another. GLADYS VANDERKELTER: Another. HARRY HARRIGAN: Aspiring songwriter, 20s. BARNEY SWARTZ: Stage manager, 50s. CLEO: Actress, 20s. BELLE: Another. LEONA: Another. INEZ: Another. JEANETTE: Another. CADWALLADER FINCH: Broadway songwriter. FLO ZWEIBACH: Broadway producer, 30s. BILLIE FINE: Broadway star, Flo s finacee, late 20s. TEX LANDRY: Cowboy, 20s. OLIVE DELANEY: Loan shark, 40s OPAL DELANEY: Her sister, 40s. LUIGI: Owner of an Italian restaurant. CUSTOMERS 1-4 MACK: A soldier, 20s. MABEL: A Liberty Lady, 20s. MARCIE: Another. MIDGE: Another. STREETSWEEPER ACTORS 1-3 COMMUTERS 1-3 CHAUFFEUR CHARLENE: Subway ticket-seller, 20s.

4 SET SUBWAY STATION: Two pillars, one CSR, one CSL. Ticket booth CS, with gates from ticket booth to pillars. Benches SR and SL. Sign on SR pillar reads: To Manhattan. Sign SL pillar reads: To Yonkers. STAGE OF THE ZWEIBACH THEATER: UPS curtain is closed or cyclorama is down. Ghost light stands SR near piano. Open trunk sits SL next to wardrobe rack. Colorful costumes hang on rack and out of trunk. Ladder at CS. LUIGI S ITALIAN RESTAURANT: Two or three cafe tables covered with red and white tablecloths fill stage. Small counter SR with plant or figure of chef holding plate of spaghetti. Coat rack by counter. Several pictures of Italy can adorn the walls. IN FRONT OF THE BELMONT THEATER: Suggestion of cityscape UPS with Belmont Theater marquee UCS. Small stand, SL, decorated with bunting. A streetlight or two will complete the impression. STAGE OF THE BELMONT THEATER: Stage is decorated for patriotic show with bunting, large flag USC hanging from baton. Other decoration as desired. TRENCHES OF WORLD WAR I: Suggestion of rocks, barbed wire, and fencing. Lights focus in on this small scene.

5 SYNOPSIS OF SCENES AND MUSICAL NUMBERS: ACT I Scene 1: Subway station, one morning in late March, 1917. Forty-five Minutes From Broadway (GEORGIA, GIRLS) Scene 2: Stage of the Zweibach Theater, later that morning. Harrigan (HARRY, MARY) Mary s a Grand Old Name (HARRY) Scene 3: Luigi s Italian Restaurant, a week later. Billie (BILLIE) Scene 4: Belmont Theater front, the following Thursday. Over There (HARRY, COMPANY) Scene 5: Subway station, several weeks later. Give My Regards to Broadway (GEORGIA, COMPANY) ACT II Scene 1: Stage of the Belmont Theater, the following day. You re a Grand Old Flag (MARY, BARNEY, COMPANY) Yankee Doodle Dandy (BARNEY, MARY, COMPANY) Scene 2: Trenches of World War I, a month later. Scene 3: Stage of the Belmont Theater, several weeks later. Reprise: Over There (HARRY, OPAL, OLIVE) Scene 4: Subway station, that night. All Aboard for Broadway/Finale (COMPANY)

6 PROPS Several scripts, shopping bag, subway tickets, coins, small music portfolio, watch, clipboard, sheet music, roll of paper money, serving tray, covered plates, menus, silverware, napkins, handkerchief, business card, money, bag of food, podium, push broom, Buy War Bonds sign, red/white/blue bunting, cake, balloons, make-up case, several newspapers, American flag, envelope with money, box, bugle, letter, period camera, contract, cane, head bandage, rope, show posters, suitcases, magazines, large diamond ring. Musical numbers may have additional props like flags, rifles, etc. as the director or choreographer desire.

7 ACT I Scene 1 (AT RISE: Subway station north of Manhattan, one morning, late March, 1917. LORETTA paces DSL, alone on stage. She holds script in her hand.) LORETTA: (Dramatically, but crudely.) Shall I speak ill of him that is my husband? Ah, poor my lord, what tongue shall smooth thy name, when I, thy three-hours wife, have mangled it? But, wherefore, villain didst thou kill my cousin? (GEORGIA enters carrying shopping bag, USR. Standing next to ticket booth, she listens.) LORETTA: (Continuing.)...That villain cousin would have kill d my husband: Back, foolish tears, back to your native spring. Your... your... GEORGIA: Tributary. LORETTA: (With a serious Brooklyn accent.) You sure, Georgia? GEORGIA: (Blandly.) Your tributary drops belong to woe, Which you, mistaking, offer up to joy. My husband lives, that Tybalt would have slain. (As HERSELF.) Wish to heck I had Tybalt instead of Herman. The bum hasn t fixed the leaky faucet in the kitchen and it s been a week! LORETTA: (Looking wildly through script.) That ain t in the script! GEORGIA: There s a lot that ain t written in the script, Loretta. If I only knew then what I know now! (Resigned.) So, give me a oneway to 68th Street. (LORETTA moves into the ticket booth.) LORETTA: One way? Ain t you comin back? GEORGIA: Herman said he ll meet me after work and we d have a night on the town. LORETTA: Ain t that romantic! GEORGIA: Herman s idea of a night on the town is a hot-dog in Central Park and then hangin outside Carnegie Hall trying to catch a little of the music. LORETTA: (Handing GEORGIA a ticket.) Here you go! Trains are late on account of construction at 45th Street... (Dreamily.)... and Broadway.

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