Story

Scene 1: The show opens. Bill, a grifter, and Johnny, a shy retiring type, are out on the town with no money. While Johnny resents his role as a sidekick, Bill assures him that there is no shame in being a sidekick - "Even Robinson Crusoe had his Friday; and we have our Saturday night." The duo opens the show with a rousing rendition of "Where Did Robinson Crusoe Go (With Friday on a Saturday Night)."

Scene 2: When Bill reveals his plans to find a less than legitimate way to get money, Johnny is concerned. They exit and Kelly, the street vendor, begins to sell his food and drink to his patrons of the street. Meggy Brown enters. She and Kelly catch up on old times. Mack, Meg's husband, "complains all the time though he hasn't a thing to complain about." Meg's daughter, Mary, is an out of work cabaret dancer with "the prohibition and all."  Meggy remarks on how good Kelly looks with a vending cart. When Kelly tells her that it's better than his previous business, the others are surprised to learn that Kelly used to run a butcher shop. Meggy recalls an incident where Kelly got into a row with Pat Clancy. The memory is entailed in the song "If I Knock the 'L' out of Kelly."

Scene 3: Gus enters and calls for any riders for his jitney bus service. He complains that he can't find fares like he used to. Gus is offended when Kelly suggests that his make-shift bus, the unconventional style of transportation and his well-known philandering may be what's causing a dip in business. Gus leaves in a huff. When the others ask Kelly about Gus's bus service he obliges with the song "Gasoline Gus and His Jitney Bus." 

Scene 4: Katie and Rose enter. They are also on a night on the town. Katie tells Rose that they are celebrating the fact that Katie has been laid off from her job and her carpet has been repossessed. Rose is confused. At the same time, Johnny tries to tell Bill that he should be concentrating on paying his rent rather than pursuing a night out on the town. Bill tells Johnny that prosperity is a "frame of mind" and that Johnny needs to understand that all he needs to concentrate on is having fun. The two pairs break into the song, "Ain't We Got Fun." 

Scene 5: Bill sees Katie and Rose counting out their money. He tells Johnny that he plans to con it away from them. He tries to employ an elaborate street con but Johnny feels guilty and exposes the trick before Bill can get the girls' money. After the boys depart. Katie makes plans to take revenge on Bill for trying to steal their money. Rose is impressed that Johnny acted so valiantly. Katie says that their revenge will be the focus of their big adventure for the night. She only needs the pieces to fall in place. What transpires after this scene provides Katie with the groundwork for her vengeance. 

Scene 6: Mack Brown enters in a huff. He has been building a private collection of spirits in his cellar since he learned about the coming of the Prohibition. Now he has come home to discover that "there is a line outside my house and a sign on my front door that reads, "Mack's Speakeasy." Mack suspects that his wife Meg knows something about it. Kelly tells Mack that Meggy would never open a Speakeasy inside their house without his knowledge. Mack breaks into the song, "Everybody Wants the Keys to My Cellar." 

Scene 7: After Mack leaves, Kelly shares his suspicions with the people on the street that he thinks that is in fact Mack and Meggy's daughter, Mary, who has been running the speakeasy. As an out-of-work cabaret dancer, Mary decided to open her own club in Mack's cellar using its contents as product, so that she would have somewhere to dance. Katie tells Kelly that all the girls hate and emulate Mary because of all of the attention she had been getting from the boys. Kelly sings the title song from the musical, "All the Boys Love Mary," before the curtain falls on the intermission. 

Scene 8: The locals enter, singing the song "Rumors," spinning tales about innocent occurrences in the neighborhood that are elevated to mythological proportion as each are put through the rumor mill.

Scene 9: The recent developments give Katie an idea on how she can get her revenge on Bill, the grifter. She decides that she will begin a rumor with the girls that Mary has taken Bill's sidekick, Johnny, as her secret boyfriend. This will make all the girl interested in Johnny, which will drive Bill to distraction. Rose, still carrying a torch for Johnny, reluctantly goes along with the plan. The girls enter and Katie spreads the rumor by means of the song, "You'd Be Surprised." This is also a song that Eddie Cantor made a hit during the 1920's. It's also one of the many songs in the musical that were originally written by Irving Berlin. 

Scene 10: Mary Brown makes her entrance. She is forlorn because her father has closed down her makeshift club. She may lose her new boyfriend's interest, even worse, she will lose her ability to dance. She sings and dances to Irving Berlin's "You Cannot Make Your Shimmy Shake On Tea." 

Scene 11: Mary exits but not before Katie's scheme takes effect. Much to his chagrin, all the girls treat Johnny like a matinee idol, leaving Bill baffled. Overwhelmed by the sudden attention, Johnny sings the old tune, "What Do You Want To Make Those Eyes At Me For?" with the local girls. 

Scene 12: The girls chase Johnny off with the others following, leaving Rose and Kelly on stage alone. Kelly tries to console Rose as she confesses that she is sweet on Johnny. But her life is like her father's second-hand store. Rose sings the classic Fanny Brice number, "Second Hand Rose. 

Scene 13: Delores, Bill's wife makes her entrance. She is in search for her wayward husband. When Rose asks her why she married a "philandering con man" Delores responds, "Because I adore him." Rose confides in Delores about her feelings for Johnny. Delores sings this old blues standard, "A Good Man Is Hard to Find." 

Scene 14: Delores wants to find Bill but she is tired of walking. She wonders out loud why there isn't a way to get around New York without walking. As if by divine intervention, Gus has just entered and makes a "Jitney Bus" call for Delores's exact destination. They depart leaving Kelly and Rose alone. Rose says that she is resigned to her bad luck. Kelly tells her that bad luck may turn out to be good luck. He sings the great American classic tune, "April Showers." 

Scene 15: Mack enters in a panic. The police have surrounded his house and they are confiscating his "private collection." Meggy enters and Mack tells her that they must flee. Meggy tells Mack that they should go to the country and run a little farm in Quogue, New York like they wanted to do when they first got married. Gus enters and tells Kelly that Delores caught a glimpse of her husband and ran off without paying a fare. Kelly tells Gus that Mack and Meggy are looking for a getaway to Quogue. Taking advantage of the situation, Gus calls out for all fares going to Quogue, New York. Mack, Meggy, Gus and Kelly sing "Little Bungalow in Quogue." 

Scene 16: Bill enters. Gus tells him that the bus is departing for Quogue, New York. Gus departs with Mack and Meggy. Bill is unsuccessful in conning Kelly out of a drink. Delores finds Bill in the square and they point out each other's faults. This argument segues into the song "After You Get What You Want You Don't Want It." 

Scene 17: Delores tells Bill that she can't stay with a man who has never done anything redeeming in his life. She tells him that it's time to call it quits. Suddenly, Johnny rushes in chased by the girls. He demands that the girls explain to him why they are suddenly interested in him when they previously wouldn't give him the time of day. Before anyone can respond, a police whistle blows and Mack and Meggy are chased on stage. The policeman tells them that they are under arrest for selling alcohol and resisting arrest. Meggy pleads with the officer to let them go because Mack is an upstanding member of the community and his arrest would be a travesty. The policeman tells them that he must do his duty, no matter what. Just as he prepares to put the cuffs on them, Bill tells them that he can't let such a fine and upstanding couple be taken to jail for something that he has done. Bill confesses to the crimes. The officer prepares to take Bill to jail as Mary enters and complicates matters by complaining, in front of the policeman, that her club has been closed down. Mary is concerned that her new boyfriend will dump her if she doesn't have her club. The girls turn on Johnny for being so heartless. When Mary reveals that Johnny isn't her new boyfriend. In actuality, the police commissioner's son is her new boyfriend and her best customer. The police officer realizes that he is in the middle of a quagmire and decides to let the whole matter rest. Everyone's dilemma is resolved, pairs are properly coupled and the show ends with a reprise of the show numbers including the title song, "All The Boys Love Mary." 

Return to Small World Plays & Musicals here