THE PANSY CRAZE
drag dresses Broadway in an intoxicating, new musical about erotic, exotic, neurotic, chaotic, invert & queer entertainers in New York City, 1930
Embedded Files
SYNOPSIS
SYNOPSIS
Iconic LGBTQ+ entertainers PHIL BLACK, JEAN MALIN, KARYL NORMAN, GLADYS BENTLEY and
JULIAN ELTINGE navigate the rules and regulations of Prohibition era New York City as BERNARD JEFFERSON SAXTON, head of the Society for the Suppression of Vice, attempts to upend their lives and careers at every turn. When NYPD’s first black officer, RAYMOND CLAYMES, reveals himself to be
an ally, the group bands together to knock the vice head off his hateful soapbox.
QUOTES
QUOTES
From our audiences and actors
‘lots of LGBTQ+ and black history I didn’t know about’
‘songs are very catchy’
‘dialog well-timed’
‘a story worth telling’
‘vulnerability of ‘like pearls’ and ‘pansies on parade’ resonates’
‘fascinating tale’
Off Broadway
New York City, NY • 2022
Hartford Stage
Hartford, CT • 2020
Hartt School
West Hartford, CT • 2018
STORY
STORY
MUSIC
MUSIC
The following demos are listed in order that the songs appear in the script and synopsis. Some demos are better than others. The Pansy Craze script is the lyric bible if discrepancies are found.
1. THE NEGRO VOGUE recorded live at the Hartford Stage reading, this rouser opens The Pansy Craze at a Harlem rent party.
2. I'M CROWING rough lyric demo introduces Bernard Jefferson Saxton as head of the Society For The Suppression of Vice.
Im Crowing- 12_16_23, 12.59 PM.wav3. I HAVE TO ASK SOMETIMES Phil questions life choices after having been beaten; rough lyric demo; virtual recording
4. THE ONLY ONE EROTICS, EXOTICS, NEUROTICS, CHAOTICS, INVERTS AND QUEERS BALL in medley with DÉFILÉ DES FÉES (PARADE OF FAIRIES) features in the costume ball.
01 The Only One 9.3.2023.mp35. BLOTTO (THE PROHIBITION SONG) backs up the first pansy rehearsal. Recorded in a church by the writers!
6. HOW I PORTRAY A WOMAN ON STAGE a 1913 article written by Julian Eltinge informs this delightful patter song.
03 How I Portray A Woman On Stage 9.3.2023.mp37. THIS QUEEN HAS BALLS is a sexy, funny & prescient burlesque that ends Act One with a kick.
04 This Queen Has Balls 9.3.2023.mp38. WHEN THE NANCIES MEET THE FANCIES this rough piano demo of the act two opener is written to be a medley that incorporates a verse from the songs marked M. below.
9. LIKE PEARLS is an autobiographical torch song from Eltinge, and the first song written for our score.
05 Like Pearls 9.3.2023.mp310. I SIMPY KNOW WHAT'S BEST allows Saxton to convey why he is what he is and does what he does; lyricist demo
I Simply Know Whats Best for All- 12_16_23, 1.39 PM.wav11. RULES AND REGULATIONS is the prelude to Phil's musical soliloquy, A Star On A Stoop.
12. A STAR ON A STOOP is Phil's musical soliloquy - the song some might call the '11 o'clock number'.
Star on a Stoop - 12_16_23, 1.19 PM.wav13. KEEN TO BE QUEER is a song in The Pansy Craze floor show that's in performance when Club Abbey is raided.
14. PANSIES ON PARADE is the rousing, company finale, sung amongst the destruction of Club Abbey.
07 Pansies On Parade 9.3.2023 (2).mp3The following demos are songs incorporated into the 'WHEN THE NANCIES MEET THE FANCIES' Act Two opener medley. The complete song is not used.
M. ALL ABOUT THE SIZE OF THEIR HANDS is incorporated into the ‘WHEN THE NANCIES MEET THE FANCIES’ medley Act 2 opener.
M. YOU THINK A DEVIANT CAN’T BE THE CHIEF EXEC is incorporated into the ‘WHEN THE NANCIES MEET THE FANCIES’ medley Act 2 opener.
INVERTS OF THE HEART is the older lyric - with a more polished vocal - for the 'I Have To Ask Sometimes' melody.
CREATIVE
CREATIVE
STUART YOUNSE
... has taught both choir and theatre for the past 39 years at the middle school, high school, and collegiate levels. In addition, he's musical directed or stage directed over thirty Broadway musicals (including Les Misérables, Hairspray, Matilda, West Side Story, and Into the Woods), written music for three original musicals (Colors: A Musical Allegory, What Just Happened and The Pansy Craze) and composed and compiled incidental music for numerous plays. Stuart lives with his husband, Charles Harrill, in Hartford, CT.
MICHAEL TEGER
... has always written down one word after another for some reason. After cutting his creative teeth as co-owner, marketing guru and karaoke host for a high-NRG dance club on Miami Beach, Michael performed stand-up, his quirky solo musical, Funny Guy, and roles in regional theatre. He’s written plays (The Bride’s Side, A Flytrap In My Fruit Tree, Hello Daddy!) and a second musical with a NSFW theme. Michael designs tee shirts (crewdtees dot com) and, after Colorado and California, now lives in New York City where theatre takes off.
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Studio demos • Las Vegas, NV • 2023
Musicians: Stuart, Alex Stopa, Carnell Johnson, Jassen Allen, Jay Joseph, Bruce Ewing, Michael, Deirdre Lang, Christine Hudman, Angela Chan, Tyler Williams
CONTACT
CONTACT
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