License the Show!
Love is a Many Splintered Thing, written by Dorothy Marcic with musical arrangements by Hinton Battle, is available to license through Stage Rights.
Love is a Many Splintered Thing is a fast-paced, zippy musical about—what else?—relationships, looked at through nostalgic Top-40 hits: be careful, you might get “Hooked on a Feeling” and wonder “Should I Do It?” with friends saying “Don’t Fall in Love With a Dreamer” because he’s a “Wanderer,” all the way through “Wedding Bell Blues.” When love dies, “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers,” to renewal “You Make My Dreams come True.”
A company of six takes the audience on a journey from high school through adulthood tracing the paths that each friend eventually follows (all six characters have definite story arcs). Incorporating established song lyrics to tell a new story in a unique way,
“LOVE IS A MANY SPLINTERED THING” will have you singing and celebrating long after the stage lights have gone down!
Characters:
Bill: Classic narcissist, with an over-riding desire to get his way. Attractive, well-groomed, and preppy. He is a charming, sweet-talkin’ guy, who is good with people, but he is a “commitment- phobe”— the eternal “wanderer.” Until he goes through a shift in Act II, other people are only there to fill Bill’s playboy needs. Tenor
Hope: She sees herself as the good girl, who always does the right thing. Pure and virginal; attractive, but modest in appearance. Hope demands a lot of her men. Mature and put-together, she is always in control…until, that is, emotion gets in the way. Soprano
Yale: Shy, gentle, and geeky. Very alone. He is fearful of the world and people, especially girls. He wishes he could fit in. In Act I, Yale is a good student, but a social outcast. As Act II opens, we discover a changed man- a financially successful business man in the tech field, though his social skills are still lacking. Baritone
Roberta: African American. A dedicated friend and lover, Roberta is full of life, but she’s very matter-of-fact, and never afraid to speak her mind. She loves Sean, but doesn’t let him get away with any nonsense. Alto
Sean: African-American. A good man, a lover-of-life, and a dedicated friend. Sean is funny, full of energy, and always the life of the party. Sean’s very much in love with his high-school sweetheart, Roberta, and the two eventually are married. Slowly, Sean begins to take his beloved for granted and is forced to face the consequences. Bass
Desiree Sue: Being loved is the central focus of her life. She dresses seductively. She knows she is attractive and uses that as power with men, though her neurotic and aggressive approach turns many off, including Bill. Desiree, naïve and desperate, gives her love away too easily in Act I, has an affair with a married man (Yale) in Act II, until self-awareness sets in and she begins to take control of her life. Mezzo Soprano
Setting: Act I takes place in the near distant pasts, when characters are in high school and a few years hence. Act II is 10 years later.
