Musical Reading: The Seduction of Sheila Valentine

Nearly 900 people sat in this audience as the creative team of Jack Murphy (music, lyrics and book) and Vincent Marini (book and director) briefed them as to what they were about to see: a preview of an unfinished work, the musical comedy The Seduction of Sheila Valentine.

The plot: Set in the late 1950s, it tells the "sad tale of two 40-something, once-famous actresses who find themselves too old to play the young romantic leads anymore, and too vain to play anyone else. While working together at an Iowa dinner theater, they get their hands on a script penned by the hottest writer/director in New York. Separately, each one decides this script is her ticket back to Broadway. When two desperate actresses vie for one role of a lifetime, the result is hilarious trouble.

With 3 days of rehearsals and changes within those day, a cast of 9 main characters and an ensemble of 10 local actors/actresses, the story unfolds. This madcap, Producers meets Noises Off centers around the rivalry of Irene Fontaine (Linda Eder), the Broadway star in search of her vehicle back to Broadway and Rosalind Lords (Mary Martello), a has-been movie actress, married "just a few times."

Irene convinces her nephew, Jimmy Orlando (Chris Faith), to act as her agent to get her the audition of a lifetime in a new musical written by a pompous, eccentric playwright, Orson Captree (Ben Dibble). Unbeknownst to Irene, Rosalind has seduced Jimmy into stealing part of the script, and arranges an audition for this neurotic actress who suffers from a fear of midgets. Both show up in New York separately with a plan. Fontaine & Lords are at each others' throats and then the real movie star, who has been promised the role shows up. And that ends Act One.

Jack Murphy has penned some catchy melodies that forward the plot nicely, such as "Look At Me Now," which reflects the history of Fontaine' s careers and a catchy duet for the ladies "Back Where I Belong." as each look into the future hopeful to return to the footlights. Producer David Sanders Broadway's (Timothy Shew) also has an insightful solo," I'd Rather Be Wrong," as he sings about not trusting his instincts that have always failed him. Sanders and playwright Captree also share a "buddy song" called "On The Same Page."  They're not, but the song is convincing.

There is almost an overload of action that takes place on stage. That's not to say that the story lacks some top-notch comedy. It will likely be retooled and focused for the audience to absorb the best of it. The biggest room for improvement is the equalizing of the female leads and the development of these two characters. Hopefully as this material is re-written, the final product will help the audience to see a bit of the history of each lady as the story unfolds. As is, the Rosalind Lords character commands the stage with her outrageous behavior and ability to draw attention to herself.

As far as casting, again all the actors rose to the occasion with a three-day rehearsal turning quite a challenging script, which is chock full of improvisation and full-blown "into character" mode, into action. Barrymore winner Mary Martello (Rosalind Lords) literally threw herself into this role with no fears and it paid off. Scott Grear (Buddy/Cappy/Dr. Bopp) was simply a master of unique personalities and solid humor, and Chris Faith ( Jimmy Orlando) brought down the house with every side splitting action and well-delivered line. Murphy wrote a few lovely tunes to complement the Fontaine role, such as "Through Someone Else's Eyes" and "Take A Chance On Love," that were well-delivered by Broadway's popular singer/actress Linda Eder. But again, the Fontaine role while charming, lags behind in substance. If one is to invest in her character as a convincing adversary the role might benefit from some additional work

As Murphy told the audience at the talk back after the reading. "If you don't like it, (pointing to Marini), it was his idea. If you like it, it was mine". This was a unique learning experience for a huge audience who, for many, would otherwise never have the opportunity to attend a professional musical workshop.

The complete cast:

Linda Eder (Irene Fontaine), Mary Martello ( Rosalind Lords), Timothy Shew ( David Sanders), Ben Dibble ( Orson Captree), Scott Grear ( Buddy Wilson/Cappy/Dr. Bopp), Chris Faith ( Jimmy Orlando), Maggie Lakis ( Betty Morrow), Mark Parr ( Bart), Anthony Lawton ( Vincent St. John). Ensemble: Jennifer DiDonato, Nina Fluke, Natalie McKnight, Peter Reynolds, Jeremy Robinson, Lauren Rooney, Jonathan Shade, Sean Thompson, Casey Tuma, Kimberly Valde.

Musical Direction: Koen Schoots, Orchestrations: Kim Scharnberg

Song List:

"My Oh My Oh Iowa," "Look At Me Now," "Look At Me Now-Reprise #1 & #2," "I'd Rather Be Wrong," "Back Where I Belong," "Do It Again," "Someone Else's Eyes," "Take A Chance on Love," "Little Blue Pill," "On the Same Page," "Great Big World"

Photo credits: James Weiner

1) Mark Parr and Linda Eder
2) Scott Grear, Mary Martello and Ben Dibble