The world premiere of Where's Whoopi?, an all-original rock musical written for today's teens, gives drama directors the option to stage something fresh, new and relevant to real life.
Where's Whoopi?, a spunky, rockin' new rock musical inspired by a rumor of Whoopi moving to the area, will launch its world premiere on Friday, November 4th at 7 pm at the Hammondsport CS Auditorium.
An original collaboration by Barbara Johnston and Susan Norton, Where's Whoopi? raises the problems of a misfit young girl who, when forced to switch schools mid-year, writes confessionals to comedienne Whoopi Goldberg in hopes of feeling less isolated.
Norton said the idea for the show came to her instantaneously after hearing a rumor that Whoopi was planning to buy a house in the area. "In such a huge, wonderful country like this, it was too much of a coincidence to let slip by," she said. "I've written many plays over the years, but when I sat down to write this one it came to me in a flash, both the title and the story of how a school girl writes letters to Whoopi to help her deal with a tough situation."
"Our idea with this musical is to update the form and make it more accessible to today's youth," said Johnston, who plays and writes songs for Rochester band Peachy Nietzsche. "The songs will be performed by an on-stage band consisting of electric guitar, bass, drums, keyboard and horns working in a variety of styles, including rock, funk, and ballads."
Norton, a drama director, pointed out how difficult it was to find something new in the world of teen-appropriate plays. "With most of the plays we have to choose from, the parts are written too 'young' or too 'old.' Finding something new that would excite the kids is extremely difficult, and as much as I love the old musicals, I didn't want to do something like Oklahoma again."
Johnston added, "We wanted to create something more representative of the daily lives of today's students and some of the real difficulties they face. We also wanted to put kids right at the center of the drama, so the rock band plays an important role in Where's Whoopi?. At the beginning, we drew on student improv to ensure the characters were three-dimensional and had real depth."
Together, Norton and Johnston created a play for the students at hand that nonetheless speaks to the heart of people of all ages. Touching on the hardships of loneliness, Where's Whoopi? reveals through music that hidden issues lie under the surface of everyone's lives, no matter how popular they might be.
For more information, please contact Susan Norton at (607) 569 5236.
To inquire about the music, please contact composer Barbara Johnston at (585) 703-0199. Please see www.whereswhoopi.com for track list, email contacts, developments and schedule.
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