At the Silver Moon Open Mic
By Lawrence Joseph Glatt
Benjamin Glatt,
Ezra Glatt
Jon B Woodin
120 minutes (including a 15 minute intermission.) 9 roles, 4 female and 5 male (some gender switching potential). If possible, the actors should double as the band and can be augmented by some additional instrumentalists on stage as “regulars” at the open mic. There are 3 smaller characters that can be cast separately or be covered by the nine principles.
Every Wednesday night a group of passionate musicians gather to share their art. They are committed to the alternative and slightly subversive idea that, when people gather to make music, it is vitally important. This group of passionate yet unknown artists dedicate their evenings and their dreams to making music come alive. In a world dominated by the mundane and the superficial, it is an act of courage to wear your heart on your sleeve and speak your truth. In At the Silver Moon Open Mic we encounter the themes of redemption, commitment, artistic integrity, friendship, polyamory and finding the courage to put yourself out there.
As this typical evening ensues, we meet a pair of young lovers with different visions of what they want from a relationship. We meet an aging musician and ex-groupie who need this place to find each other; a mysterious, but vaguely frightening, proprietor, a modern oracle, and an emcee who lives like he is the ultimate rock star. Unfolding in real time,
Open Mic is a tribute to the heroes who take their talents public once a week and make live music happen. It pays tribute to musical styles of the past but faces important issues of the present.
Synopsis
As the show begins, a young, nervous performer (“Newbie”) walks into the Silver Moon Open Mic for the very first time. They are greeted by the colorful cast of regulars. Joe, the emcee and self-proclaimed rock and roll star, sings the show open and introduces Newbie and the audience to, “The Greatest Open Mic in the World.” Newbie signs up to sing a song that night and settles in to watch the evening unfold.
In songs, that are diegetic to the setting, we are introduced to the struggles and hopes of the Open Mic regulars. Chris, the sound man who wants more… maybe. Akuarious, the ageing groupie who misses her wild youth and the passion that came with it. JR, the bitter old “One Hit Wonder” who doesn’t like or understand this modern world. Conrad, the venue’s proprietor who reminisces about his youth in a Tennessee that sounds suspiciously like the USSR. Mike, a young man from out east who wants to follow his music where it leads and it has led him to. Autumn a fiercely ambitious young singer, who loves Mike, her music, and her freedom and she’s not sure in what order. They are star crossed incipient stars who, over the course of the first act, rediscover each other and come back together. And lastly, we meet Luna, a modern-day Cassandra who, as the first act comes to a riotous close, discovers Joe and Conrad’s terrible secret. The Silver Moon Open Mic is in financial trouble and will have to close down after this last night.
In Act II the love that rekindled between Mike and Autumne is broken upon the conflict between monogamy and polyamory. JR and Akuarious come together in their mutual desire to live in the past. Joe and Chris fall out over the closing of the Open Mic and Joe sings about the Silver Moon as his real home. All the people who brought the Silver Moon to life are getting ready to leave it in bitterness and disappointment, until Newbie gets on stage to sing their first and only song. One by one the characters are drawn back on stage and one by one they are reminded that, what beauty existed here at the Silver Moon, can exist anywhere where people gather to play music together: it is now their job to take what they learned out into the world.
Characters
Joe: male, 30s- early 50s. He is brash and energetic. He sees himself and his friends as rock stars. (guitar preferred)
Chris: any gender, 30s-late 40s. He is gentle and thoughtful. The soundman who makes open mic possible. Joe’s best friend. (guitar or bass: keys could be good as well)
Luna: Female, late 20s-- 50’s. She is mystical and mysterious. She can see others issues but can’t figure out her own. (keys or a melody instrument)
Akuarious: female, late 40s—50s She is an ex-hippie/groupie and has been interested in a relationship with JR for decades. She is witty and sarcastic. (a melody instrument)
JR: male, 50’s or 60’s He is bitter because he is a one hit wonder. A curmudgeon who thinks all the good music was written decades ago. (guitar or bass)
Conrad: male, European or Slavic, late 40s—60s. He says he’s from Tennessee but has a Russian accent. Conrad is intimidating and threatening. (Drums)
Mike: male, any ethnicity, early—mid 20s. He is from the Great Lakes/Mid-west and finds the West a little too weird. He is earnest, talented and wants to be heard. (advanced guitar)
Autumn: female, any ethnicity, late teens--early 20s. She wants a big music career. She is talented and ambitious. Light, fun and bubbly. (keyboard)
Newbie: any gender or ethnicity, 20s –40s. She is new to the Silver Moon. Hesitant and reticent but determined. (guitar)
George: Any gender or ethnicity, 60s—70s. A crazy old poet—A mixture of spacy and fierce. (Can be doubled by another cast member if need be)
Late night Louis: 40s—60s. a rockabilly guy—modern Elvis. (Can be doubled)
Record Executive: young, glib, slimy. Non-singing (Can be doubled)
Production Notes
At the Silver Moon Open Mic is set in the Pacific Northwest at a small dingy club. Most of the songs are “open mic” songs, so the stage is the open mic stage and there can be tables near the stage to represent the house. This show does lend itself to immersive elements and audience participation is possible. Costumes are simple and all the characters, with the possible exceptions of Conrad, Luna and Late Night Louis, dress like ordinary people. Mike and Autumn go off as lovebirds at intermission, so a set piece or the suggestion of a van could be “outside” (stage left) where they consummate. Stage left can be the front door of the venue where people go to smoke or have conversations.
The challenge of this show is to make the songs work as “open mic” songs, to tell the story and reveal character at the same time. The culture is decidedly a weird, “hippyish” vibe that is associated with Portland. This makes for a clash of cultures as Mike is always confused by the looseness and radical acceptance of the others—coming from the East, he is not used to people his parent’s age acting like wacky burnouts.
Ideally, all the instrumental parts should be played by the open mic regulars. If all or most of the nine leads handle the main accompaniment that is best. Having a few expert instrumentalists who are “regulars” could be good as well and they can sing the choruses. The smaller characters (Late Night Louis, Record Executive and George) can be the supplemental band members or they can be doubled from the leads.
Begun during COVID, Open Mic is in development by the unorthodox writing team of Lawrence Joseph Glatt (father and composer/lyricist), Benjamin Glatt (son, librettist/lyricist), Ezra Glatt (other son and composer/lyricist), and Jon B. Woodin (close family friend and composer/lyricist)
Song Demos
All demos are performed by John Segalla, Bryanna Pilkington and members of the creative team.
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Glatt²
A Bit About Glatt²
Glatt² is a musical creation company consisting of Composer Lawrence Glatt, Doctor of Music and his two sons writer Ben Glatt and composer Ezra Glatt. This musical collective is dedicated to bringing great ideas and scores to the stage. With more than 8 musicals to their credit that have either already been produced, workshopped or are in some other stage of development, Glatt & Glatt bring together an impressive group of experienced musicians, lyricists, dramaturges, directors, composers, conductors, and arrangers and other creative contributors to create new musical experiences for audiences both young and old.
NEWS
Currently, the company has a musical called Miranda's Quill based on Shakespeare's The Tempest in production in Hawthorn Valley NY to be workshopped and performed for the second time. It was first produced in Toronto at the Waldorf Academy and will now be seen this fall.