The Background
In 2001 I became interested in Neil Simon’s work, and more specifically, his writing process. I learned that a key to much of his development of material was a technique referred to as “crowding”. With crowding, the author visits a venue that has a constantly changing group of people whose behaviors and speech can be readily observed. Examples of such places are a hospital waiting room and a bus station. I chose to visit the Greyhound station in Stockton, California.
At the time I lived in Tracy, California, about 65 miles away from my teaching job in San Francisco. Why I was in Tracy is a story for another day. On September 8, 2001, my father-in-law took a hard fall in a parking lot near his home in Bayside, Queens. My wife (Aileen) and I immediately flew to New York but, unfortunately, he passed before we could get there. My wife took it very hard and found it near impossible to work on the funeral and burial arrangements. I took on those responsibilities. Arrangements were made to have my two sons fly to JFK on the morning of September 11. Needless to say, what followed was a day filled with dread, fear, and ultimately joy, as by the evening we were all together, safe and sound, in an Italian restaurant, eating shrimp parmigiana, and listening to Frank Sinatra.
Some time later the boys and I returned to San Francisco while Aileen stayed in NY to arrange the sale of her father’s house. During the summer of 2002, I worked diligently on an idea I had for a musical. I wanted to demonstrate to my 8th grade students (cast) that it wasn’t necessary to create dramatic situations, that drama is all around us every day. To prove the point I allowed a student to choose a random location for our musical (a dropped pencil on a page in a road atlas.) The town chosen was Paris Missoura, a town which amazingly enough calls itself both “The Real Birthplace of Mark Twain” and “The Friendliest Town in Little Dixie”. What an awesome setting!
Next, the students and I needed stories. We turned on the radio and decided that whatever stories we heard, we would incorporate into our show. Since the station was an NPR station, of course the stories were fantastic. We had everything we needed.
I appreciate your comments. Enjoy.
SYNOPSIS
BOLD indicates an active song link
BOLD ITALIC indicates active song link coming soon
Scene 1
We meet Tony, a clerk at the Homeways Bus Company. Tony is neat, polite, punctual, and loves to play Frank Sinatra between announcements. We see only one customer Desmond, who sleeps on a bench. Tony surprises Desmond with a rainbow sprinkle doughnut. Desmond takes his duffle bag and heads to the restroom.
Scene 2
Enter Sammy and Clem (names from Samuel Clemens). Sammy is in a hurry to leave Paris, while Clem likes it there. Sammy wants to be a writer and is convinced that nothing interesting ever happens in Paris. Sammy doesn’t care where the bus takes goes, just Anywhere But Here. Tony informs Sammy that there is only one ticket left on the buses leaving today. The ticket is for a seat on an old bus (a 1953 Crown SuperCoach) to Bird-In-Hand, Pennsylvania, a destination that the owner of Homeways finds dear. Sammy buys the ticket. Tony mentions that the fog may alter the schedule.
Scene 3
Clem goes off to get some snacks. Desmond returns and engages Sammy in a conversation. Desmond speaks lovingly about Bird-in-Hand.
Scene 4
Chip enters. Chip seems ill. Chip wants a ticket to Bird-In-Hand, but is informed by Tony that there are none available. Chip gets quite upset but is comforted by Tony. Chip sits down, intentionally away from other people.
Scene 5
A bus on its way to New York from LA pulls up and releases passengers including a famous author (Barry Simone), and a group of senior citizens senior citizens. Meanwhile, several customers enter the station to await their respective buses, including teenagers, and four singers dressed in 1950’s vocal group sweaters with different letters on each (The Alphabets). Sammy recognizes Barry and seeks advice about writing. Barry recommends “Crowding”, observing those around you. The Senior Citizens banter about who had a poorer childhood. Barry listens and takes notes. Sammy begins to understand.
Scene 6
Adlai is a local wanna-be politician. Adlai is clearly over-caffeinated. Adlai’s main concern is meeting the bus from Burlington, Vermont, and one particular passenger, President Bernie Sanders.
Scene 7
Hank enters with a bag full of baseball gear. Responding to questions from Barry and now Sammy, Hank reveals that he is on his way to San Diego. Why? To learn how to swing (the bat, that is). The two greatest hitters of all-time, Ted Williams and Tony Gwynn, both had connections to San Diego. So, Hank is on his way. The situation is noticed by a group of senior citizens who know a thing or two about swing. They teach Hank all they know. San Diego Swing.
Scene 8
The bus from Burlington arrives with Bernie Sanders and his Secret Service agent, Agent Cooper. Adlai reveals that the plan is for Bernie to become Mayor while waiting for another run at the presidency. One year in Paris would all but guarantee a win in Missouri, and then the presidency. Meanwhile, Adlai would act as deputy Mayor and take over when Bernie moves on. This is all noticed by Agent Cooper who has plans of his own. Bernie agrees only after learning that among the perks of the job, there is a little white house. Little White House.
Scene 9
A group of basketball players and their coach enter the station to catch the bus to Joplin. They are excited about playing in a tournament. However, one player, Laine, is already homesick. Coach Billings helps by giving Laine a small toy house to keep in a pocket. As they wait for the fog to lift, the players get in a pick-up game out back with some of the taller senior citizens.
Scene 10
Chip becomes more and more discouraged by the lack of a ticket. Barry’s curiosity wins out. Barry approaches Chip to ask about what is wrong. Chip suffers from electromagnetic hypersensitivity, a condition where Chip is essentially allergic to electronic waves. Chip wants to go Bird-In-Hand because of the Amish lifestyle. Homeways has an old bus that goes there, but there are no more tickets. Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity.
Scene 11
Sammy is now convinced that “crowding” is the way to go. Barry says everyone has a story. Sammy asks Tony what his dream is. Tony, who works all day behind a microphone, shares that crooning is the dream! While Tony shares his thoughts in a song (Croon), four travelers in 1950’s letter sweaters sing along. The players from the pick-up basketball game return and the fog begins to lift.
Scene 12
Sammy asks Chip what it would be like to be in Bird-In-Hand. Chip says that it would be home. Several passengers share their thoughts on home. Everybody Needs a Home, There’s a light in a Window, Apple Pie and Puppy Dogs, Prairies and Plains, Everybody Needs a Home Reprise.
The fog lifts. The buses and passengers begin to leave. When the bus to Bird-In-Hand is announced, Sammy rips up his ticket. Chip gets a ticket! Bernie Sanders and Agent Cooper go with Adlai to see the town and the little white house. The basketball players leave but not before Laine returns the little toy house to Coach Bellingham, who apparently is beginning to feel homesick. The Alphabets invite Tony to join them in LA. Tony is concerned that the owner will not understand. Desmond states that yes, the owner will (does) understand. Tony gets on the LA bus with the Alphabets. Sammy and Clem leave. Desmond takes over at the ticket counter and immediately puts on an album by Frank Sinatra.
THE SONGS
Anywhere But Here: Sammy, an aspiring writer, wants nothing more than to leave Paris, Missouri, even though it’s the “Real Home of Mark Twain.” His friend, Clem, has no interest in going anywhere.
The song is probably one the closest I’ve come to composing a real opening number. I tend to open with much quieter pieces, allowing the audience to ease into the plot. Nice tempo, good contrasting “Clem” section, and a challenging bridge for Sammy. A bit of trivia…Sammy and Clem are named for Mark Twain’s real name, Samuel Clemens.
A nice swing beat with an interesting chord pattern. There are also some great lyrics and rhymes, particularly in the section where the dancers give him advice.
I have noticed that I have written several songs that start with a heavy intro then move into a much lighter feeling. These songs usually show an unexpected side to the character performing the song. Little White House is a soft shoe, tap dance sort of thing. Nice rhymes and very singable.
Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity: Looking back on my catalog of songs, this song is definitely near the top. I heard about a case of EM, a real (or not) affliction that seemed so interesting. So, I placed Chip at the bus station looking for a ticket to Bird-In-Hand, Pennsylvania, an Amish town with no electronics, a place that he could be free from his condition. To get there he will need a ticket on the oldest bus, one without electronics. Unfortunately, Sammy has the last ticket.
I seem to resort to triple meter when I want to get deep into the character’s emotions. The song moves through some lovely chords. The melody was inspired by the cast member, who had a wonderfully expressive range.
Croon: Tony is the ticket agent who plays Frank Sinatra all the time and dreams of becoming a crooner. Sammy, now actively looking for stories in everyday situations, approaches Tony and asks about Tony’s dream. Tony croons, with the help of the 4 passengers (The Alphabets) on their way to LA to land a recording contract .
Home Medley: A fun piece of modular song-writing. Different bus station customers share their thoughts on “home”. In the end, they all are saying the same thing.
The first section is a spiritual, followed by a truck-driving song. I added a rap in later versions, then a Letterman style 4-part version, a Garth Brooks version, then back to the spiritual. I have received a few requests to sing the spiritual at house warmings and such. It sounds great a-capella.