A chorus of uncles and aunts gathers to take stock of Stuarte’s life, and the story unspools in retrospect.
Stuarte is born to Franklin and Marilyn James (“Stuarte”), who expect him to take his place in the family banking business. He sells produce instead (“Stuarte Starts a Business”). He finds joy in his new wife, Caroline (“Stuarte Takes a Wife”), and greater joy still in their son, Cage (“Cage Is Born”). The business thrives, the family prospers, the uncles and aunts are impressed. All is right in the world.
Then Cage, who despises produce, comes into the business and moves to sell it out from under his father to two shady operators, Newark Neil and Secaucus Syd (“Cage and Neil”). Cage dies mysteriously. The loss guts Stuarte and Caroline (“Cage Is Gone”). Caroline dies soon after, for no reason anyone can name (“Caroline Dies”). Stuarte is left with nothing but his head in his hands.
The uncles and aunts demand a happy ending. Stuarte never did anything wrong — so why is he being punished? Unless he did do something wrong, something none of them saw, and the accounting is fair after all. They turn the question over, and it turns on them. If a man can lose a son, a wife, and a life’s work without cause, then cause was never the point. The chorus looks out at the house, at each other, at the man with his head in his hands, and arrives at the only conclusion left: nothing is protecting them either. They have not done anything wrong. Neither did Stuarte. The lights go down on a room full of people doing the arithmetic.
PRODUCTION
This was Sean’s first musical, produced in 1985.
THE SONGS
Stuarte
Stuarte Starts a Business
Stuarte Takes a Wife
Cage is Born
Cage and Neil
Cage is Gone
Carolyne Dies