john & jen
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| john & jen | |
| Music | Andrew Lippa |
|---|---|
| Lyrics | Tom Greenwald |
| Book | Andrew Lippa Tom Greenwald |
| Productions | 1995 Off-Broadway |
john & jen is a musical with music by Andrew Lippa, lyrics by Tom Greenwald, and a book by Lippa and Greenwald. It is a two person show about the relationships first between a brother and sister, John and Jen, and then, after John is killed, between Jen and her son, also named John. It opened Off Broadway in 1995.
The first act shows John and Jen (siblings) growing up in the 1950's. Their father is a strict military man (and it is implied that he is abusive), and Jen, the older of the two siblings, tries to protect her brother. Despite their frequent arguments, John begs Jen not to leave for college. She does, and without her, John follows his father's influence and joins the navy. Jen becomes a hippie and a druggie. John is sent to Vietnam, where he dies.
The second act shows Jen struggling to raise a child (named John, after his uncle) on her own. She sees similarities in her son and brother. When John is accepted at Columbia, Jen hides his acceptance packet. John finds out, but refuses to attend because he sees how his mother needs him. Jen is upset by the fact that John is throwing away his future, and she slaps him. Jen is then upset by her own reaction, because it reminds her of her father. Jen realizes that it is time to move on and be independent, and the musical closes with each taking their first steps on their own.
[edit] Premiere performances
Premiered at Lamb's Theater in NYC on June 1, 1995.
- Carolee Carmello as Jen
- James Ludwig as John
Directed by Gabriel Barre
Toronto Premiere by Acting Up Stage Theatre Company at the Walmer Centre Theatre, Toronto, ON (ran Jan. 26 - Feb. 11, 2006)
- Stephanie Roth as Jen
- Kyle Blair as John
Directed by Michael Jones, Musical Direction by Wayne Gwillim, Produced by Mitchell Marcus, Stage Managed by Dot Routledge.
[edit] Songs
- Welcome To The World
- Think Big
- Dear God
- Hold Down The Fort
- Timeline
- It Took Me A While
- Out Of My Sight
- Run And Hide
- Old Clothes
- Little League
- Just Like You
- Bye Room
- Talk Show
- Smile Of Your Dreams
- Graduation
- The Road Ends Here
- That Was My Way
- Every Goodbye is Hello
[edit] References
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