WAITING FOR EDDIE AT THE ORPHEUM
a new musical
by Dominic Sahagun
ACT I
The year is 1908.
Edward and Stephanie Lancashire come to a small town outside Somerset, England to stay three nights at The Orpheum. A bar, inn, and at one time a famous venue, The Orpheum is home to all sorts of rowdy misfits who drink and play music from dusk until dawn. Edward and Stephanie check in, dodging the rowdy crew. - OPENING.
We find out that Edward is in town for three conventions. His business partner, Oliver shows up late and checks in. Oliver is immediately taken with Stephanie, whom he has never met. He remarks to Mick, the owner, that the clock on the wall is broken. Mick replies, “Yes… I don’t think time matters much here, in this place...”
Upstairs in the Lancashires’ room, a young girl, Grace, has come in and won over Stephanie's heart. We come to know that Grace does not know where her parents are, but that the patrons in the bar have been looking after her the past days, specifically the Old Man, a mysterious homeless vagabond, who is hated by all.
Edward tells Stephanie to dispense of Grace, as he has the biggest convention center presentation of his life in the morning. Stephanie wants to make love, but Edward falls fast asleep - eye mask, earplugs, pajamas and all. The lights slowly come up on multiple rooms. Edward begins to dream, and in his sleep, sings THREE DAYS AGO with Stephanie, Oliver, Thomas and Marie joining in. During the song, we see the mutual attraction between Oliver and Stephanie begin to take shape. As the song ends, the set shifts to Brahms Convention Center the next morning, with Stephanie leading the charge of her husband's presentation, which is still unknown to the audience - A LOT OF WORK.
The bar patrons of The Orpheum have all followed in, as there is a real buzz regarding Edward. He sings HELP, and as the song ends, a sickly looking man limps in and sits down across from Oliver and Edward. The HYPNOSIS THEME begins, and we all watch Oliver hypnotize Edward, which in turn gets Edward to see a vision of the man’s cure while under hypnosis. The two men have been on the road for months, perfecting this process, and have created quite a racket. There is much excitement as we all realize Edward is a healer of sickness, pain and disease - A LOT OF WORK (REPRISE).
Back at the Orpheum Bar, Thomas (nephew to the owner, Mick), has become infatuated with the girl new in town - Marie. As Thomas tries to win her over by dancing and singing with his mates, Mick tells Marie to "take it easy on the boy, his father just passed." As she leaves the bar, Thomas tries to win her back (with Dee and Frankie) - FIRE SONG. She walks away laughing, but Thomas' mates urge him to follow.
He re-enters in his father’s Model T automobile (the only thing he left him in his will) - CAR SONG. As the song ends, Thomas (now very drunk), falls and hits his head on the sidewalk. Marie rolls her eyes and begins to leave… but for some reason, she turns around, lifts him up and carries him back into the Orpheum Bar, and eventually to his room - MARIE BRINGS THOMAS BACK TO LIFE. The raucous party continues downstairs - CAR SONG (REPRISE).
Upstairs in Thomas' room, he drinks his first Coca Cola, as Marie inspects his environment. Nothing much, except an old guitar in the corner. He only plays a few chords, but Marie urges Thomas to play - SING ME A SONG. He finally relents, and confesses he had been working on something new the other day - THOMAS' SONG - while the party rages downstairs. Marie removes her blouse, and kisses Thomas as the song ends.
After, as the party finally starts to wane downstairs - Frankie says to Dee, "Well, what are we going to do now?" Just then, Thomas appears coming down the stairs. "A new record boy!" - Dee teases him, as the crowd beg Thomas to perform ANIMAL DANCE. And after much protesting, he finally gives in. The three men each grab a tiger, lion and antelope mask from the wall. They put them on and perform a fierce tap dance, as the band plays on. Marie comes downstairs in Thomas’ robe wondering where he is. Dee and Frankie joke and insult the girl, with Thomas silent, and still very drunk. She gets her things and leaves in a huff.
Suddenly, the Old Man enters. He is wearing an old cloak, smells terribly, and is just a very unsightly homeless character. He yells at the patrons who detest him, and they all leave the bar quickly. He sings ALONE, first to Mick, and then once Mick leaves, to the audience. He tells a story of an old love, as he hooks his cloak on the coat rack, and dances with it.
The next morning (MORNING) – All the bar patrons are back (some slept in the bar), as well as Melinda and Melissa, and they all begin their normal drinking routine. Edward, Oliver and Stephanie had already been at the convention center all morning, with Oliver and Stephanie returning early. “Oh, Edward’s still there signing autographs and the like...”
As Oliver and Stephanie exit upstairs, the bar patrons joke, “Who then would suspect the hypnotist and Steph?” They all laugh hard.
Sure enough, upstairs in the Lancashires’ room, Oliver sings NO REGRETS with Stephanie, who at once stops him, but eventually relents. They have sex on the bed quickly. Oliver tells her he wants her to leave with him to his summer home in Georgia, immediately. He somehow gets her to pack her bag – THE FIGHT – when suddenly Edward walks in. At first they deny, but it is obvious what is going on. Faced with the thought of losing his spouse and successful business in the same day, Edward forces himself to gently and calmly sing WERE THEY EVER YOURS OR MINE. However, Stephanie and Oliver coldly leave, saying “Don’t follow us.” (Is Stephanie being hypnotized? We do not know…)
Downstairs, Edward finally lets his rage out – THE FIGHT (REPRISE). Oliver and Stephanie leave The Orpheum, and the Old Man physically stops Edward from following them. Edward goes upstairs, avoiding the crowd who surely know all.
The bar patrons continue to drink, but soon notice Grace in the corner who has been crying. She thought of Mrs. Lancashire as a mother, and is realizing she will never see her again. Frankie goads Dee on to speak to Grace and cheer her up, but definitely not to blame Mrs. Lancashire. Dee and the bar patrons sing SOMETIMES, which gets everyone back up to the party.
Upstairs, Edward is in shock, and in hell – POEM FOR YOU. Grace enters the room, and interrupts, telling him that it has begun to snow, and that it hasn’t snowed in one hundred years, and “we’re all going to go outside and throw snowballs at eachother, sir.” Edward ignores the girl, as Mick, Mel and Mel gather her up, and take her outside.
Edward stares out the window at the falling snow and sings POEM FOR YOU PART TWO. “...And did it snow when we first met..?” As he watches everyone outside playing with Grace, he breaks down.
Afterwards, Edward goes downstairs to begin drinking. The band play his and Stephanie’s song – THE ORPHEUM THEME – at which point, Edward slams the piano hard, and the band quickly change their tune. Thomas is his normal rowdy self - out of control. The two of them start yapping and jabbing at each other, with Edward being especially cruel and nasty. “Who raised you, boy?”
Thomas breaks a bottle and holds it to Edward’s neck, drawing blood. A few men who were at the bar grab Thomas, and find a policeman, saving Edward’s life. Everyone follows outside, except Mick and Edward. After some silence, Mick says to him, “I thought you wanted to help…”
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ACT II
The town immediately holds court to try Thomas for the attempted murder of Edward. To everyone’s surprise, Stephanie is summoned, and she overwhelmingly defends Thomas. Because of his deep love of Stephanie, and his true shock that she is there - Edward denies any wrongdoing of him. The case is dismissed.
In the hallway, as all look on, Edward tries to win back Stephanie. For a moment she considers, but eventually she leaves him for the last time. Edward is flown back into his room at The Orpheum, where he begins his depressive descent.
Thomas wakes up from a long, vivid dream about Marie, who he is becoming obsessed with. In the dream, there was a wooden house, a radio, and a new born baby girl. He immediately starts writing and playing “Wait All Night” on guitar. His Uncle Mick suggests he should play the song with the band downstairs. Thomas relents, and the band alter his song multiple times, until it becomes unrecognizable from the original... Marie appears at The Orpheum in a new dress. Thomas goes to her again, and begs for another chance. Marie explains she could never be with someone like Thomas – “out of control…I don’t know, I think you…” – “What?,” Thomas replies. Marie – “I think you need help or something Thomas.” “With what?” “I don’t know, the drink or something.. I.. I can’t do this.”
And as she leaves, Thomas begins to follow…
The Old Man stops Thomas in his tracks, as The Orpheum flies off. He sings his strange song, and the entire cast join him onstage.
In Oliver and Stephanie’s bedroom, we walk in on the end of a fight. It is late at night, Stephanie wants to go out on the town; however, Oliver is already in his pajamas.
Stephanie does her make up in the mirror at her dressing table, and sings to the audience, then into the mirror…
She considers leaving Oliver, then returns. She has a major breakdown, as the band join her in her dressing room.
In Marie’s bedroom, she is quite content being alone, and has all that she needs.
She sings to the audience about her strange childhood. Simultaneously, at the Orpheum Bar, Thomas and the band try working on a new song.
The night has turned cold, and the patrons have left. Thomas asks Mick where everyone has gone. Mick tells him there’s a gigantic storm coming..
They talk about Marie. Thomas says that she said he needs “help.” Mick suggests he speak to Edward upstairs in his room.
- “Are you mad ?!”
- “Thomas, a man.. Can forgive… Go on.”
Thomas thinks for a bit, then goes upstairs to speak to Edward, who is now a broken man. Edward answers the door in his underclothes, dirty and sweaty. He is not eating, and not sleeping.
- “You?? What, have you come to drive the knife in further, boy?”
He lets him in.
They talk about what Marie had said, but Edward confesses any power he once had is gone.
“Gone with Oliver. He was...everything. I am nothing without him.”
As Thomas turns to leave, he bumps a table, dropping a large book onto the hardwood floor with a loud *Clap*, exactly as Oliver had clapped in the first act during “Hypnosis Theme.” Edward looks out in a daze, and says, “Wait… Sit down. Lay down here… Tell me about your… father.”
Thomas goes on to say he can’t remember anything about his past, not even this past week. Edward says, “What is your oldest memory? Think, boy.”
Thomas replies, “Ladybugs.”
He begins to recall random memories from his childhood, which we see from behind a scrim onstage. His younger self walking through rosemary bushes. His mother leaving when he was five. And last week, his father committing suicide, by cutting his own throat. Thomas finding him...
Edward holds Thomas as he cries uncontrollably.
They hear music downstairs, and Thomas goes to see what’s going on.
The storm has passed, Mick says. The patrons are returning. And the band has a new song. It pleases the crowd, and they ask for them to play it again. Just then, Marie walks into the Orpheum Bar in her brand new dress.
Thomas goes to her and sings, “Now that you’re here.. Don’t disappear..”
Marie is willing to give Thomas another shot. Grace, who had been spying on Edward and Thomas the past three days, runs upstairs to tell Edward the news. She finds Edward in a sort of catatonic state. Suddenly, he breaks Stephanie’s Grandmother’s antique toy piano, and sings, “I should’ve left three days ago…”
Grace pulls Edward down to her level, and slaps him. She brings him downstairs, and shows him Thomas and Marie who are embracing, truly together for the first time. Thomas has changed, and in that moment Edward realizes that he has done what he truly set out to do.
The cast break the fourth wall and sing to the audience, as the Old Man enters, dropping his hood, and raising a scythe. He lifts his arms, and it is as if he is moving the stage set with his hands. The Orpheum flies off, and the cast all walk upstage one by one, into a gigantic bright sun. Until finally, Marie and Thomas sing, “The moment you go, the moment you go, I think I’d feel it, and I could be anywhere at all, anywhere at all…”
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