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Vaudeville: a play with music

by Laurence Carr

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Musical Consultant: Gene Jones
(NOTE: all songs in the script are royalty free)

Synopsis:
Set in Philadelphia in 1919 in the parlor of Kit Turner’s theatrical boarding house, this bitter-sweet comedy is filled with humor and song, exploring the lives of eleven vaudevillians trying to make it to the ‘Big-Time” before the movies make their form of entertainment a memory.

Theatre History:
The following is the list of theatres in which Vaudeville has been produced:

The Willows Theatre, Martinez, CA (Cabaret contract) July 2012

The Advent Theatre, North Hollywood, CA (AEA Guest Artist Contract) Oct. 2011

Virginia Stage Company, Norfolk, VA (AEA LORT) Sept.-Oct. 2002

Plymouth Theatre Guild, Plymouth, MI (Community Theatre)

El Paso Playhouse, El Paso, TX (Community Theatre)

The Calumet Theatre, Calumet, MI (Community Theatre)

The State Theatre, Theatricks by Starlight, Deposit, NY (Community/Summer Stock)

The Flat Rock Theatre, NC; (AEA Summer Stock)

Oldcastle Theatre Company, Bennington Center for the Arts, Bennington, VT; (AEA Regional)

The Attic Theatre, Detroit MI (AEA Regional) Nov. 1986  

Reading/Workshop at Westbeth Theatre, NYC 1985 (Peter Schifter, director)

Praise for Vaudeville

Vaudeville is as expertly rendered as anything I’ve seen Off-Broadway in recent seasons. Laurence Carr pays the best kind of homage to the show business of the past- he tries to tell the truth about it. The characters are fresh and fully developed.”
—The Detroit News, Edward Hayman

Vaudeville captures the spirit of a fertile era in the history of the American theatre, written with a sharp eye, a good ear and a warm heart.”
- Robert W. Snyder, The Voice of the City: Vaudeville and Popular Culture in New York; Oxford University Press    

"The play I will look back on with the most fondness is the period comedy-drama, Vaudeville, which recently finished its world premiere run at the Attic Theatre. Written and directed by Laurence Carr, Vaudeville is funny and sad, brimming with witty period dialogue and beautifully performed.
--“Theatre Year in Review”, Metro Times, Detroit, Kevin Sweeney

Vaudeville--[an] old-fashioned happy time of songs, straw hats, and snappy patter.”
—Detroit Free Press, Lawrence DeVine

“Laurence Carr’s wistful comedy…receiving a dandy production at Detroit’s Attic Theatre…animated by a touching fondness of a life that has vanished. All the performances mesh beautifully. [It] affectionately captures a way of life in transition.”
--The Windsor Star, Windsor, Ontario, Canada, Harry van Vugt

“There’s a lot going for Vaudeville. There’s a familiar hint of Kaufman and Hart in Carr’s ensemble. We’re caught up in the people and emotions. There is much charm to Vaudeville.”
--Oakland Press (MI), John Kennet

“Carr has created 11 very distinct and memorable characters. He also directs this production with a close eye for comedic business and emotion. From the start to the singing finale, Vaudeville is a show the whole family can enjoy.”
—The Monitor, Detroit, Clarence Persinger

“Vaudeville, a new play by Laurence Carr, premiered at the Attic Theatre to a receptive first-night crowd. And when it was over, applause rang through the house. The audience was entertained, they had their emotions stirred, they were reflective – all those things for which one goes to the theatre.”
—New Center News, Detroit, Deebe Ferris

“A tender yet telling portrait of a unique American phenomenon… Vaudeville captures the heart and soul of this era of history that will stay with the audience long after the curtain falls.”
—The Asheville Citizen-Times, Asheville, NC, Tim Reid

“…intriguing, thought-provoking and highly entertaining…Vaudeville is full of wit, razor-sharp one-liners and warm period songs [with] a colorful pastiche scenes that alternated between spirited showmanship and compelling drama.”
—The Bennington Banner, Bennington, VT, Jonathan Potter

“Carr finds in Vaudeville the perfect metaphor for the classic American melting pot that shaped this nation. Racial and ethnic animosity are not far below the surface of the one-liners and barbs these characters trade with each other at will. The differences that divide us also, Carr suggests, bind us together. This is not only a history of a now defunct popular entertainment form, it is a crash course in American social and cultural history.”
—The Berkshire Eagle, (MA), Jeffery Borak

“Vaudeville leaves you laughing while touching your heart.”
—The Transcript, (VT) Rosemary Jette

“…a poignant play…”
—Backstage, (New York City), Eleanor Koblenz

Praise from the Producers and Directors

Vaudeville is the perfect show for summer theatre, wonderfully entertaining, a true crowd-pleaser, and happily, one of the highest grossing hits of our season."
—Robin Farquhar, Executive Director, Flat Rock Playhouse, The State Theatre of North Carolina; Producer of Vaudeville

“Laurence Carr's Vaudeville is an entertaining, crowd-pleasing play. Our production earned lots of laughs, a tear or two, and enthusiastic applause. The play is ideal for regional theatre and deserves to be produced throughout the country."
—Eric Peterson, Artistic Director of Oldcastle Theatre Company, Bennington, VT; Producer/Director of Vaudeville

 “Vaudeville takes you straight to the heart of a great American theatrical movement with style and grace. Everyone, including producers and directors, should consider its impact".
—Patricia Pawlicki, Producing Director, The Calumet Theatre,
Calumet, MI; Producer/Director of Vaudeville

“For young and old alike, Laurence Carr's Vaudeville is a look at the legacy of stage music and comedy and a lesson in love and loyalty all wrapped up in a touching, entertaining play."
--Herbert Ferrer, Program Director; Michigan Council of Arts and Cultural Affairs

“A charmer of a play for actors and audiences alike. Vaudeville is an anthem in praise of an era that is long since gone, but should never be forgotten."
—Lavinia Moyer, Artistic Director, The Attic Theatre, Detroit, MI;     Producer of Vaudeville