A musical for 5 men
and one woman, exploring the diverse world of
transvestites (TV's) and cross dressers, many of whom are married men.
The message of "Hello, Gorgeous!" is
about the need for acceptance and the expression of individuality and
courage. This is the theme that runs through the show.
Cast of Characters
Musical Numbers
CAST
OF CHARACTERS
(in order of appearance)
TOOTS
A chubby transvestite in his forties...gay, personable, a
somewhat nervous type...very show business oriented...dresses full time in
women's attire.
JAMIE
An attractive gay male in his twenties...enjoys life, has his
act together and loves to dress up in simple, unadorned drag for the sheer
fun of it. His natural, boyish good looks make him equally appealing as a
male or a female.
MANNY
A widower in his fifties...a laid back,
gentle personality...totally heterosexual...a late-in-life cross dresser
who dresses up to enjoy a feeling of closeness to women.
DIVA
A funny, sharp-tongued opera fanatic in
his late thirties...a larger-than-life personality who dresses in drag for
its theatrical effect. He possesses an astonishing soprano voice.
HARRY
The stage manager...in his
thirties...heterosexual...a straight-appearing, 'in charge' kind of
guy...and a family man, who is an occasional, but very 'closeted' cross
dresser.
BELLE
An outgoing, loveable, somewhat
eccentric, but still intelligent woman in her
forties...heterosexual...completely at home with alternate lifestyles. She
is Jamie's mother and owner of the 'Hello Gorgeous' consignment shop.
FURTHER CHARACTER
INSIGHTS
-
The performers who are
onstage want to be accepted by the audience for putting on a good show
for BELLE'S
charity benefit. They try hard and we know it. ("Hello,
Gorgeous")
-
JAMIE,
as a young man, seeks his mother's understanding and acceptance of his
lifestyle. ("Mother's
Clothes")
-
MANNY,
a recent widower, is looking for a place where he can
'belong'...overcome is loneliness, and feel comfortable with his
new-found cross dressing. He even seeks his late wife's approval ("Closer
Than Ever Before"),
but it is BELLE
who gives MANNY
that acceptance.
-
"The
Internet" begins
with BELLE
commenting on the cross dressers' need for friendship, and where one
might look to find it. It is about the same needs we all share.
-
TOOTS
wants support from the others when he portrays his beloved Bette
Davis, and, of course, he wants acceptance from the audience when he
performs "Miss Bette
D." Moreover,
he wants us to feel as passionately about Bette Davis as he does. We
really root for TOOTS
in this scene.
-
DIVA'S love
(even obsession) for opera, extends beyond the art form which he so
adores, to his own amazing voice. When he performs the tour de force, "La
Davina," it is surely a plea for acceptance of his own
vocal abilities as well.
-
HARRY
hides his own cross dressing activities, confining them to the group.
But when he is attacked and 'outed' near the end of Act II, his own
wife's acceptance now becomes critical to him. ("Would She
Want Me If She Really Knew Me?")
-
When BELLE
and the COMPANY
sing "Be True To Yourself," it is the final
and unquestionable entreaty for love and acceptance.
MUSICAL
NUMBERS
ACT ONE |
TV Land |
JAMIE, DIVA, TOOTS,
MANNY, HARRY |
Hello, Gorgeous |
MANNY, DIVA, TOOTS,
JAMIE, with HARRY |
Mother's Clothes |
JAMIE and BELLE |
Accessorize |
BELLE and DIVA |
Gotta Go |
HARRY, BELLE, MAITRE D'
(Maitre D' is played by TOOTS) |
Closer Than Ever Before |
MANNY |
The Internet |
DIVA, TOOTS, HARRY, with
BELLE |
Call Me Hank |
JAMIE and HANK
(Hank is played by Harry) |
Miss Bette D |
TOOTS |
Just Keep On Tuckin' |
BELLE, HARRY, and
COMPANY |
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|
|
|
ACT TWO |
TV Land (Reprise) |
JAMIE, MANNY, HARRY,
TOOTS, DIVA |
La Divina |
DIVA |
Plain Jane Jamie |
JAMIE |
Boys In Boas |
COMPANY |
Would She Want Me If She Really Knew Me? |
HARRY |
Be True To Yourself |
BELLE and COMPANY |
Dressed To Kill |
COMPANY |
Finale |
COMPANY |
COMMENTS ABOUT
SONGS
-
The opening number, "TV
Land," performed by the entire company, reminds us which 'TV Land' we are
really in:
"Lucy and Rick are dead . . . likewise are
Ethel and Fred.
Make or break . . . it's time to take a stand . . . in TV Land."
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-
The title song, "Hello
Gorgeous," transforms a dull unappealing husband into a glamorous starlet before our eyes.
-
In "Mother's Clothes," a high school student picks
through his mother's clothes closet while she watches, unobserved. She
is amazed that he looks better in her things than she does.
-
"Gotta Go" features a couple out on the town at the
Russian Czar Cafe, with the man dressed in drag so he can drink
for free on ladies' night. He is pursued by a lusty
Maitre 'd while he desperately attempts to use the restroom.
-
"Call Me Hank" finds a cross dresser on a deserted
road, changing a flat tire . . . when a cop unexpectedly pulls up and
offers to help.
-
"Just Keep On Tuckin'" is practical advice for Dolly
Parton-esque cross dressers about what to do with their 'privates'
during a country western hoe down.
-
"La Divina" (the opera queena)
is an operatic
tour-de-force for temperamental divas everywhere.
-
"Plain Jane Jamie"
calls for the acceptance of cross
dressers, by suggesting less glamour and more simplicity and
refinement.
-
"Be True To Yourself" becomes the 'anthem' for TV
Land when a closeted cross dresser is discovered by his co-workers who
beat him and reveal his secret to his wife.
-
"Dressed To Kill"
closes the show with the Femme Fatale
Fancy Dress Ball, where the judges are about to pick the reigning
queen and the five finalists will do anything to win.
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