Set in September 1968, this bra-burnin' musical comedy -- featuring an original "ear-bending" score of country, blues, light jazz and gospel -- imagines the impact that the infamous feminist protest against the Miss America Pageant in Atlantic City has on five women in a rural small town when they hear the news on their kitchen radios. Eleanor, the lonely young wife of a bank manager, is unpacking yet again. Her only friends are the female country music stars she listens to, and she fantasizes that she is one of them singing on the Opry. When Eleanor becomes entangled in the lives of local women Sophie, Maggie, Helen and Angela, their worlds crack wide open as they confront secret troubles, old hurts, loneliness and discrimination -- eventually discovering voice, empowerment and liberation through friendship and music. "Raucous ... Uplifting ... Joyous ... Powerful"
Co-composer: David Archibald
First produced in 2014 at Blyth Festival, Blyth, ON
Genre: Comedy, Play with music
Running Time: 145 minutes
Acts: 2
Content notes: Score available upon request.
Cast size: 8 actors
Male roles: 3
Female roles: 5
Casting note:Â All cast members are musicians and perform the music live on stage.