STEVIE: LIFE IN THE KEY OF WONDER _____________________________ Book by Stefan Farrenkopf Songs by Stevie Wonder and others DRAFT ONE October 4, 2016 Adapted from In The Key of Wonder of June 28, 2016 Copyright © 2016, 746 Cherry Wood Place by Stefan Farrenkopf Gahanna, OH 43230 Phone: (614) 595-9800 E-mail: [email protected] LIST OF LIVE MUSICAL NUMBERS 1. “Contusion” (Stevie Wonder) 2. “I Wish” (Wonder) 3. “Please Mr. Postman”* (Georgia Dobbins, William Garrett, Freddie Gorman, Brian Holland, and Robert Bateman) 4. “You’ve Really Got a Hold On Me”* (Smokey Robinson) 5. “Do You Love Me”* (Berry Gordy, Jr.) 6. “Fingertips Part 2” (Clarence Paul and Henry Cosby) 7. “The Mooche”* (Duke Ellington and Irving Mills) 8. “Take The A-Train”* (Billy Strayhorn) 9. “One O’clock Jump”* (Count Basie) 10. “In The Mood”* (Wingy Manone, Andy Razaf, Joe Garland) 11. “When The Saints Go Marching In”* (trad.) 12. “It Don’t Mean A Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)”* (Ellington and Mills) 13. “Sir Duke” (Wonder) 14. “Uptight (Everything’s Alright)” (Wonder, Sylvia Moy, Cosby) 15. “Superstition” (Wonder) 16. “Living For The City” (Wonder) 17. “Love’s In Need Of Love Today” (Wonder) 18. “You Haven’t Done Nothing” (Wonder) 19. Medly: Portions of a. “I Just Called To Say I Love You” (Wonder) b. “Part Time Lover” (Wonder) c. “That’s What Friends Are For” (Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager) d. “Skeletons” (Wonder) e. “Jungle Fever” (Wonder) 20. “Singed Sealed Delivered I’m Yours” (Wonder, Lee Garrett, Syreeta Wright, Lula Mae Hardaway) * Portion or fragment only Stevie: Life In the Key of Wonder 1 SCENE 1 Houselights dim and the stage is dark. SFX fade up: sounds of Detroit, 1950: traffic, industry, neighborhoods, a train. TITLE CARD is projected: Once Upon a Time Projection crossfades to in the Motor City Projection crossfades to: 1950 Beneath the sound effects is the sound of hissing. It gets louder as the other sounds fade out. The hissing gets louder. It is quite loud now. It ends abruptly as: ISO light comes up, center stage. LITTLE STEVIE is in the light: white t-shirt, jeans, Chucks. No glasses. He is still. A boy runs across the stage in a white t shirt and jeans. As he passes near the ISO, BAND plays MUSIC CUE 0.5 BAND (KEYBOARD ONLY) The first five notes of “I Wish.” As the boy runs off the stage, the music stops. END MUSIC CUE 0.1 MUSIC CUE 0.2 BAND (KEYBOARD, BASS, HIGHHAT) The first nine notes of the “I Wish” motif. Two figures, again children, again in white t’s and jeans, run across the stage the other way. END MUSIC CUE 0.2 Stefan Farrenkopf 2 STEVIE is confused now. He cocks is head, turning, listening. One last time, groups of kids run from both directions as MUSIC CUE 0.3 BAND (FULL) Plays the intro motif to “I Wish”(16 notes) The last couple kids to run by knock STEVIE down and out of the ISO. Full stage lights come up suddnely and the music shifts abruptly to MUSIC CUE 1: “CONTUSION” Synopsis of Dance: The narrative of this dance is STEVIE’s confusion, discovery, and then frustration at his inability to see and experience the world. The CHORUS is not antagonistic toward him; just ambivalent. They have their own things to do. There is a lot of movement in this piece, especially long crosses as people come and go in their busy lives. Consider including trappings of the day-to-day: briefcases, shopping carts, etc. All should be period early 1950s. When the lights come up we see the DENIZENS dressed in the trappings of a stereotypical populace: suits, dresses, leisure wear, uniforms. IN DANCE: The DENIZENS are in tableau, some as individuals, some as pairs, some in groups – families, co-workers - all frozen in the midst of activity. At each of the motifs in “Contusions” intro (roughly :00, :04, :08, :12, :16) the tableaus change. STEVIE is increasingly aware of activity around him. When the main theme begins, the DENIZENS move through life with increasing activity. Their numbers grow. The guitar/synth hook represents the activity of the DENIZENS. The Wurlitzer groove between hooks serves as STEVIE’S increasing confusion and fear. Stevie: Life In the Key of Wonder 3 As the main groove returns (at 1:40), the DENIZENS become aware of STEVIE. They try to assist in his confusion, but he is frightened and runs or stumbles from each attempt. They can’t reach him. At the melodic shift at 2:10, the DENIZONS give up, but not without sympathy. They can’t get through to him – what can they do? The returning guitar/synth hook at 2:15 is a return to their rapid day-to-day activities. However, the KIDS return. They bring STEVIE into the dance. He dances with them, and they with the DENIZENS, until STEVIE is a part of the wider world. There is joy and fun and energy in their dance, in the key of life. The adults exit, leaving STEVIE with THE KIDS. END MUSIC CUE 1 MUSIC CUE 2 “I WISH” Synopsis of Dance: This is STEVIE having fun and being a kid, becoming himself in the neighborhood. Scenes from the lyrics should be acted out as much as possible (when appropriate, suggested by underlines in the lyrics.) Through the dance, though, there should be increasing conflict between THE KIDS and ADULTS, and especially between STEVIE and a dancer representing HIS MOTHER. MALE VOCALIST LOOKING BACK ON WHEN I WAS A LITTLE NAPPY HEADED BOY THEN MY ONLY WORRY WAS FOR CHRISTMAS WHAT WOULD BE MY TOY EVEN THOUGH WE SOMETIMES WOULD NOT GET A THING WE WERE HAPPY WITH THE JOY THE DAY WOULD BRING Enter MAMA. SNEAKING OUT THE BACK DOOR TO HANG OUT WITH THOSE HOODLUM FRIENDS OF MINE GREETED AT THE BACK DOOR Stefan Farrenkopf 4 WITH BOY THOUGHT I TOLD YOU NOT TO GO OUTSIDE TRYIN' YOUR BEST TO BRING THE WATER TO YOUR EYES THINKIN' IT MIGHT STOP HER FROM WOOPIN' YOUR BEHIND Big synchronized dance I WISH THOSE DAYS COULD COME BACK ONCE MORE WHY DID THOSE DAYS EV-ER HAVE TO GO I WISH THOSE DAYS COULD COME BACK ONCE MORE WHY DID THOSE DAYS EV-ER HAVE TO GO CAUSE I LOVE THEM SO For the next verse, a spirit of abandon and fun is more important than literal depiction of the scene BROTHER SAYS HE'S TELLIN' 'BOUT YOU PLAYIN' DOCTOR WITH THAT GIRL JUST DON'T TELL I'LL GIVE YOU ANYTHING YOU WANT IN THIS WHOLE WIDE WORLD MAMA GIVES YOU MONEY FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL YOU TRADE YOURS FOR CANDY AFTER CHURCH IS THROUGH SMOKIN' CIGARETTES AND WRITING SOMETHING NASTY ON THE WALL (YOU NASTY BOY) TEACHER SENDS YOU TO THE PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE DOWN THE HALL YOU GROW UP AND LEARN THAT KINDA THING AIN'T RIGHT BUT WHILE YOU WERE DOING IT-IT SURE FELT OUTTA SIGHT I WISH THOSE DAYS COULD COME BACK ONCE MORE WHY DID THOSE DAYS EV-ER HAVE TO GO I WISH THOSE DAYS COULD COME BACK ONCE MORE WHY DID THOSE DAYS EV-ER HAVE TO GO During the extended horn break that closes the song, STEVIE, HOODLUMS, and PLAYMATES dance various activities of youth and fun. END MUSIC CUE 2 The music ends abruptly, in the midst of a measure, as the KIDS and HOODLUMS, engaged in hijinks are interrupted by MAMA, who glares at them, coming between STEVIE and THE KIDS. MAMA drags STEVIE by his ear back to his ISO. Stevie: Life In the Key of Wonder 5 Other lights fade. Silence. STEVIE is in the ISO. Stefan Farrenkopf 6 SCENE 2 SFX: Static, old-time radio shifting stations. A smaller ISO fades up DSL. In it is a radio, 1950s style. The static resolves on a tinny recording of “Money (That’s What I Want)” by Barrett Strong. STEVIE finds his way to the radio. He picks it up and fiddles with the knob. SFX: Static, and tuning in to “Shop Around” by the Miracles STEVIE likes this very much. SFX: Static, and the radio tunes to The Miracles “Who’s Loving You”. STEVIE finds an electrical cable running from the back of the radio. He puts the radio down and holds the cord, following it in a long, serpentine route around the stage. A large sign flies in: “Hitsville U.S.A.” Typeface and color should match the above. PROJECTED TITLE CARD: 1961 Projection crossfades to: Little Stevie in Motown As Stevie follows the cord, the static returns intermittently, tuning into various pre-1961 Motown hits: “Bad Girl” by The Miracles, “Bye Bye Baby” by Mary Wells, “I Want a Guy” by The Supremes. He reaches a door. He opens it and the music stops. Across from the door is a candy machine of the early 1950s. Stevie: Life In the Key of Wonder 7 This is large candy machine, with the pull levers, similar to an old cigarette machine. (This machine exists! It was in the Motown offices then and it still is. I can’t find a picture of it online, but it’s similar to this one.) STEVIE approaches the candy machine. He finds a coin in his pocket, inserts in into the machine and pulls a lever. SFX of a candy bar falling through the machine into the tray. Strings of running lights fly in from the ceiling in an echo to the “snakepit,” Motown’s iconic Studio A, with microphone cords running from the ceiling.