Work in Progress - Blackheath Arts

Work in Progress (Musicals)

Currently, Robert is working on two new musicals. The first called "THE WEDDING STAKES" follows the fortune of a black sheep scion of nobility, who falls in with a family of gamblers, when forced to marry to preserve his inheritance.

THE WEDDING STAKES.

CHARACTERS.

1. HARRY RACHITT THE BRIDEGROOM.

2. SHERRI BANKS THE BRIDE.

3. DEL BANKS THE BEST MAN.

4. DENNY BANKS THE BRIDE’S BROTHER.

5. ROY BANKS THE BRIDE’S FATHER.

6. LITTLE RAY THE BRIDE’S COUSIN.

7. NICK CHICANE GAMBLING HUSTLER.

8. BLACKIE BENTON GANGSTER LEADER.

9. HESTER RACHITT HE BRIDEGROOM’S AUNT.

1O. REVEREND DUNN AN ALCOHOLIC PRIEST.

11. VAL DOOLEY BRIDESMAID.

12. DORA LAPINE BRIDESMAID

ENSEMBLES.

CROUPIERS, GAMBLERS, CANDY CLUB SHOWGIRLS, DETECTIVES AND GANGSTERS.

SUMMARY OF SCENES.

ACT ONE.

SCENE ONE CLUBLAND U.S.A.

SCENE TWO THE STAR CASINO, LONDON.

SCENE THREE HARRY RACHITT’S FLAT.

SCENE FOUR THE OFFICE OF THE CANDY CLUB.

SCENE FIVE THE LANDBANK.

SCENE SIX THE LUCKY SPINNER RESTAURANT.

SCENE SEVEN THE CASINO AT THE LUCKY SPINNER.

SCENE EIGHT THE BANKS FAMILY HOME.

SCENE NINE HARRODS SHOPPING CAFÉ.

SCENE TEN THE CANDY CLUB.

SCENE ELEVEN THE CHURCH.

ACT TWO.

SCENE ONE THE CANDY CLUB.

SCENE TWO SHERRI’S FLAT.

SCENE THREE THE CANDY CLUB.

SCENE FOUR THE BANKS FAMILY HOME.

SCENE FIVE THE CANDY CLUB.

THE WEDDING STAKES.MUSICAL CONTENTS.

1. Green Baize and Baccarat. Harry,Croupiers, Gamblers.

2. So which do you fancy Sherri and Dora.

3. What kind of world is this. Sherri.

4. Holy Moses What a day I’ve had. Harry.
5. The Spin of the Wheel. Harry.

6. Oh You Precious Angel. Harry and Sherri.

7. You lot are pathetic. Roy Banks.

8. Ripe and Randy at the Candy. Candy Club Girls.

9. Ever Since We’ve known her. Rose and Lora.

ACT TWO.

1. The Whole Thing was a frame up. Del Banks, Father Dunn

2. I will never leave you. Sherri and Harry.

3. At first I thought that he was fun. Sherri.

4. Diga Diga Dig Dig Digadoo. Candy Club Girls.

5. Life is for living. Val, Dora and Gamblers.

6. Take me in your arms. Sherri and Harry.

7. Back where you belong. Dora and Roy Banks.

8. Tonight’s the Night. All the Wedding Guests.

9. Gambling in the Blood. All the Wedding Guests.

10. The Biggest Game in Town. Denny and Del Banks.

THE WEDDING STAKES. SYNOPSIS.

Harry Rachitt is a compulsive gambler, whose decadent life style has incurred the wrath of his family, who have broken all ties with him, and also attracted the attention of a family of hustlers, one of whom, Del Banks, having found out that Harry is due to inherit a fortune, earns Harry’s gratitude by helping him win a high stake poker game.

However when Harry wakes up with a hangover the following day, he finds a letter from his father, that warns him that the legacy he is expecting from his grandfather’s will, when he reaches the age of Twenty Three in three weeks time, will be forfeited, if he is still unmarried at that date.

Unnerved by the prospect of losing his inheritance, Harry sets out to find a wife, and in this he is helped by Del, who urges his sister, Sherri, to go on a date with him.

Sherri agrees reluctantly for, disenchanted by the gambling business since a fire at the Landbank Club destroyed the Banks family’s main source of income, Sherri wants to start a completely new life.

However when they meet Sherri finds herself strangely attracted to Harry and after embarking with him on a wild gambling spree and learning about his predicament, accepts his offer of marriage.

News of this is greeted with dismay by Del and the rest of the Banks clan, but later, assuming that the marriage must be one of convenience, and calculating that Sherri must have weighed the whole thing up, they agree to help arrange the wedding.

As the wedding day nears, however, two of the girls Sherri has invited to be bridesmaids from a club she runs called The Candy, express fears that the gangster, Blackie Benton, the man they believe responsible for the torching of the Landbank, will react badly to the news of the wedding, for they know that he’s obseesed with Sherri and has been pestering her for weeks.

Still all goes well till the marriage ceremony is rudely interrupted when Del is arrested on a charge of burglary and the first act ends in chaos as Del is led away by the police.

Act Two commence at The Candy Club where the wedding guests are put out to hear that Sherri and Harry have gone back to Sherri’s flat to change. Their spirits are lifted, however, when Del returns to declare that thanks to an alibi provided by the priest, who conducted the wedding service, the police were obliged to release him

Meanwhile in Sherri’s flat, Sherri gives Harry a copy of the marriage certificate. Harry responds by saying that if Sherri wants to split he will settle up with her without delay, but in the duet that follows it becomes obvious that he has fallen in love with her, while Sherri reciprocates, saying she wants to start her life anew.

As she does so the action switches back to the Candy Club, where Del’s brother, Denny learns to his horror that Del has incurred a huge debt, that has now been sold on to Blackie Benton. Consequently when Harry and Sherri accompanied by Sherri’s father, Roy, finally reach the wedding reception, the celebrations are short lived. For in the midst of this Benton arrives and as his gangsters seize Del in an arm lock, he threatens to wreck the club unless he immediately receives the money Del now owes him.

At this point Sherri’s father, Roy steps forward and offers to bet the Candy Club and all he owns against the debt. Benton insists however that the bet must include Harry’s entire estate and as Benton makes it clear that Del will suffer a brutal beating unless this condition is met, Harry tells Roy to go ahead and make the bet.

Roy does so and wins. However as Benton rages against the result, one of his henchmen whispers something urgently to him, whereupon Benton announces that for now he will leave, but promises to return and wreak vengeance on the entire assembly.

At this moment Harry’s aunt arrives and having screamed that the wedding was a put up job, produces evidence that Harry’s birth date was earlier than he thought, which means he'’ married too late to claim his grandfather’s legacy.
On hearing this Harry slumps in a chair, but Del, mindful of how Harry staked everything to save his skin, calls on the other guests to rally round and they all swear that they’ll stand by him.

Then as news comes through that Benton has been killed in a fight with another casino owner and the bridal couple leave for a secret honeymoon destination, Del bets that they will soon return, then adds
For though he’s lost his fortune now. One thing I’m sure is true.
He’s won out in the wedding stakes and I bet Shel does too.

Cos she’ll fight like mad for his estate and I bet she gets it too.

The second - "DRIFTING THROUGH THE WEE SMALL HOURS" is a story of loneliness and takes the form of a dream sequence, part real, part surreal, experienced by a woman as she look out from her apartment on the cold anonymity of the city far below.

Work in Progress (Musicals)

Music

Drama

Verse