10-MINUTE MUSICAL COLLECTION
A Most Average Musical
Stage Adaptation & Lyrics by Jonathan Keebler, Music by Bob Kelly, based on a screenplay by Talia Berger
First Friday night at college: will it be extraordinary, pathetic, or just average? Follow Jenny, her three roommates, and their quirky neighbor Charlie through an evening of highs and lows as they discover that sometimes average is extraordinary, too.
Comedy
Overview
Cast Size
1m, 4f
Duration
10 Mins Approx.
Setting
College Dorm, Present
Cautions
Mild Language
Subgenre
Romantic Comedy
Themes
College Life, Friendship, Self-Acceptance, Relationships
Target Audience
Teen (Age 14 - 18), Young Adult (Age 18 - 23), Adult
Style
Contemporary Musical Theatre
Instrumentation
Piano/Vocal, Bass, Drum Set
Additional Resources
Accompaniment Tracks
Synopsis
It’s Jenny’s first Friday night at college. While she sits in her apartment, her roommates Liz, Gwen, and Melanie prepare for their exciting evenings “WHAT A NIGHT”. Jenny’s roommates leave for their thrilling nights of romance, adventure, and productivity.
Feeling quite lonely and all set for a dull night in, Jenny’s imagination takes over. She envisions her roommates’ perfect nights as she sits at home with nothing to do “EXTRAORDINARY”. After this pity party, she hears a knock on the door…
Nervous neighbor Charlie stops by to ask for a toothbrush “TOOTHBRUSH”. Jenny’s relieved to meet someone in a similar situation, having a pathetic start to the college experience “PATHETIC”. Jenny invites Charlie to stay to watch some Netflix, and they choose a mutual favorite title: Undercover Llama.
Suddenly the apartment door blows open as the roommates return from their nights out “RETURN OF THE ROOMMATES”. Liz, Gwen, and Melanie each unpack their disappointing and humiliating evenings.
In the end, they learn that sometimes an average night in is just as extraordinary as an exciting night out “AVERAGE”, and they all enjoy the satisfying ending of the Netflix hit film: Undercover Llama.
Casting Information
-
JENNY: 18, Female identifying. An average girl who wants her life to be extraordinary.
-
LIZ: 18, Female identifying. A want-to-be sorority girl who craves status.
-
GWEN: 18, Female identifying. An ambitious student who wants to land a prized internship.
-
MELANIE: 18, Female identifying. A romantic who wants her tinder date to be perfect.
-
CHARLIE: 18, Male identifying. Jenny’s awkward neighbor who desperately needs to find a toothbrush.
Songs
Media
Production History
-
March 2019: Short Film of Musical Premieres on Youtube.
-
May 2017: Stage adaptation presented as part of SOUND BITES 4.0 with Theatre Now.
-
February 2015: Reading presented at NYU Tisch Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program Black Box Theatre.
Author Bios
JONATHAN KEEBLER is a lyricist and book writer based in New York City. Select musicals include Gay Card (music by Ryan Korell) and Truth Or Lie (music by Bob Kelly), as well as short works including Worlds Apart (music by Ryan Korell) and the short musical film, A Most Average Musical (screenplay by Talia Berger, music by Bob Kelly). His work has been seen at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival, SOUND BITES 4.0, UC Irvine’s 4@15, the North Raleigh Arts and Creative Theatre, the College of Charleston, and Rollins College, as well as performed at Feinstein’s/54 Below and Joe’s Pub. His work has been developed at the Johnny Mercer Writers Colony at Goodspeed Musicals, as well as by Hajjar Entertainment at the New York Theatre Workshop. He was a finalist for the Jonathan Larson Grants and is a proud member of the Dramatists Guild.
BOB KELLY is a NY-based composer/songwriter, pianist, music director, and orchestrator/arranger. Works of musical theatre include: gilgamesh & the mosquito (with Sam Chanse), Waiting… a song cycle (with Kelly Pomeroy), and Truth or Lie (with Jonathan Keebler). His work has been supported by the National Alliance for Musical Theatre, the Yale Institute for Music Theatre, The Gallery Players, Prospect Theater Company, NY Theatre Barn, Leviathan Lab, Theatre Now NY, NYU CDP Series, New Musicals Inc., and the Festival of New American Musicals in Los Angeles. Bob is from the Twin Cities, MN, and is a graduate of St.Olaf College and the NYU Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program. He was the 2013 recipient of the ASCAP Foundation Max Dreyfus Scholarship for musical theatre composition, and is a member of Local 802 AFM, ASCAP, and the Dramatists Guild. More info at bobkelly-music.com
TALIA BERGER is an LA-based writer and director. Talia studied film at Pennsylvania State University where she directed and produced her senior thesis film: A Most Average Musical (with Bob Kelly and Jonathan Keebler). Talia’s directing credits include: High School Musical, Reefer Madness, In the Heights, Pride and Prejudice, The Phantom Tollbooth and Urinetown. Talia directed the staged production of A Most Average Musical for Theatre Now’s SOUND BITES 4.0 in the summer of 2017. Since graduating, Talia has worked in film and television in both New York and Los Angeles. Her television credits include: Madam Secretary (CBS), Insecure (HBO), Lady Dynamite (Netflix), and Baskets (FX). Talia is a member of IATSE Local 871, currently working as a writer’s assistant on HBO Max’s Doom Patrol.