R.S.V.P. - 20-minute short musical. Book by Donna Warfield, Lyrics by Arianna Rose, Music by Aden Kent Ramsey by Arianna Rose

[20-minute musical]
Book by Donna Warfield
Lyrics by Arianna Rose
Music by Aden Kent Ramsey

Synopsis:
Gina is still carrying a big torch for her ex-husband, Tony. Convinced he still loves her, she concocts a plan to make him jealous by sending him a fake wedding invitation. Tony, thinking that Gina is inviting him for one last “roll in the hay”, before marrying...
[20-minute musical]
Book by Donna Warfield
Lyrics by Arianna Rose
Music by Aden Kent Ramsey

Synopsis:
Gina is still carrying a big torch for her ex-husband, Tony. Convinced he still loves her, she concocts a plan to make him jealous by sending him a fake wedding invitation. Tony, thinking that Gina is inviting him for one last “roll in the hay”, before marrying another man, responds yes to the invitation and a small heart is added. Seeing the heart Gina is convinced Tony still wants her and wants her back. Gina plans a real wedding, hiring Floyd, someone she met in therapy while working through her post divorce depression, as a rent-a-groom, fully expecting Tony to sweep her off her feet and re-marry her. Floyd has his own set of issues and brings Bessie, his emotional support horse, to the wedding. Mona, Gina’s mother, is clueless to what is happening and calms her nerves with Proseco and Xanax. Misinformation and misunderstandings create hilarious mayhem in this madcap farce.

Song Breakdown:

1. Everythin’ The Same Like Before (Gina, Mona)
As Mona struggles to zip Gina into her wedding dress, she berates Gina on all of her choices for her wedding and her groom. Gina defends herself and her actions in this upbeat, manic I Want Song.

2. Neigh for Me, Nellie (Floyd, Gina, Mona)
Gina’s rent-a-groom, a Brooklyn wanna-be cowboy, explains how his emotional support horse Nellie has helped him overcome his fear of heights and fear of life. While it serves as Floyd’s I want song, it also lays the groundwork for Floyd and Gina to find actual commonality in their situations and desire to give and receive love.

3. Boogie On (Tony, Gina)
Ex-husband Tony shows up to give the bride a good luck kiss and perhaps a bit more. Gina reminds him of their first wedding dance and all that was good between them. A love song in classic disco style.

4. Ain’t Gonna Be (Tony, Gina, Floyd, Mona)
All four characters come to grips with the fact that there is not going to be a wedding between anyone today and the plot lines intersect and spectacularly implode.

5. Neigh for Me Nellie reprise (Gina, Floyd, Tony, Mona)
A short reprise with a new lyric that establishes that Gina and Floyd are going to ride off into the sunset together on Nellie.

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R.S.V.P. - 20-minute short musical. Book by Donna Warfield, Lyrics by Arianna Rose, Music by Aden Kent Ramsey

Recommended by

  • John Busser:
    25 Feb. 2023
    “ I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into when I found this piece. I'm still not sure, but boy, did I enjoy the confusion. There's plenty to laugh at in the farcically funny wedding farce that brings together Cowboys and Italians through some truly inventive means. And the song work is wonderful as well. Although the playwright says these characters are "not deep thinkers", the dialogue and music here show a lot of thought and attention went into it. Clever and well worth your time. ”
  • Karen Fix Curry:
    4 Jan. 2023
    “ What a fun romp as Gina hatches a plot to re-marry Tony. I smiled throughout and laughed out loud as Gina, Tony, and mother Mona battle it out. This short musical is funny, engaging, and like a good musical comedy, ends happily, with a fun twist at the end! ”
  • Bruce Karp:
    28 May. 2020
    “ Madcap is indeed the perfect word to describe R.S.V.P. I've had the pleasure of seeing this musical play performed with its wonderfully clever book and songs. It is hilarious, with great roles for all the actors, and deserves to be seen. Kudos to all involved! ”

Character Information

GINA: (early 30’s) Italian, hot temper. Not the sharpest knife in the drawer.

MONA: (60’s) Italian, Gina’s mom. Not someone to be fooled with.

TONY: (early 30’s) Italian, Gina’s ex-husband. A real ladies man.

FLOYD: (late 30’s) a Big strapping cowboy. A man of few words and good manners. Enjoys tipping his white cowboy hat; possibly wears chaps and talks with a twang. He doesn’t go anywhere without his horse or his cowboy theme songs which follows him everywhere.

AUTHOR’S NOTE:
The characters are meant to be outrageous and the actors should have fun with them. It should move like wildfire. These are not deep thinkers.

  • GINA
    30s,
    any race/Italian
    ,
    Female
    hot temper. Not the sharpest knife in the drawer.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • MONA
    50s-60s,
    any race/Italian
    ,
    Female
    Gina’s mom. Not someone to be fooled with. A bit of a lush.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      50s, 60s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • TONY
    30s,
    any race/Italian
    ,
    Male
    Gina’s ex-husband. A real ladies man.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • FLOYD
    30s-40s,
    Any Race/Ethnicity
    ,
    Male
    a Big strapping cowboy. A man of few words and good manners. Enjoys tipping his white cowboy hat; possibly wears chaps and talks with a twang. He doesn’t go anywhere without his horse or his cowboy theme songs which follows him everywhere.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s, 40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Male

Development History

  • Reading
    ,
    Miami New Musicals
    ,
    2019

Production History

  • Community Theater
    ,
    Atlanta Theatre-to-Go Spring 2020 Tour "Crazy Little Thing Called Love"
    ,
    2020
  • University
    ,
    Columbus State University "Free Stage" at One Arsenal, Columbus GA
    ,
    2020