Lawrence Thelen

The Village Idiot (6m, 5f), based on The Inspector General by Nikolai Gogol and reset in America in 1957, deals with a group of corrupt village officials who find themselves in a dither after hearing that a government inspector has arrived to audit their books. After robbing the village blind for decades, the officials do their best to distract and deceive the inspector, not knowing that the man they’ve focused on is merely a postal worker from the next town over. Chaos ensues as everyone attempts to out-deceive everyone else. In the end, as the actual government inspector arrives, the Village Idiot escapes the scene with a pretty girl and a pocket full of cash.

Man or Mouse (4m, 2f, 1 boy). Charlie Bump is so disillusioned with modern-day America (with its mass shootings, corporate greed, conspiracy theories, and governmental dysfunction) that he decides to leave the only home he’s ever known and emigrate to another country in hopes of finding a better future for himself and his son. It's a comedy.

Pie in the Sky is the story of two women, Dory (65), and her mother, Margaret (85), who live together in a mobile home in Abilene, Texas. On this particular morning, Mama has awoken early with the over-whelming need to bake an apple pie. When Dory is awoken by the noise, she joins her mother, and together they assemble the pie and chat. The conversation starts out innocently enough, but it soon becomes clear that Mama is attempting to tie up loose ends and put Dory’s life in better order before she departs this world.
“To do good on earth in hopes of obtaining some future reward in heaven (i.e., pie in the sky).”

MUSIC & LYRICS BY JEFF BLANEY
Sean and Chloe come from completely different worlds – one an Irish immigrant, the other a freed African-American slave – but when the Civil War forces their lives to intersect, they show us what it means to be American during the 19th Century; the story of two lost souls searching for home and finding it in each other. It’s a fictional tale based on history, with a score rooted in Irish and Southern traditions. This intimate, small-cast musical (in which the actors play their own instruments) is a true ensemble piece.

Link to online score:
https://soundcloud.com/jeffblaney/sets/songs-for-the-musical-fly-away/s…

Khaki Chums - a Christmas play with carols - is based on the unofficial Christmas Day truce that took place between British and German soldiers during World War I. The play takes place on Christmas night, 1914. When young British soldier Timmy McDougall runs from the trenches onto the battlefield to escape the misery of war, he is surprised by Bamey Luntz, a young German soldier. The two peacefully set their weapons aside in honor of the holiday. Soon, British and German soldiers from both sides leave their trenches and embark upon a ceasefire in which they sing carols, exchange gifts, and share stories. As the morning sun begins to rise, the soldiers reluctantly return to their trenches to resume the war.

MUSIC & LYRICS BY NOËL COWARD
Written in conjunction with the Noël Coward Estate, Mad Dogs and Englishmen is a 9-actor musical comedy based on Coward’s play Hay Fever and using Mr. Coward’s own songs for the score, including: "If Love Were All," "Mad About the Boy," "A Room With a View," "Let's Do It," "Mad Dogs and Englishmen," and "Poor Little Rich Girl," among others.

Set in 1925 England, the story centers around the eccentric Bliss family, led by their mother Judith, the Celebrated Stage Actress, and their father David, the Successful Novelist. Equally twisted are their son, Simon, and their daughter Sorel. On this particular day, unbeknownst to the others, each has invited a guest to stay for the weekend. As each family member attempts to woo their prospective visitor, the tables get turned, and each of the guests becomes wooed by another member of the family. Fed up with the absurdity of the Bliss Home, the guests flee as quickly as they arrived, leaving the family to carry on without them.

Eating Rhode Island examines the political insanity of 21st century America and the small state of Rhode Island that dares to be different. Rhode Island Governor McGruder attempts to create a moral utopia out of the tiny state and finds support from his eccentric constituents. Soon people across the country are heading to Rhode Island in search of a better life; among them are Danny and his wife Sarah. Once in Rhode Island, Danny and Sarah take to their new lives with enthusiasm, until one day when a technicality dictates Sarah’s exile to Massachusetts. Danny is left to choose between his wife and his new found happiness in Rhode Island.

Shaw's Pygmalion is reset in Harlem in 1938, during the Harlem Renaissance – a time when the affluent African-American society of Sugar Hill found itself at odds with the uneducated Blacks of Harlem struggling through the Great Depression.

Ichabod Crane, at the very old age of 72, gives a lecture concerning the events that led to his departure from the small town of Sleepy Hollow 50 years earlier.

As in Shakespeare's tale performed by The Mechanicals in A Midsummer Night's Dream, the story deals with a group of traveling players who set out to perform The Bawdy Tragedy of Pyramus and Thisbe. A 20-minute comic opera. An amateur audio recording is available at the Music Samples link.