GO-GO BEACH is a new pop musical fable inspired by the wildly popular beach party movies of the 1960’s. It’s a coming-of-age story about a surfer who gets into trouble with his girlfriend when he falls for a runaway teen pop star… and the flower child who helps him get back in touch with the waves.
It’s the biggest weekend of the summer for the gang at the beach, with plans for a surfing race and the annual luau. Surfer Woody’s carefree and innocent California life is everything a boy could want: his future is set with the cutest girl on the beach, he’s got a great bunch of friends, and he has never wiped out. But when his old surfing pal Bulldog comes back from the emerging flower power scene in San Francisco, Woody’s eyes are opened to a new perspective and he begins to question his seemingly perfect world. Things get really complicated when he falls for a runaway teen pop star… and Woody is forced to face his truth and discover the real meaning of life.
GO-GO BEACH
Book and Lyrics by JOHN WIMBS Music by MICHAEL SHAIEB and BRENT LORD
Originally presented in the 2006 New York Musical Theatre Festival. Produced at the 2006 New York Musical Theatre Festival by Kevin F. Harrington’s Plaza Theatrical Productions, Inc.
NOTE: The names of the Composer, Lyricist, and Bookwriter shall be equal in size, type, coloring, boldness, and prominence. No billing shall appear in type larger or more prominent than the billing to the Authors except for the title of the Play.
NOTE: All the characters are ’60s pop-culture archetypes—instantly recognizable characters from the media landscape of the era.
WOODY (17): an all-American golden boy who was born to surf. He is the good natured leader of the gang whose life has been trouble-free, until he starts to question what is really important to him.
J.J. (17): Woody’s girlfriend. A perfectly charming prize-winning beauty with a tendency to show her control-freak edge. Appearance is everything.
MINDY (20): an unhappy teen pop star who has runaway from the set of her current movie to escape the overwhelming pressures of her career and a complicated celebrity boyfriend. She has seen a lot of the world for a girl her age.
BULLDOG (19): a Tom-boyish surfing chick who has come back a wide-eyed flower child from a trip to San Francisco where she’s had some first-hand experience with the burgeoning hippy culture.
FINGERS (17): Woody’s best male buddy. A fun-loving sort of schemer, who boasts of being more active with the girls than he really is because he’s too nervous to approach them.
RIP (17): an all-American, dim-witted affable hunk who is more interested in his own body than any of the bikini-clad girls on the beach.
EINSTEIN (17): a science geek who is secretly in love with J.J. Stock character from ’60s Disney pics, or a younger version of Jerry Lewis as HE NUTTY PROFESSOR.
BABY (17): a kooky, naïve, innocent who laughs easily—like a young Goldie Hawn from her LAUGH-IN days. She is a little insecure of her body, being a little less developed than the other girls.
KITTEN (17): lead dancer role. Sexy, voluptuous, self-confident and exploding with unspent sexual energy. a ’60s style sex kitten, like Ann Margret in KITTEN WITH A SHIP, or VIVA LAS VEGAS.
HONEY (17): a bookish wallflower, plain to the eye, but with loads of potential to come out of her shell and find the beautiful, confident girl underneath.
SAMMY LEECH (30’s-40’s): a soft villain we love to hate. The “B” movie producer who comes to the beach looking for his runaway star. A Paul Lynde-type.
ENSEMBLE: Surfer dudes, beach bunnies and hippies who sing and dance.
5 Musicians
Keyboard 1 (Piano/Conductor)
Keyboard 2
Guitar
Bass
Drums
*Fully Orchestrated Accompaniment CD is also available.