A CONCORD THEATRICALS TITLE

Don't Hug Me

Full-Length Musical, Comedy  /  2w, 3m

Book and Lyrics by Phil Olson
Music by Paul Olson

It's Fargo meets The Music Man (without the blood or the trombones). With its over-the-top songs and crazy characters, this Minnesota love story with singin' and stuff will have you laughing until the spring thaw!

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    2w, 3m
  • Duration
    Duration
    120 minutes (2 hours)
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Romantic Comedy
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Appropriate for all audiences

Details

Summary

It's Fargo meets The Music Man (without the blood or the trombones).

Oh, for cryin' in yer snow shoes! It's the coldest day of the year in Bunyan Bay when a slick karaoke salesman arrives at the bar and turns the locals' lives upside down. With its over-the-top songs and crazy characters, this Minnesota love story with singin' and stuff will have you laughing until the spring thaw!

Don't Hug Me takes place in Bunyan Bay, Minnesota. Cantankerous bar owner Gunner Johnson wants to sell the business and move to Florida. Clara, his wife and former Winter Carnival Bunyan Queen, wants to stay. Bernice Lundstrom, the pretty waitress, wants to pursue a singing career. Her fiance, Kanute Gunderson, wants her to stay home. It's a battle of wills, and when a fast-talking salesman, Aarvid Gisselsen, promises to bring romance into their lives through the "magic" of karaoke, all heck breaks loose!

Featuring the songs "I'm a Walleye Woman in a Crappie Town," "My Smorgasbord of Love," "Upside Down in My Pickup Truck" and "I Wanna Go to the Mall of America."

With only 5 characters, a simple set, and no band required, Don't Hug Me is very inexpensive to produce.

More info, including photos of the original set, can be found on www.DontHugMe.com.

History

Don't Hug Me was first produced by Dan Hirsch at the Whitefire Theatre in Los Angeles, California, in November 2003. It was directed by Paul Kreppel. Don't Hug Me was subsequently produced by Olson Brothers' Entertainment at Hennepin Stages in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in September 2004. It was directed by Peter Moore.

Cast Attributes
CLARA JOHNSON – Gunner's wife, strong-willed co-owner of a bar called The Bunyan, has been married to Gunner for a long time
GUNNER JOHNSON – Clara's husband, strong-willed co-owner of The Bunyan, north woods Archie Bunker
BERNICE LUNDSTROM – pretty, young, dreamy waitress at The Bunyan
AARVJD GISSELSEN – slick, fast-talking Karaoke salesman, a north woods "Music Man"
KANUTE GUNDERSON – oblivious, full-of-himself business owner
  • Time Period Present Day
  • Features Contemporary Costumes / Street Clothes
  • Additional Features Not Applicable
  • Duration 120 minutes (2 hours)

Media

“A hokey jokey karaoke crowd pleaser!” – Los Angeles Times

“A quirky, charming musical!” – Joel Zwick, Director of My Big Fat Greek Wedding

“A lot of laughs!... A great time!... Go see it!” – Tom Barnard, KQRS

“The funniest show I've seen in the longest time!” – KPFK Radio

“A loopy Valentine!” – Back Stage West

“The quintessential definition of fun!” – KLBB Radio

"A love letter...to Minnesota!” – Sherman Oaks Sun

“Delightful! Adorable! Silly! Funny!” – Valley Vantage

“Terrifically Silly!” – LA Weekly

“Outstanding!” – American Eagle News

“More than the typical hotdish musical review!” – Minneapolis Star Tribune

ON BREAKING CHARACTER

Don’t Hug Us, We’re Brothers
by Phil Olsen and Paul Olsen
April 30, 2012

Music

Song Samples

The Ice House Blues
I'm a Walleye Woman in a Crappie Town
My Smorgasbord of Love
I'm the One the Only One For You
Bunyan Bay in the Summertime
Upside Down in My Pickup Truck
I Wanna go to the Mall of America
Take a Chance
That Dirty Piece of...
The Bunyan Yodel
He Wore a Purple Tux
You're My Woman
Victim Of My Y Chromosome
Little Ernie Eelpout
Last Night I Dreamed
The Bunyan Yodel (Reprise)
  • Musical Style Classic Broadway, Pop/Rock, Jazz, Country/Western, Folk
  • Vocal DemandsEasy
  • Orchestra Size Piano Only
  • Chorus Size No Chorus

Licensing & Materials

  • Licensing fees and rental materials quoted upon application.

Music Rentals

Concord offers a full suite of resources to help you put on the show of a lifetime!
6 Piano-Vocal

Performance/Rehearsal CD - Performance Tracks required for production.

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Authors

Phil Olson

Phil Olson grew up in Edina, Minnesota, home of the first indoor mall. His father’s grandparents came over from Norway and homesteaded a farm north of Fargo, North Dakota. His mother’s grandparents also came over from Norway and ended up in Virginia, Minnesota; the iron range ...

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Author

Paul Olson

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