A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

Long Live Rock and Roll

Full-Length Play, Comedy  /  13w, 9m

Let's return now to those happy days of the Fifties! Ike is in the White House, Willie Mays on the ballfield, Ed Sullivan on the tube, and rock n roll is everywhere and here to stay! Into the serenity of the Gordon Girl's Academy comes the Elvis-like Eustace Early and his Early Birds and all that was calm is overturned with the sounds of rock 'n' roll!

Long Live Rock and Roll

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    13w, 9m
  • Duration
    Duration
    90 minutes
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Farce, Theatre for Young Audiences, Parody / Spoof
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult, Senior, Children (Age 6 - 10), Pre-Teen (Age 11 - 13), Teen (Age 14 - 18)

Details

Summary

Return to those happy days of yesteryear - the 1950's to be exact. Ike is in the White House, Willie Mays is on the ballfield, Ed Sullivan is on the television - and the biggest problem is that crazy fad called Rock and Roll!

Into the serenity of the Gordon Girl's Academy comes the Elvis-like Eustace Early and his Early Birds, as introduced by DJ King Kenny Cool: "And now that thrivin', jivin', man alivin' sound will melt your fears and cheer your ears! The group that has everybody all shook up - Eustice Early and the Early Birds!"

All that was calm at the Academy is overturned with the sounds of rock 'n' roll. By the end the very square, very stuffy, and very rich, Hermione Van Pelt, the school's benefactor, takes a leap along with everyone else in the cast and dances to Eustice and his Early Birds.

This is a fast paced energetic farce, but also a tribute to the first Rock 'n' Roll songs, and simpler times.

GILLIAN GORDON- The typical 50s heroine, spunky, pretty, and the kind of girl you'd take home to Mom. Headmistress of Gordon Girl's Academy. 

EUSTICE EARLY- A rock and roll singer. He may look like Elvis, but his heart is pure Pat Boone. 

ROCCO and WEASEL- The Early Birds, Eustice Early's back up group. Rocco is very cool, Weasel is trying. 

AUGUSTA SMOOT- Teacher of "physical culture" at the Academy. 

MAUDE SNEAD- Another facult member, old- but very spry. 

KING KENNY KOOL- The hippest, slickest DJ of them all. 

HERMIONE MACKLUCKNEE VAN PELT- Very rich, very stuffy, and very square. 

HUGHIE VAN PELT- Her downtrodden husband. 

MA- Straight from the hills of Tennessee. 

THELMA JEAN- Her daughter, strong as an ox with a nose like a bloodhound. 

CALHOUN- Her son, definitely the strong, silent type. 

SGT. THURSDAY- A terse and deadpan police officer. 

OFFICER TRENCH- Thursday's equally terse and deadpan partner (May be played by either a man or a woman). 

CORLISS- A typical 50s teenager. 

STRETCH- Her typical 50s steady. 

WILHELMINA- The terror and a fervent follower of that 50s phenomena, UFOs. 

RAMONA- The fainter. 

NANCY, CONNIE, GLORIA, and PEGGY SUE- Students at the Academy. These roles may be doubled or added to. 

The cast be expanded by adding girls to the boarding school. The two police officers, Officer Trench and SGT Thursday, can be played by either a man or woman - the same goes for the DJ. There can be much fun in the casting of the show, the scatterbrained girls, the Early Birds, Rocco and Weasel, and Eustice Early himself. The faculty has their own comedic moments and a very big and very funny surprise works its way into the conclusion of the show. It's suggested that Eustice and the Early Birds lip sync to the music, so actual singers aren't needed.

  • Time Period 1950s
  • Features Period Costumes
  • Additional Features Not Applicable
  • Duration 90 minutes
  • Cautions
    • No Special Cautions

Music

  • Musical Style N/A (Not a musical)
  • Vocal DemandsN/A (Not a musical)
  • Chorus Size N/A (Not a musical)

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: $110 per performance

Add-Ons

Take a look below at how you can enhance your show!

Authors

Cynthia Mercati

Cynthia Mercati has had shows performed in each of the fifty US states, as well as Australia and Canada. Many of her plays are published by Samuel French. As Playwright-in-Residence at the Des Moines, Iowa, Playhouse, Ms. Mercait wrote a show each season for Actors on Tou ...
View full profile

Community

Now Playing

Community Experiences