Stephen Murray

Stephen Murray is a composer, lyricist and playwright who has been a Performing Arts Educator since 1985. Steve's plays and musicals have been produced throughout the United States as well as in Canada, Germany, South Africa, Malta, The Netherlands, Australia, Singapore, Japan, and China. Some of his award-winning titles can be found in the Eldridge catalog. "Musical! The Bard is Back!" was the 2000 winner of the Columbia Entertainment Company National Playwriting Contest, the first musical ever to win the award. Two other Eldridge titles have also been recognized by the CEC Contest, "Mother Goose, Inc." and "The Universe and Other Stuff." Steve has a Doctorate of Musical Arts from Boston University. By day he is a humble music teacher, but by night, you may find him performing on various stages in Massachusetts.

 

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  Are We There Yet?

Musical Theatre Youth by Stephen Murray

60 pages

Large, flexible cast


Humans are a species constantly on the move from here to there to - who knows where! This revue explores the world of transportation and asks the timeless question, "Are we there yet?" Travel way back in time to when walking was the only way to get somewhere. Then came the discovery of the wheel, and things really started rollin'! Soon mankind conquered the sea, the sky, the plains, outer space, and the newest frontier, cyberspace! With a flexible cast and minimal sets, nothing can stop you from presenting this tuneful travelogue as topnotch entertainment. Th...

  The Legend of Katastrophe Kate

Comedy by Stephen Murray

45 pages

11 m, 18 w, 8 flexible, extras and doubling


Hold on to your tumbleweeds 'cause here comes the legendary Katastrophe Kate, the most dangerous woman in the West! Whaddaya mean you never heard of her!!? Didn't ya know that Texas has a panhandle on accounta she was such a great cook?! This Tex-Mex tall tale begins when Katherine, a mild-mannered, Eastern-born and bred protegee of world-famous chef, Madame Julia Enfant, must transform herself into Katastrophe Kate in order to conquer the Wild West with her chili recipe. In a steamy cook-off at Miss Lillian's Saloon, Kate also has a little romance simmerin' ...

  The Edge of the Nest

Musical Theatre Youth by Stephen Murray

61 pages

Widely flexible cast (minimum 7 m, 5 w, chorus)


From the day we're hatched to the day we spread our wings and fly on our own, there are a series of requisite, riotous rites of passage that must be experienced. This collection of humorous scenes and hummable songs explores the innocent squawk of infancy, the terrible twos, the treacherous teens, and everything in between. There are tactics for dealing with those who endeavor to shape, stretch and warp our minds and bodies, like gym teachers, substitute teachers and those cafeteria culinary queens, "The Little Lunch Ladies." From the angst of acne, adolescen...

  Musical! The Bard Is Back!

Musical by Stephen Murray

76 pages

8 m, 14 w, chorus


The students of Hilltop High are excited! They're going to put on a musical of "Romeo and Juliet." However, the director, Miss Peggy Donahue, pressed into service by a principal eager to please his superindendent, is horrified. Twenty years before, when she was a student at Hilltop, she starred in a disastrous production of Shakespeare's "Scottish Play," and she believes the curse lingers on. Sure enough, everthing that can go wrong, does. The set for the balcony scene collapses, Juliet breaks her leg, her replacement develops laryngitis, and the semi-deaf co...

  Mother Goose, Inc.

Musical Theatre Youth by Stephen Murray

41 pages

6 m, 9 w, 12 flexible


The age-old competition between Mother Goose and the Brothers Grimm isn't abating. Mother Goose's employees encourage her to take a vacation, but while she's gone, Simple Simon messes everything up and the employees go on strike. The only way Simon can bring them back to work and get the company out of the red is to agree to have them appear on a fairy-tale television special with the Brothers Grimm and their employees. Unfortunately, the Brothers plan to sabotage the show! Eleven swingin' but sophisticated songs include "Grimm, Grimm, Grimm," "Vacation," "Fr...

  The President's New Clothes

Musical by Stephen Murray

45 pages

4 m, 12 w, 5 flexible, chorus


President William Lee is too busy with international politics to worry about whether his striped tie clashes with his plaid pants and argyle socks. His devoted wife is understanding but the media sure take a stab at his wardrobe. So do his election opponent, Horace Grinchley, and Horace's overly-ambitious campaign manager, Myrna Snerd. The two get several people to pose as wardrobe consultants to strip President Lee down to his "bare" essentials, and have him deliver a nationally televised debate in a suit only visible to loyal constituents. Add to the campai...

  MGTV

Fantasy by Stephen Murray

29 pages

6 m, 9 w, 12 flexible characters


Mother Goose and the Brothers Grimm have been in competition for over 200 years and the friction between them doesn't seem to be abating. When Mother Goose takes off on vacation leaving Simple Simon in charge, the Goose employees go on strike. The only way Simon can bring them back to work and get the company out of the red is to agree to appear on a fairy-tale TV special with the Brothers Grimm employees. They, however, plan to sabotage the presentation on the live broadcast, destroying Mother Goose's company once and for all! But Mother Goose finds a way to...

  Boogie-Woogie Bugle Girls

Musical by Stephen Murray Craig Sodaro

88 pages

11 m, 17 w, extras as desired


While World War II rages, the Bugle sisters turn their Grandpa Buddy's Seaside Hotel into a canteen where sailors and soldiers can relax. Not only do the girls want to help the war effort, but they want to save the Seaside from the hands of a ruthless businessman, Skylar Schutt, who intends to buy it for back taxes. But when Schutt accuses Grandpa Buddy of being a German spy, the girls - with a little help from the Ladies' League for Coastal Defense - declare all-out war! And it isn't long before a platoon of spies surfaces! It seems everybody becomes suspici...

  Trial of the Wicked Witch: The Musical

Musical by Craig Sodaro Stephen Murray

68 pages

8 m, 12 w, 1 flexible


The Wicked Witch is on trial for her crimes in the land of Once Upon a Time in this madcap musical featuring several favorite characters from many fairy tales. The cast of characters includes the Fairy Godmother as the judge, the Three Little Pigs as bailiffs, and Jack the Giant Killer as the guard. Witnesses for the prosecution and defense provide a variety of toe-tapping tunes such as a swinging Big Bad Wolf in “The Wolf of Wall Street,” an operatic Rapunzel in “I Love to Sing,” and a rocking Gingerbread Man in “Go, Gingie, Go!” The Wicked Witch herself cas...

  Help! I’m Trapped in a Musical!

Comedy Musical by Stephen Murray

46 pages

4 m, 16 w, 1 flexible, extras


There’s something strange going on at Sondheim High School. New transfer student, Norma LaBelle, is having trouble getting accustomed to the school’s unusual traditions. At any given moment, students and teachers burst into song for no apparent reason.  Each time they sing, it sounds almost like a famous Broadway musical. The math teacher sings a lesson on the Pythagorean theorem. The history teacher delivers a rap-filled class on Alexander Graham Bell. Mrs. Lovett, the Lunch Lady, delivers a menu filled with Broadway-themed meals. The students sing a celebra...

  Just Another High School Musical

Comedy Musical by Starchman and Murray Bryan Starchman Stephen Murray

72 pages

Widely flexible cast 10 – 40, plus drama teacher


A group of high school actors, abandoned by their drama teacher for good reason, have to fend for themselves opening night in front of a live audience. Their first song, “We Apologize in Advance,” shows just how unprepared they are! The student assistant director and the stage manager find a box of scripts which they pass out to the cast, and try to throw something together. What follows is a rollicking show full of physical comedy, gags, and satirical re-writings from Shakespeare (“Life Is Like a Snow Globe”) to Louisa May Alcott (“Dress Them Up in Drag”). E...

  Parents Just Don't Understand: The Musical!

Comedy Musical by Starchman and Murray Bryan Starchman Stephen Murray

90 pages

Minimum cast of 5 with doubling (3 m, 2 f) Maximum cast of 24 (12 m, 12 f and as big a chorus as you like!)


Are we there yet? The Stathem family is on a loooong car trip, giving everyone lots of extra time to reminisce about the past 12 months. Here is a collection of hilarious (and often too close to the truth) scenes and songs that all families are going to be able to relate to. This easy-to-stage comedy is a lighthearted look at a "greatest hit list" of classic family moments. Remember when Dad tried to teach you to drive? Or Mom decided that she would help pick out your wardrobe? The kids sing the “Back to High School Blues” only to have Mom and Dad sing “They ...