Overview
Synopsis
Ruthless is the story of a naive 1950s housewife, Judy, and her adorable but sociopath 8-year-old daughter Tina. Encouraged by her manager, Sylvia, Tina will do ANYTHING to get the lead role in her school play “including murdering the leading lady!" In Act II, while Tina spends time at a reform school for psychopathic ingenues, Judy discovers from her adoptive mother that her birth mother was a famous actress. Judy decides that she should be famous as well and becomes a Broadway diva.
Show Information
- Book
- Joel Paley
- Music
- Marvin Laird
- Lyrics
- Joel Paley
- Category
- Musical
- Age Guidance
- Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
- Number of Acts
- 2
- First Produced
- 1992
- Genres
- Comedy, Dark Comedy, Parody
- Time & Place
- 1950s
- Cast Size
- small
- Ideal For
- All-Female Cast, Includes Child, Adult, Mature Adult, Young Adult Characters, Small Cast
Context
Plot
Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Female |
|
|
|
Lead |
Female |
|
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
|
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
|
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
Songs
- Prologue – Orchestra, Sylvia
- Tina's Mother – Judy
- Born To Entertain – Tina
- Talent – Sylvia
- To Play This Part – Tina
- Teaching Third Grade – Miss Thorn
- Where Tina Gets It From – Judy, Sylvia
- The Pippi Song – Louise
- Kisses And Hugs – Tina, Judy
- Teaching Third Grade (Reprise) – Miss Thorn
- Talent (Reprise #1) – Sylvia
- I Hate Musicals – Lita
- Angel Mom – Judy, Tina
- Entr'acte/Montage – Orchestra, Judy, Tina
- A Penthouse Apartment – Eve
- It Will Never Be That Way Again – Ginger
- I Want the Girl – Sylvia
- Parents And Children – Ginger, Tina
- Ruthless! – Ginger, Sylvia, Tina
- Talent (Reprise #2) – Tina
- Ruthless! (Reprise) – Company
- Unkie's Muncle – (performed by Bernadette Peters and used as a recording in the production)(Based on the 1994 Los Angeles cast recording)
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
A humorous imitation of something, typically a particular genre of film or literature, in which its characteristic features are exaggerated for comic effect.
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