Overview
Synopsis
Disaster! pays homage to the 70s, an era of bell-bottoms, platform shoes, boogie dancing and...disaster movies. It's 1979, and New York's best-dressed are queueing up to board The Barracuda, a new floating casino and discotheque. Performing on board the ship is Jackie, a sexy nightclub singer with her eleven-year-old twins Ben and Lisa, who is hoping to find marital bliss with the boat’s crooked owner, Tony Del Vecchio. Into the mix comes Levora (a faded and desperate disco diva), Ted (a determined disaster expert), Shirley and Maury (an older couple celebrating retirement), Chad and Scott (caterers looking for work….and hot women), SIster Mary (a conflicted nun with a gambling addiction), and Marianne (a feminist reporter with a past). However, there is one big problem. The construction of the new pier has drilled directly into a fault line and the ship is in real danger. Disco fever soon turns to disaster as earthquakes, man-eating piranhas, tidal waves, and explosions threaten the lives of those aboard. As time ticks by, it becomes a race against time to survive, rediscover love, and not be eaten by a killer rat.
Show Information
- Book
- Seth Rudetsky , Jack Plotnick , Drew Geraci
- Conceived By
- Seth Rudetsky , Drew Geraci
- Category
- Musical
- Age Guidance
- Thirteen Plus (PG-13)
- Number of Acts
- 2
- First Produced
- 2011
- Genres
- Comedy
- Settings
- Period, Unit/Single Set
- Time & Place
- On board The Barracuda, New York, 1979
- Cast Size
- medium
- Orchestra Size
- Rock Combo
- Dancing
- Musical Staging
- Licensor
- Music Theatre International
- Ideal For
- College/University, Community Theatre, High School, Regional Theatre, Mostly Male Cast, Includes Adult, Mature Adult, Child, Early Teen, Young Adult Characters, Medium Cast
Context
Disaster! pays homage to the disaster movies of the 1970s. Created by Seth Rudetsky, the show premiered at the Triad Theatre on New York City’s Upper West Side in January 2012 and ran for three months. The following year, it reopened at St. Luke’s Theatre off-Broadway, running from November 2013 to April 2014. In March 2016, Disaster! opened on Broadway at the Nederlander Theatre, starring Adam Pascal, Kerry Butler, Roger Bart, Faith Prince, and Kevin Chamberlin. It closed in May 2016,
to read the context for Disaster! and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Plot
Act One
The year is 1979 and The Barracuda, a floating casino docked off the shore of New York City, is about to open its doors for business. Chad is home alone, bored and looking for female company. He rings his friend, Scott, and discovers that he is going to work as a caterer on board The Barracuda that evening. Much to Scott’s annoyance, Chad decides to join him. Meanwhile, Professor Ted Scheider is obsessed with collecting water samples from the pier dock. He is convinced that the
to read the plot for Disaster! and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Treble/Boy Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Alto |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Tenor, Baritone |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano, Alto |
|
|
Ensemble |
Either Gender |
Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone, Bass, Bass-Baritone |
Songs
Act 1
*"Hot Stuff" (Donna Summer) – Chad, Scott, Scheider, Tony, Ensemble
"The Lord's Prayer" (Sister Janet Mead) – Sister Mary
"Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)" (Diana Ross) – Levora
*"Saturday Night" (Bay City Rollers) – Jackie, Ensemble
"Do You Wanna Make Love" (Peter McCann) – Tony, Marianne
"Without You" (Harry Nilsson) – Chad
"I Am Woman"/"That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be" (Helen Reddy/Carly Simon) – Marianne, Lisa
"Mockingbird" (Inez & Charlie Foxx) – Jackie, Scheider
"Still the One" (Orleans) – Shirley, Maury
"Never Can Say Goodbye"/"Torn Between Two Lovers" (The Jackson 5/Mary MacGregor) – Sister Mary
"Feelings" (Morris Albert) – Scheider, Marianne, Chad
"Feels So Good" (Chuck Mangione) - Instrumental
*"Knock on Wood" (Eddie Floyd) – Levora, Ensemble
"Hawaii Five-O" (The Ventures) – Levora, Ensemble
Act Two
"All Right Now" (Free)
"You're My Best Friend" (Queen) – Chad, Scott
"Three Times a Lady" (The Commodores) – Chad, Wealthy Husband
"Ben" (Michael Jackson) – Ben, Lisa, Maury, Shirley, Sister Mary
"Baby Hold On" (Eddie Money) – Marianne
"25 or 6 to 4" (Chicago) – Cast
"Sky High" (Jigsaw) – Cast
"When Will I Be Loved" (Linda Ronstadt) – Ben, Lisa, Jackie
"Nadia's Theme" (Barry DeVorzon) - Instrumental
"Don't Cry Out Loud" (Elkie Brooks and Melissa Manchester) – Tony
"Come to Me" (France Joli) – Levora, Sister Mary
"I'd Really Love to See You Tonight" (England Dan and John Ford Coley) – Chad, Marianne
"Knock Three Times" (Tony Orlando and Dawn) - Instrumental
"I Will Survive" (Gloria Gaynor) – Jackie, Tony
"A Fifth of Beethoven" (Walter Murphy) – Shirley, Cast
"Reunited" (Peaches and Herb) – Chad, Marianne, Scheider
"Daybreak" (Barry Manilow) – Cast
*"Hooked on a Feeling"/"Daybreak" (Blue Swede/Barry Manilow) – Cast
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 production in which musical numbers and dances are fully integrated into a proper narrative with defined dramatic goals.
A genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene.
A musical that features hit songs of a popular music group or genre.
Videos
Quizzes
Themes, Symbols & Motifs
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Quote Analysis
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Guide Written By:
Alexandra Appleton
Writer, editor and theatre researcher