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Overview

Synopsis

When talented young hopeful Ruby arrives in New York City with nothing but a pair of tap shoes in her suitcase, she is determined to break into show business. She stumbles into the cast of troubled show “Dames at Sea”, in which broke and pessimistic producer Hennesey is terrorized by Mona Kent, the aggressive, seductive, and surprisingly shady leading lady. Ruby seems to be in luck, as she makes a friend in clever chorus girl Joan, and falls in love with Dick, a singing sailor with songwriting ambitions, who just happens to be from her own hometown of Centerville, Utah. But things take a turn for the worse when Mona sets her sights -- and her claws -- on Dick, and Hennesey loses the theatre, which is promptly bulldozed out from under the cast and crew. Can Dick and his pal Lucky save the show by producing it on their battleship? Will the reluctant Captain be persuaded by Mona Kent, who just happens to be his tropical fling from long ago? Will Ruby go out there a chorus girl, but come back a star? The answer is a resounding yes in Dames at Sea, a light, bright, and hilariously tuneful homage to the glamorous and hopeful movie musicals of the 1930s. The sweet and salty script, full of wisecracks and vintage slang, is by George Haimsohn and Robin Miller, and the light and bubbly score, with music by Jim Wise, features the rousing “Good Times are Here to Stay,” the ridiculous tropical romance of “The Beguine,” and the delicate melancholy of “Raining in My Heart.” Dames at Sea received a Broadway revival in 2015.

Note: Cast size for Dames at Sea is flexible, as it can be performed with as few as 6 actors (3 M, 3 F), or with a full dancing and singing ensemble of chorus girls and sailor boys.

Show Information

Music
Jim Wise
Category
Musical
Age Guidance
Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
Number of Acts
2
First Produced
1966
Genres
Comedy, Parody
Settings
Period, Multiple Settings, Spectacle
Time & Place
1930s, new york city, 42nd street, a theatre, a battleship
Cast Size
medium
Orchestra Size
Large
Dancing
Heavy
Licensor
Samuel French
Ideal For
College/University, Community Theatre, High School, Professional Theatre, Small Cast, Mostly Male Cast, Includes Adult, Young Adult, Mature Adult, Late Teen Characters, Medium Cast

Context


Plot


Characters

Name Part Size Gender Vocal Part

Dick

Lead

Male

Tenor

Ruby

Lead

Female

Mezzo-Soprano

Mona Kent

Lead

Female

Mezzo-Soprano, Alto

Captain

Supporting

Male

Baritone

Lucky

Supporting

Male

Baritone

Joan

Supporting

Female

Mezzo-Soprano, Alto

Hennesey

Supporting

Male

Spoken

Ensemble

Ensemble

Either Gender

Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone

Songs

Act One

  • Wall Street - Mona
  • It’s You - Dick, Ruby
  • Broadway Baby - Dick
  • That Mister Man of Mine - Mona, Ensemble
  • Choo-Choo Honeymoon - Joan, Lucky
  • The Sailor of My Dreams - Ruby
  • Singapore Sue - Lucky, Ensemble
  • Good Times Are Here to Stay - Joan, Ensemble

Act Two

  • Dames At Sea - Lucky, Dick, Ensemble
  • The Beguine - Mona, Captain
  • Raining in My Heart - Ruby, Ensemble
  • There’s Something About You - Dick, Ruby
  • Raining in My Heart (Reprise) - Ruby
  • The Echo Waltz - Mona, Joan, Ruby, Ensemble,
  • Star Tar - Ruby, Ensemble
  • Let’s Have A Simple Wedding - Company

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

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Scenes

All scenes are the property and copyright of their owners. Scenes are presented on StageAgent for educational purposes only. If you would like to give a public performance of this scene, please obtain authorization from the appropriate licensor.

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