AN AMERICAN MUSICAL — SYNOPSISThe morning after an election, a neighborhood diner in a small New England town becomes an unexpected forum on democracy. László “Lou” Kovács, who fled authoritarian Hungary, celebrates his eighteen-year-old daughter Lucy, a newly naturalized citizen who has just voted for the first time. Welcomed by the diner’s regulars as “Democracy’s Child,” Lucy asks a deceptively simple question: “What does it mean to be an American?”Through story, humor, conversation, and song, the characters explore justice, truth, civic responsibility, and the five freedoms of the First Amendment. For Lou, these freedoms are more than a civics lesson: he remembers life under authoritarian rule.As Lucy confronts threats to the freedoms she has just inherited, celebration gives way to fear. Lou warns that fear itself can become a “Boogieman” when used to persuade people to surrender their freedoms. Swept into a nightmarish “Dance of the Boogieman,” Lucy must find the courage to stand up, speak out, and join with others.She discovers that “We the People” means all of us—and that democracy is not something we simply inherit. It is something each generation must choose to defend.
AN AMERICAN MUSICAL is designed to be highly producible and adaptable. It uses a single primary set—an American diner—and requires no unusual technical equipment or elaborate scenic changes. The six-member cast is intentionally small, and the production can be staged effectively in professional, community, educational, or touring settings. Projections may be incorporated at the producer’s discretion but are not required. The musical’s civic themes also make it particularly suitable for educational and community-engagement programming.
LUCÍA “LUCY” KOVÁCS, Female Caucasian, age 18,Soprano, Waitress
LÁSZLÓ “LOU” KOVÁCS, Male Caucasian, age 45,Baritone, Cook
MARIA SANTIAGO, Female Hispanic, age 32,Soprano, Journalist
AISHA RAHMAN, Female, Middle Eastern, age 42,Alto, Civil Rights Attorney
ELIJAH CARTER, Male, any race, age 25,Tenor, Minister
JACOB “JAKE ROSEN,” Male, Jewish, age 56, Baritone, Union Organizer(These last four characters serve as both soloists and an SATB backup group.In addition an optional SATB ensemble (12-16) may be used when available.
LUCY is a newly naturalized American citizen who came to the United States from Hungary as an infant with her father, Lou. America is the only home she has ever known, and she has just voted for the first time. Thoughtful and hopeful, Lucy begins the day asking what it really means to be an American.
LOU is a forty-five-year-old Hungarian immigrant and short-order cook who fled political repression and raised Lucy in America. Having lived where speaking freely could be dangerous, he treasures freedoms others sometimes take for granted. Warm, humorous, and devoted to his daughter, Lou carries memories of a world he never wants Lucy to experience.
MARIA is a thirty-two-year-old journalist who grew up in a working-class immigrant family. She believes passionately in the public’s right to know the truth, even as she watches trust in journalism erode. Dedicated but weary, Maria struggles with what it means to keep reporting the truth when people no longer agree on what truth is.
AISHA is a civil rights attorney who believes justice requires more than rights written on paper—it requires people willing to defend them. Her work has taught her both the power and limitations of the law. Pragmatic, persistent, and passionate, Aisha believes democracy demands participation.
ELIJAH is a twenty-five-year-old minister and the son of a beloved preacher. He believes deeply in the teachings of love, mercy, and compassion, but is troubled by the distance he sometimes sees between those teachings and public expressions. Sincere and thoughtful, Elijah is beginning to question.
JAKE is a fifty-six-year-old union organizer who has spent his life fighting for working people. Direct, plainspoken, and fiercely loyal, Jake believes ordinary people are strongest when they stand together. For him, freedom is not something people simply possess; is something they protect by showing up for one another.
Piano, Keyboard, Bass, Drums
