Birth of a musical.

When I lived in Los Angeles between 1990 and 1994, I tried writing comedy skits. It search of themes, it occurred to me that I could make a short comic play out of the most forgotten American president, Millard Fillmore. However, after researching his life at the Beverly Hills Library, I found he was far more interesting and sympathetic than I would have imagined. Also that his wife was a very admirable person, a well-read, anti-slavery ex-schoolteacher who created the White House library. Sadly she died in Washington City, as D.C. was then known, shortly after they moved out of the White House and were planning a tour of the South. So the comic skit went out the window and I began to write a serious musical about this reluctant president and his love affair with his wife, Abigail. Eventually I finished a show that was very unlikely to be produced since it required a cast of about 25 plus numerous costumes and sets. Not to mention that I didn't have a composer. Several times I got some interest and a few samples of music, but each potential collaborator lost interest in a project that obviously wasn't going anywhere. Realizing the show, then called Milly, was too expensive to produce and too accessible because of its political theme, I began to—as one friend called it—kill my children. I edited the script so savagely that I soon had a completely different musical: a six-to-eight character musical with only a handful of the songs and two sets. Now it was possible and economical. Then I was lucky enough to find L.A. composer, John Dusenberry, on ASCAP's "Collaborators' Corner".  He understood my lyrics. I loved his music. And we both felt an affinity for the Stephen Foster time period, circa 1854. Recognizing the merits of our new "chamber musical" his friend and actor/director, Jack Messenger, agreed to present the show at the popular Manhattan Beach Community Church Theater as its fall production Making it even more ideal was his talented wife Lois Bourgon in the role of Abigail.  There it enjoyed a very well-received  run and got  lots of laughs and—more gratifying to me—lots of tears at the sad climax. Naturally John and I would like to see it produced again, hopefully at an even bigger and more highly budgeted venue. We realize, of course, that there are lots of foot stomping shows out there, including flashy spectaculars and popular standbys. Still, if you know any producer looking for a musical that's easy to stage, inexpensive to prop and tells its audience something about American history while making them laugh and cry at a great American love story, please recommend The Accidental President.