MusicalsPage

Plot summary

A late-night DJ invites listeners to phone in with their stories and opinions on the importance of having buddies. As the night goes on, a variety of night owls call the station, some with great buddy stories, some bemoaning the absence of buddies in their lives. Three continuing stories emerge: that of an all-night coffee shop waitress whose friends have all moved away and lost touch with her; that of a young female singer who has recently joined an alternative rock band and has ambivalent feelings about a guitarist in the group; and that of the DJ who is gradually revealed as a lonely figure, whose job and cynical nature make it difficult to find new buddies in a strange city. At play’s end, the singer and guitarist come to an understanding that they are buddies, not lovers, and the DJ begins to form a friendship with the waitress.

Set

The studio of a commercial radio station

A street

A coffee shop

A girl's bedroom

A room in a house where a band rehearses

A bus

Characters

Bonnie, the DJ. A veteran radio personality who has moved from place to place, partly because her hard-bitten personality doesn’t endear her to her employers or co-workers. Despite her displays of hard-edged cynicism, however, Bonnie has a sensitive and caring side that needs encouragement

Merrilee: A single woman who has lost her old buddies over the years and never made new ones; she has a dead-end job in a coffee shop but lacks the will power to try for something better. Although she is reasonably attractive and has a wicked sense of humour, she has never found a man who provided the kind of supportive companionship of her old high school buddies.

Shania: A teenage girl with a great singing voice. She has recently auditioned with a local alternative rock band, hoping to become their lead singer. She also has a crush on one of the band members, but fears her feelings are not reciprocated.

Joel: The guitarist in the group Mind Ambition. Easy-going and affable most of the time, he tends to become aggressive when others question his musical judgments. He isn’t particularly interested in pursuing romance, as his focus is mainly on the band and its future.

Travis: the technician at the radio station. He/she is able to work with Bonnie only because of a very patient and calm personality. Travis comes out with useful words of wisdom every so often.

Other characters

- the members of the group Mind Ambition
- teenage girls at a pyjama party
- friends walking home from a bar
- customers at the coffee shop
- sports team traveling in a bus

Songs:

1. Bonnie the DJ – solo “Stay With Me”
2. Cast – “Buddies”
3. Pyjama party girls – “You Call Yourself a Friend?”
4. Cast - "At Work or Play"

5. Merrilee – solo “Lonely White Female”
6. Women walking home – "Nothing Will Change"
7. Shania – solo “It Must Be Love”
8. Bonnie the DJ – solo “You Won't See Me Cry”
9. Cast – medley of “If You Stay With Me” and “Buddies”

Click here to listen to one of the songs from Buddies.

Act I, Scene 1:

(As Overture ends, house lights go down and a projected image of a radio station with its call letters – CNRD - appears on the screen. The last few lines of Carole King’s “You’ve Got a Friend” fade up. Lights come up on a tired-looking DJ, Bonnie, at DSR, who is reclining in a swivel chair at a studio console while folding a paper airplane and speaking into a microphone.)

Bonnie And that was Carole King taking us to 12 minutes past one in the morning here on your radio station, CNRD, 90.5 on the FM dial. We’re doing the phone-in thing again tonight, so give us a call at 555-1607 (sends paper plane flying into wastebasket) if you’ve got a story - or anything at all to say about tonight’s topic which is… ah.. bear with me, I’ve got it here…(dives into wastebasket for paper plane, unfolds it) Friendship! (makes a face) Okay, tonight our topic’s friendship… and here’s our first caller already. Hi there, you’re with Bonnie, your midnight-to-dawn host on the CNRD Late Night Phone-in.

(We hear the voice of someone on a telephone)

Voice: Oh, hi! I’d like to order a large mushroom pizza, and a large bottle of ginger ale…

Bonnie Hold on, my friend. This is CNRD. You know, the radio station?

Voice And could I have extra cheese on that?

Bonnie Listen, I’m guessing you want Albino’s Pizza Emporium…

Voice Any idea of when that’ll be delivered?

Bonnie (with a wicked grin) Hey, we’ll have it to you in 15 minutes. And if it isn’t there by then, you get it free!

Voice Hey, that’s great! You have a good night. (sound of phone connection broken)

Bonnie You too. (shakes her head at the stupidity of the human race) Okay, if there any callers out there who can still see the little numbers on their telephones, we’d be glad to hear from you. Remember, the number if 555-1607 and tonight’s topic is friendship! (She punches a button on the console; recording of advertisement #1 comes up. She turns it down as Travis enters, with a clipboard.)

Travis You put that pizza in the oven yet?

Bonnie The poor sap didn’t even give me his address. What does he think, the pizza guy has psychic powers? (yawns)

Travis You think you’re gonna make it through till 6:00?

Bonnie Hey, I do my best work while I’m asleep. But I ask you, who comes up with these phone-in topics? Friendship! Next it’ll be motherhood and kindness to animals.

Travis I just push the buttons and slide the little sliders. And speaking of which… (Travis exits, back to the control room)

Bonnie That’s right… just walk out and leave me all alone in here. (with a shrug and a cynical sigh) It’s only the story of my life…

(Bonnie sings “Stay With Me”)

Stay With Me
Ninety point five on your radio dial,
We hope you keep listenin’, at least for a while – uh huh…
I’ll be your companion from midnight to dawn
If you’ll keep your radio on…

Glad to be with you this time of the night,
Playin’ the songs that make everything right – uh huh…
Wherever you’re listening, whoever you be,
You’re sharing the nighttime with me…

And I will soothe you….
And I will move you…
And I will groove with you as you rock and you roll,
Playin’ the music that’s good for your soul…uh-huh...

Hope you stay with me, I’m here for a while,
Ninety point five on your radio dial – uh huh…
We’ll share all the hours from midnight till dawn
If you’ll keep your radio on…

I’m sittin’ here watchin’ the clock on the wall;
The phone lines are open so give me a call – uh huh…
With someone to talk to, you know you just might
Get through one more long lonely night.

And I will rock you…
And I will talk to you…
And I will walk with you on this midnight stroll
As we listen to music that’s good for your soul…uh-huh…
Music that’s good for your soul…
Music that’s good for your soul…
Music that’s good for your soul…