Viva Ester
2000 · Triopia High School gymnasium / stage, Triopia, Illinois
Viva Ester was Ken Bradbury's original gang-themed retelling of the biblical Book of Esther, written, composed, and directed for the Triopia all-school musical in April 2000. The show moves the ancient story into the streets of "Little Persia," a neighborhood where two rival gangs — the Persians and Los Hebreos, a Latino gang — wage turf wars, with Spanish and Latino slang and culture woven throughout. After the violence lands them in the "Baby-Lon" juvenile detention facility under the iron hand of Johnston, the Esther story unfolds: King Xerxes — gang leader Lanny — seeks a new queen after Vashey, and the Hebreos girl Carlota (Esther), guided by Galeno (Mordachai), rises to the throne to save her people. Act I title cards locate the scenes in "the Hood" of the city and "little Persia," in the "Baby-lon" Juvenile Detention Facility, and "in various places in Michael's imagination."
Ken's production journal "You go, Girl!" — running from January 30 through April 2000 — documents how he set aside a planned Joshua play and developed the Esther story into a full musical, writing the book and composing every song at his keyboard, from the barrio number "Bajo del Sol" to the Act I closer "Little Girl Lost." It is an original work, not a licensed musical.
Songs
Act I
- Turf Wars — The Persians, the Hebreos, and the Orchestra (opening)
- The Night's Coming Down — The Persians and the Hebreos
- Who Are the King? / Doin' Hard Time — Xerxes & His Men, Queen Vashey & Her Court
- I Spell it Love! — Xerxes & the Royal Backups
- Song of the Barrio — The Hebreos
- I Could Be a Queen — Xerxes' henchmen and the Persian women
- All the King's Horses — Xerxes, Esther & the Royal Hoofers
- Queen of Hearts, King of the Road — Xerxes & the Court
- We Wait for the Dawn — Gitana and the Hebreos
- Little Girl Lost — Carlotta (closer)
Act II
- Gonna Set the World On Fire — Michael & Company (opening)
- You the Big Man Now! — Michael & Company
- Little Girl Lost (reprise) — Esther
- Royal Razzmatazz — The Orchestra
- Even Green can be Blues — Esther & the Amphibs
- Bajo del Sol — The Company (finale)
Cast
- Johnston — Johnny Jackson
- Prison Guards — Tommy Proffer & Matt Greer
- Michael — Drew Snodgrass
- Lanny (Xerxes) — Bryce McCormick
- Skeeze — Matt Beard
- Velvet (Queen Vashey) — Audrey Knorr
- Hamster — Drew Hendricker
- Retread — Sean Anderson
- You Know — A.J. Wessler
- Zip — Eric Walker
- Horse — Mark Johnston
- Likely — Abby Crawford
- Gams — Amanda Meyer
- Honeycut — Mallory Rahe
- Licorice — Alison Wessler
- Lovey — Jamie Kleinschmidt
- Hotsy (Mrs. Hamster) — Laura Mattes
- Toots (Young Hamster) — JoEllyn Dorsey
- Montana — Jessica Deaver
- Rolex — Julie Kleinschmidt
- Zitter — Pete Wessler
- Stikker — Sarah Virgin
- Hagan — Sarah Schone
- Wannabe — Erin Winkelman
- Loodie — Kayla Nergenah
- Kicks — Jane Anderson
- Whoopie — Jenny Schone
- Retro — Aaron Surratt
- Homey — Kayla Kinsey
- Mitz — Danielle Fanschier
- Zero — Zach Schone
- Blasted — Aaron Charlesworth
- Be-Bop — Jennifer Blair
- Swingshift — Josh Crews
- Toady — Tonya Ewalt
- Young Xerxes — David Meyer
- Dario — Luke Williams
- Carlota (Esther) — Julie Surratt
- Galeno (Mordachai) — Matt Snodgrass
- Navarro — Noah Lefebvre
- Gitana — Callie Phelps
- Hermosa — Mariah Lakamp
- Alita — Mandy Bergschneider
- Paloma — Melinda Snodgrass
- Consuelo — Lydia Andras
- Dulcinea — Margaret Jones
- Evita — Audrey Knorr
- Palmiera — Jodi Schone
- Juanita — Shanita Mickens
- Adoncia — Chelsea Parker
- Marcario — Daniel West
- Ramon — Cale Neff
- Kesare — Eric Whewell
- Amata — Katie Carls
- Desiderio — Chris Mitchell
- Duena — Stephanie Beard
- Mercedes — Jennifer Drake
- Eldora — Christy Finch
- Esperanzo — Matt Magelitz
- Lobo — Aaron French
- Milagros — Lincoln Hill
- Mio — Ryan Bradney
- Marlina — Kara Bumgarner
Production Notes
- Written, composed & directed by: Ken Bradbury
- Organization: Triopia Theatre, the Triopia all-school musical program
- Venue: Triopia High School, Triopia, Illinois
- The surviving recording is dated April 21, 2000.
Costuming followed the two gangs: green frogs for Los Hebreos and purple/leather for the Persians, with Carlotta's Frogs ensemble — Verde, Amarillo, Rojo, Rosa, Pardo, Violeta, Azul, and FMC. The production featured "Junk Drummers" beating chairs and trash cans for percussion (Drew Hendricker, Drew Snodgrass, JoEllyn Dorsey, Lydia Andras, Julie Surratt, Mandy Bergschneider, Katie Carls, Shannon Wood, and Abbie Crawford). Act II included a video/home-movie sequence with a young King David, "Young Xerxes," played by David Meyer, alongside a child cast of Rachel Schone, Logan Joehl, and Hannah Stephens.
Choreography was credited in part to assistant choreographers and dance leads Amanda Meyer and Callie Phelps, with vocal and music help from Mr. West (guitar) and Jill and Jon Carls (keyboard arranging). The show grew out of prior Triopia productions referenced in the program — Children of the Rainbow, Into the Light, The Time of My Life, and the touring Shel Silverstein children's show. Julie Surratt, in the title role, moved the cast to spontaneous applause the first night she sang "Little Girl Lost."
A note on names: the title page reads ¡Viva Ester! (one "t"), while the recording and its metadata use "Esther." Several characters appear in two forms across the sources — Carlota/Carlotta, Velvet (Queen Vashey), and Galeno (Mordachai), with Lanny playing King Xerxes.