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The Runaway

2002 · Triopia High School

The Runaway is Ken Bradbury's original musical — book, music, and lyrics all his own — retelling the Bible's story of Jonah, transplanted to 1950s America. A reluctant boy named Jonah runs from the call placed on him, fleeing east through Nashville and New York and south to a Miami pier and the cruise ship Dawn Princess, only to be thrown overboard in a storm and swallowed by a great fish. In the belly of the whale he is finally pulled back toward what he was meant to do. The action is framed by mid-century social history — Eisenhower, Tupperware, the H-bomb, I Love Lucy, bandstand rock — narrated by the cast, with a climactic Jonah/Harold confrontation in Red Square, Moscow.

Date- 2002

Cast

Crew

• Book, Music, Lyrics — Ken Bradbury

• Director — Ken Bradbury

• Tech Director — Chuck West

• Sound — Steve Eisenhauer

• Vocal Directors — Christine Smith

• Chuck West

• The Band — Keyboard- Jill Briggs

• Keyboard- Jon Carls

• Percussion- Kurt Heller

• Bass- Jerry Kirbach

• Guitar- Chuck West

• Choreographers — Callie Phelps

• Alison Wessler

• Jodi Schone

• Ken Bradbury

• Costumes — Patty Clinton

• Connie Charlesworth

• Gale Wessler

• Lights:

Songs

(Scene-ordered, from Ken's program song list.)

Act I

• The Eisenhower Bop — The Teens (Scene One)
• Whatever Happened to Harry Truman? — Fred & Norma
• Ooo-Bah Doo-Bah/Crazy in Love — Suede, Taffeta, Chiffon, the Teens
• Angel Eyes — Harold's Angels (Scene Two, Jonah's bedroom)
• You Can Run But You Can't Hide — Harold's Angels (Scene Four, Nashville)
• Bandstand Rock — The Teens (Scene Six, New York City)
• Don't Run Away — Harold's Angels
• Left Here Alone — Peggy, Alvin, Janice, Jane, Joanne (Scene Eight, Peggy's House)
• Sail Away on a Cruise — The Dove Princesses (Scene Ten, aboard the Dawn Princess)
• You Can't Run Away from the Man — Harold's Angels (Act I finale)

Act II

• Wipe Out (by the Surfaris) — The Orchestra (Scene One)
• Ballet de Orca — The Sea Nymphs & The Filets (Scene Two, 20,000 Leagues under the Sea)
• At da Bottom of Da Sea — Glubber, Jonah & da Fishies
• Come on, Jonah! Come On! — Orc
• Save the Boy — Peggy & the Angels
• He'll Pull You Out — Harold, Jonah, The Angels, and the Intestinal Track (Scene Three, In the Belly of a very large Fish)
• The Russo-American Bee-Bop — The Jazz/Russian Dancers (Scene Five, Willie's Drive-In & Red Square, Moscow)
• Don't Run Away (reprise) — Alvin
• The Gillette Telegram — Harold's Angels
• Tel-Star (by the Tornadoes) — The Orchestra
• Put the Pedal to the Metal — Harold, The Angels, & Ensemble (finale, basement of the Piggly Wiggly)

Production Notes

The Runaway was Triopia High School's all-school spring musical, running April 24–27, 2002 in Triopia, Illinois. It is Ken Bradbury's own work — "Book, Music, Lyrics by Ken Bradbury" and "Directed by Ken Bradbury" — his retelling of the Jonah story set in 1950s America. He was also one of the show's choreographers, alongside Callie Phelps, Alison Wessler, and Jodi Schone.

Ken kept a development journal for the show, "Something Fishy This Way Comes" (December 25, 2001 – April 25, 2002), a first-person record of him writing the book, composing the music, and writing the lyrics. He began composing on January 8, 2002 and finished the script on February 24, 2002, then orchestrated and learned the music; rehearsals began March 11, 2002. The production folder still carries the show's working title, Jonah — as the journal notes, "I named it The Runaway a few nights ago since Gus Gordon wanted a title for his web page." His journal also credits Chuck West (who built the giant fish and ran tech) and Patty Clinton (costumes).

The orchestra worked two real period instrumentals into the score: "Wipe Out" (the Surfaris) and "Tel-Star" (the Tornadoes).

Photos