Shaboom!
2006 · Illinois Theatre, Jacksonville, Illinois
Shaboom! — the September 2006 Passavant Follies — is an original parody-song revue that Ken Bradbury wrote and directed as a benefit for Passavant Area Hospital, one of the long line of hospital fundraiser shows he created alongside Rock Around the Doc, Pazzamatazz, and The Ballad of Dead-Eye Doc. In its framing story, former sweethearts Tommy (Dr. Williams) and Peggy Sue (Nurse Langdon) are magically swept back to 1950s Jacksonville, where they dodge rival biker gangs — the "Kawasaki Kiwanis" and the "Road-Hog Rotary" — a JHS prom, the murderous thug Sluggo, and a swamp hermit named Maurie obsessed with Roy Orbison. Throughout, local-flavored doo-wop and rock-and-roll numbers rewritten with Jacksonville and Passavant Hospital lyrics carry the show, including the title number built on the doo-wop standard "Sh-Boom / Life Could Be a Dream."
The show began with a phone call Ken dreaded. A journal entry headed "In da Beginning," dated May 29, 2005, records "the dreaded call of death" from Gin Fanning of the planning committee, and Ken's first brainstorm: "So… maybe pirates?" That early pirate idea never made it to the stage; by the September 2006 premiere the concept had become Shaboom!, a 1950s rock-and-roll spoof set in Jacksonville. The show was also the birthplace of an original Bradbury song, "When You Fall," which — per Ken's journal — "began as a song in Shaboom" before later finding its way to Camp Sunshine.
Songs
The numbers are 1950s rock-and-roll and doo-wop songs rewritten with Jacksonville and Passavant Hospital parody lyrics (Act One, as preserved in Ken's script):
- Rock Around the Doc (to "Rock Around the Clock") — "ONE, TWO, THREE O'CLOCK, FOUR O'CLOCK ROCK … WE'RE GONNA ROCK AROUND THE DOC TONIGHT!"
- Goodness Gracious, Great Jacksonville! (to "Great Balls of Fire")
- Only the Rotary (to "Only the Lonely")
- Little Darlin' (pancake parody)
- Doctor Boy (to "Soldier Boy")
- Country Club Dues (to "Blue Suede Shoes")
- Nurse Angel (to "Teen Angel")
- Bedpan song (to "Love Me Tender") — "SIT DOWN GENTLY, SIT DOWN SLOW … FOR MY BEDPAN'S COLD AS SNOW"
- Wareco jingle (roughly to "Bo Diddley")
- People Helping People (to "People")
- The Great Loan Lender (to "The Great Pretender") — Jacksonville Savings Bank
- I'm Goin' to Meredosia (to "Kansas City")
- Speed Trap (to "Hound Dog") — Petey Pisgah and his Pistols
- The Lion Sleeps Tonight — Act One finale (the YMCA fight scene where Tommy defeats Sluggo)
- Sh-Boom / Life Could Be a Dream — the title number
Cast
The performing company (from the director's newsletter "The Fuse" and the program bios):
- Dave Shaffer
- J. Westerfield
- Tammy Zink (who also choreographed)
- Carole
- Jeff
- Eddie
- Travis Deaver
- Jodi Heitbrink
- Katie Phelps
- Brad
- Ginny Fanning
The script's character roles include Peggy Sue (Nurse Langdon), Tommy (Dr. Williams), the Wolfman (WLDS DJ), Jerry-the-Singer, the Dragnet detectives Friday and Gannon, Rust ("the king of rock and roll in Jacksonville"), Killer Kiwanis and Raunchy (rival bikers), Sluggo the thug, Maurie the swamp hermit, Ed Sullivan, Little Nell, Snidely the villain, the Lone Arranger (Farmers State Bank), the Leave It to Beaver family, Petey Pisgah, and Dr. Prabhakar. Matching actors to roles awaits the recording's title cards.
Production Notes
- Written and directed by Ken Bradbury — original book and original parody lyrics written for Jacksonville and Passavant Hospital. Tammy Zink choreographed. Ken signed the director's newsletter, "The Fuse," as "KB."
- Staged September 28, 2006 (production photographs in the Shaboom folder are dated 060928) at the Illinois Theatre in Jacksonville.
- The honorarium sheet lists the production-team payments: Ken $3,000 (lead writer-director); Julie H. $300; Tammy (Zink) $300; Tim $300; Jeremy L. $250; Mike P. $250; Janet L. $250; Chuck W. $100.
- A large "SHABOOM!" comic-book starburst banner served as the stage backdrop, visible in the full-company finale photo. Production photos were posted weekly during the run on the show blog at http://06follies.blogspot.com; roughly 135 production photos from September 2006 survive.
- Local references woven throughout include WLDS radio, the Illinois Theatre, Farmers State Bank, Jacksonville Savings Bank, Wareco, Meredosia, Pisgah, and Passavant Hospital staff doctors.
- A full video, 2006 Shaboom Follies.mp4, preserves the complete performance.
Photos