How to Do IT
You can arrange to present "The IT Girl" by contacting:
Samuel French, Inc.
45 West 25th Street - Dept.W
New York, NY 10010
Phone (212) 206-8990
Fax (212) 206-1429
Or get performance materials online
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LIGHT ON ITS FEET!
The sets can be minimal and stylish, to keep the show's fast-moving pace.
To make it even easier, the original projections designed for the New York production by Elaine J. McCarthy are available for rental by contacting Mickey Rolfe at (212) 757-6756. See a sample>
HOW TO PLAY IT
The accompaniment is flexible -- from a single piano reminiscent of the old-time nickelodeon theaters up to a full-blown 6-piece band. (Songs like "A Perfect Plan" and "Mama's Arms" are also great for cabaret shows. Get sheet music>)
With an impromptu trip to "Coney Island," IT Girl Betty (Sara Kmiec) shows her boss Jonathan (Nathan Cockroft) the fun he's been missing.
A young woman in the 1920s (Sara Kmiec) watches Clara Bow and other silent movie stars in a Nickelodeon and dreams of escaping her drab life into a "Black and White World."
Back in real world of the 1920s, the woman at the Nickelodeon finds that her spirits have lifted from what she saw in the "Black and White World.".
With an impromptu trip to "Coney Island," IT Girl Betty (Sara Kmiec) shows her boss Jonathan (Nathan Cockroft) the fun he's been missing.
Looking for ideas? Click through the slideshow (above) from the acclaimed 2019 production of The IT Girl at Michigan's Meadow Brook Theatre. (Director: Travis Walter; Scenic Design: Jen Price Fick; Costume design: Corey Collins; Choreography: Jeremy Benton; Lighting: Matthew J. Fick; Music Director: Heidi Joosten; Photos: Sean Carter Photography)
WHO CAN DO IT
While "The IT Girl" can be performed with a cast of seven, it can easily accommodate a much larger cast. The smaller roles can be assigned to individual actors, creating opportunities for many solos and featured parts. Plus, a chorus can be added for multiple scenes.
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THE STYLE OF IT
Like silent movies, which relied on a kind of kinetic energy, The IT Girl musical requires a momentum that should never be compromised by the physical production. It's important to stay ahead of the audience at all times. The first act runs 52 minutes; the second act runs 41 minutes. In performance, speed is the key.
And a word about tone: The IT Girl is not "campy"; it is not a satire on early movies. It is a valentine, to be played with sincerity -- much like the silents themselves.
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Roles:
BETTY LOU SPENCE: The IT Girl. 20’s - early 30’s. Vivacious dynamo with spunk, effortless sex appeal, tomboy charm and street smarts. Creative physical comedienne, dynamic singer and highstepping dancer. Adorable, altogether winning ingénue with fire and moxie. Soprano/Belt.
JONATHAN WALTHAM: The IT Boy. Mid 20’s – mid 30’s. A leading man with light comedic skills and easy charm. Masculine but gentle. Classic proper, upstanding member of society with Ivy League good looks. A button-down man who, unconsciously, wants to be unbuttoned. Confident lyric baritone.
MONTY MONTGOMERY: The Comic Sidekick. Mid 20’s – mid 30’s. Energetic, nimble light comedian with sure-fire timing and a period sensibility. An upper-crust dilettante concerned with the latest fads, impulsively adventurous, good-hearted but sometimes simpleminded man of leisure. Jonathan’s best friend. Facility with physical comedy. Character baritone.
ADELA VAN NORMAN: The Comic Villainess. 20’s - early 30’s. Socialite, whose bad behavior stems from insecurity and desperation, not an evil nature. Stylish, manipulative, aggressive former debutante who slyly balances charm and wicked determination in order to snag her man. Long and lean preferred, not required. Alto/mezzo/belt.
JANE / MRS. VAN NORMAN / MRS. SULLIVAN: Mid 20’s – mid 30’s. Jane is a brash, wisecracking shopgirl from Brooklyn (a young Bea Arthur or Elaine Stritch); Mrs. Van Norman (Adela’s mother) is a haughty, demanding aristocratic matron who values money and breeding (a la Margaret Dumont); Mrs. Sullivan is a shriveled, feisty Irish landlady. Must move well. Alto/character singer, only needs to carry a tune.
MOLLY / DAISY / BREARLEY: 20’s – early 30’s. Molly is a sweet but plucky Lillian Gish type who shows spirit in the face of adversity; Betty’s upbeat, loyal best friend. Daisy is a delicate, innocent eager-to-please shopgirl. Lyric soprano who can also give vocal punch to a ragtime tune.
MR. NOTTING / MAN OF A THOUSAND FACES: 20’s - mid 30’s. Mr. Notting is a self-important, punctilious, officious shop manager who lives life by the time clock. Plays other roles which require him to be adept physical comedy skills: an aristocratic gossip, a French waiter, a Coney Island barker, a scandal sheet reporter and a sailor. Tenor.
As Vancouver's Dramantrix company discovered when they won seven of Canada's Community Theatre Coalition Awards, IT can add up to a winning production.