The King Of
THE BRONX
A NEW MUSICAL REVUE
ABOUT THE TOUGHEST
PEOPLE IN THE WORLD:
NEW YORKERS
Inspired by the Art of Dave Konig
Music by Elliot Finkel
Book and Lyrics by Dave Konig & Elliot Finkel
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March '20, the Darkness hits New York City. With the world on hold comedian Dave Konig creates paintings of his fellow "Bronxinians", once annoyingly ubiquitous, now "they were all gone – and I missed them!". On the talk show Art Stuff, Dave is comically encouraged to view his paintings as a window into the human condition in the frantic opener The Impossible Wonder.
SELF PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS AN ARTIST
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Four middle-aged schlubs had dreams of success but find that the best-laid plans of mice and schlubs often go astray in the hilarious
doo-wop God Has A Plan.
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Lenny loves retirement. Sol hates it. Lenny loves outdoor dining "one good thing that came out of the darkness". Sol hates it, "Soup, with a side order of carbon monoxide." Lenny loves life. Sol….
THE BRONX RAT PACK
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A shy 13 year old girl celebrates her birthday at the art museum, finally re-opened. Her inspiration for getting through adolescence is the courageous woman on the hill in Andrew Wyeth's masterpiece. She sings to her hero Christina.
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In a memory play both funny and poignant, Mickey finds his elderly father slipping away mentally after the Darkness.
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Escaping the city extroverted young Andrea meets older, wiser Claire at the beach. They have a lively discussion about God. Andrea sees the God of her childhood "angry, long white beard, like Santa Claus – but pissed!" Claire offers a calmer vision of God in the ocean waves in the dreamy pop-driven song By The Ocean
AMSTERDAM AVE AL FRESCO #1
ISOBEL'S WORLD
STAIRWAY TO THE BRONX
STILL WATER
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Clem was raised on a farm in Biloxi, Mississippi. He and his high school sweetheart June dreamt of moving to the New York they saw on TV "gigantic apartments with a panoramic view of the 59th Street bridge." One day, their dream came true. Sort of. In the country and western lament We Live In A Box, Clem sings of their microscopic NYC studio where "the rent isn't stabilized and neither are we".
IN THE BACK ROOM
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Tough luck bass player Earl finally hits the big birthday – and he's never been happier. "Not to be a jerk, but I don't have to work 'cause I got Social Security!" he sings in the funky I'm 65.
HURT? INJURED?
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That gent in the painting eating Italian Ice with no spoon? He's royalty. To his family he's The King. His granddaughter recounts the story of his romance with his Queen, first in the fun, lively salsa The King of the Bronx, then in the sweet ballad Stay A While.
THE KING OF THE BRONX
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Actor Danny Kubel had a taste of the big time as a child actor. "But then I hit puberty and went through that awkward phase. My awkward phase lasted until I was fifty two". Danny still has high hopes. If only the Demons in his head would get out of his way. Spoiler alert: they won't, as they explain in the outrageous, funky rapper The Demon Song.
CENTRE STREET, BEACH HAVEN
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Judy is a wannabe chanteuse singing in a small cabaret to an audience of one: her lovestruck husband Sam. He writes her arrangements, shleps her costumes, and indulges her delusional fantasy of stardom. Love conquers all – even lack of talent in the delightfully funny pastiche of operetta warhorses Marvelous.
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INDOOR DINING 35% NYC
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Cheryl was married to Ian, a cranky, opinionated, force of nature. It wasn't always easy. The darkness took him, but Cheryl is determined to set the marital record straight in the 11 o'clock earth shaker Ian The Perfectionist
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Serene Lenny and curmudgeonly Sol rail against their doctors who won't let them eat anything that makes them happy. In a burst of exhilarating vaudeville rhapsodize to the rooftops on the joys of the one thing that can cure the world's ills – Pastrami!
FINKEL THE GREAT
AMSTERDAM AVE AL FRESCO #2
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On the subway to Coney Island to ride out of the darkness and into the light, the cast sings the joyous anthem It's Time To Face the World We Know
DON'T HANG AROUND AND LET YOUR PROBLEMS SURROUND YOU
Feedback from recent readings
From the blog ZANDLSLANT:
The Lambs Club Website:
Creative Team
Dave Konig
A national headlining comedian, Konig starred on
Broadway as Vince Fontaine in the Tommy Tune revival of Grease. He wrote and starred in the Off Broadway solo shows Hebrew School Dropout and Addicted to Show Business. TV guest star roles include The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, The Blacklist, Blue Bloods, Louie, Crashing and more. He won three Emmy Awards for his man-under-the-street Konig Underground reports on NY's Subway Q&A. His first novel Good Luck, Mr Gorsky was called "required reading" by the NY Post.
Elliot Finkel
As a pianist, conductor and composer Elliot has appeared on the great stages of the world. ​ On Broadway Elliot was the musical director for Sid Caesar and Company, conductor and pianist for Michael Feinstein in Concert, and
his musical Finkel’s Follies was a great favorite both in Los Angeles and New York. He co-created the musical The Loves of George Sand.