Full Synopsis
"Prologue": early morning, St. George Hotel on New York City's Upper East Side. Jenny Steinberg appears to be a bride sitting alone in front of a mirrorwearing a wedding veil. She examines items on the vanity in front of her while insisting "I Never Wanted This!"
The members of the Steinberg/Howard wedding party and the St. George Hotel staff begin preparations for the wedding that's happening on "This Day." Rebeccastarts to have a meltdown when she gets a smudge on her wedding dress. Jenny assures her it's all going to be "Perfect."
Marty Kaufman, the bride's ex-boyfriend shows up at the hotel looking for Rebecca, but runs into her parents. Instead of being angry at him for showing upuninvited, the say "It Shoulda Been You," and encourage him to win Rebecca back.
Marty begs Jenny to just let him talk to Rebecca. He even tries to guilt her into it by reminding her "Who" used to be her best friend when they weregrowing up together.
Marty overhears George attempting to bond with Brian by confessing that he wished he had been friends with his own father "Back in the Day." Once theybond, George hands Brian a prenup. Marty runs off to tell Rebecca about the prenup hoping it will convince her to call off the wedding.
Judy has invited Georgette to have her hair done with "us girls" at the Hotel's Hair Salon, so that she can "lay the groundwork of their futurerelationship." When Jenny finds out what her mother has planned, she warns her that she better be nice. Judy assures them she'll be nice the best she can.Jenny insists that Judy be nice Georgette's way, or they will never forgive her. Judy agrees, but we soon find out just how much it costs her to be "Nice."
Marty runs into the salon and tells Rebecca about the prenup. Georgette swears to Judy that she didn't know anything about the prenup, but Judy doesn'tbelieve her. The battle lines are drawn, and Jenny can do nothing but watch as the wedding she put her heart and soul into falls apart. Now, it's "Albert'sTurn" to step in and fix it.
Brian stops by to check on his mother. While there, he lets her know that if he ever achieves anything in this world, it will be because of her. He lovesher. Georgette tells him that she loves him too, "a mother couldn't ask for a more perfect son," but when he leaves she wonders "Where Did I Go Wrong?"
After Jenny overhears her mother making fun of her weight, she longs for someone to tell her she is "Beautiful." After they tie the knot, Brian and Rebeccaburst into their private room, the Chedar Yichud, relieved that the ceremony was "A Perfect Ending" to all the mishegas. Members of the wedding party enterdifferent areas of the hotel and share their own feelings about what's happened so far, as Greg and Annie sneak into Brian and Rebecca's room for a littleprivate celebration of their own. When Jenny and Albert walk in on Brian kissing Greg and Rebecca kissing Annie - long, loving, sexy kisses, the kind thatmake straight people squirm - Jenny drops the tray holding the champagne glasses. Albert and Jenny agree not to say anything, and everyone heads into thereception where Greg and Annie perform "Love You Till the Day," a song they'd written earlier for Brian and Rebecca. When Judy asks Jenny to make sure thephotographer takes a picture of Rebecca dancing with their father, Jenny says no and leaves the reception. Judy follows wondering why Jenny won't do thatlittle thing for her sister. And that's it. Jenny can't take it anymore and unleashes "Jenny's Blues."
Judy asks Marty to check on Jenny because she's acting so strangely. Jenny grabs Marty and kisses him full on the lips - a long, loving, sexy kiss, thekind that makes gay people squirm. Jenny pulls back, realizes what she's done, screams and runs into the ladies room, ultimately hiding in a stall whenMarty follows her. Jenny thinks Marty is still in love with Rebecca, so when Marty blurts out Rebecca's gay, Jenny is confused. It's always been Marty andRebecca, Rebecca and Marty. Marty reminds her that "before you went away to college it was me and you." Jenny scoffs that he was never in love with her.Marty says, no, he was never in love with Rebecca. Jenny wants to know what he means by that. He wants to know what she meant by kissing him earlier. Shesays she meant "whatever," then runs back into the stall and locks the door. Marty tells her what he hopes "Whatever" means, and she comes out of thestall. Marty and Jenny start kissing for real, but are interrupted by Albert, who comes in to tell them he thought they'd like to know that Rebecca isabout to tell her parents she's gay. After they all run out, Aunt Sheila pops her head up out of another stall delighted to have found out that Rebecca isa lesbian. Walt pops up next to her hoping they can finish whatever, because he's got tables to bus.
Rebecca tries to explain why she didn't tell people she was gay before, and why if she doesn't tell them now, she'll be "A Little Bit Less Than." ForBrian's sake, Rebecca decided to wait on telling her parents, but Aunt Sheila lets the cat out of the bag. Once their plot is revealed, it appears that thewedding is over until Marty proposes to Jenny, who he has loved since he was six years old. Jenny loves him too, but says no, this is not the way it'ssupposed to happen. Judy says here's "What They Never Tell You" - when it comes to love, there's no such thing as "supposed to." Jenny says yes to Marty, and the four lovers, so moved by Judy's speech, decide they want to get married too.
As they run off to discuss the details with Albert, the four parents wonder what the hell just happened. Oh, wait, not they don't, "That's Family."Everyone gathers to watch as Jenny enters looking radiant in her new wedding dress. Judy tells Jenny she looks "Beautiful" and Marty wholeheartedly agrees.As they head down the aisle, Jenny pauses to say "I always wanted this (Finale)."
Show History
Inspiration
It Shoulda Been You, with a book and lyrics by Brian Hargrove and music by Barbara Anselmi, invites you to all the the mayhem and insanity surrounding the nuptials that bring together two very different families.
Composer Barbara Anselmi found some inspiration for It Shoulda Been You while attending an actual wedding of a friend at the Crystal Palace in Livingston, NJ. The show was then developed from a song Anselmi presented at the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop in New York City.
Productions
It Shoulda Been You was first staged in 2011 at the George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick, NJ. It opened on October 4th and ran through November 4th. Directed by David Hyde Pierce, the original production starred Tyne Daly, Lisa Howard and Harriet Harris.
In 2012 the show was produced at the Village Theatre in Issaquah and Everett, WA. It ran from March 15 through May 20.
It Shoulda Been You officially opened on Broadway at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on April 14, 2015. Among the celebrated cast were Tyne Daly, Harriet Harris, Sierra Boggess, Lisa Howard, Montego Glover, and Chip Zien. It closed on August 9, 2015 after 21 previews and 135 performances.
Cultural Influence
- Lisa Howard performed her character's show-stopping number, "Jenny's Blues", at the 69th Tony Awards Ceremony.
- A cast recording for It Shoulda Been You was released by Ghostlight Records.
- The cast of It Shoulda Been You performed on The Today Show in April, 2015.
Critical Reaction
"... this Broadway season's freshest and funniest to date defies skepticism, both in its wacky humor and its big, buoyant heart." - USA Today
"... the main reason to admire "Shoulda" is the frequency, quirkiness and heartiness of the laughs." - Chicago Tribune
Connect
http://www.broadway.com/shows/it-shoulda-been-you/
http://www.playbill.com/production/it-shoulda-been-you-brooks-atkinson-theatre-vault-0000014091
Billing
- Book and Lyrics by
- Music by
- Additional Lyrics by
Based on a concept by Barbara Anselmi
Requirements
Author Billing Block:
Book and Lyrics
BRIAN HARGROVE 50%
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Music and Concept
BARBARA ANSELMI 50%
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The following credits must be included in program credits:
performance dates and venue are provided and in outdoor advertising, transit and taxi ads and marquees where no other person is billed, the following “shortened billing” is permissible:
Video Warning
If you purchase a separate Video Licence to allow non-commercial video recording of this production, you must print the following in your programme: ANY VIDEO RECORDING MADE OF THIS PERFORMANCE IS AUTHORISED FOR PERSONAL, AT-HOME, NON-COMMERCIAL USE ONLY. THE SALE OR DISTRIBUTION OF SUCH RECORDING IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED UNDER COPYRIGHT LAW. If you do not purchase a separate Video Licence then you must print the following in your programme: The videotaping or other video or audio recording of this production is strictly prohibited.Included Materials
Item | Quantity Included |
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KEYBOARD1 - CONDUCTOR SCORE | 2 |
LIBRETTO/VOCAL BOOK | 16 |
Production Resources
Resource |
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HOW DOES THE SHOW GO ON-10/CS |
HOW DOES THE SHOW GO ON? |
KEYBOARDTEK |
LOGO PACK |
LOGO PACK DIGITAL |
PRODUCTIONPRO-DIGITAL SCRIPT/SCORE |
REFERENCE RECORDING |
STAGE WRITE APPLICATION |
TRANSPOSITIONS-ON-DEMAND |
VIDEO LICENSE |
STANDARD ORCHESTRATION
Instrumentation | Doubling |
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BASS | ACOUSTIC BASS , ELECTRIC BASS |
CELLO | |
DRUMS | BONGOS , CABASA , CROTALES , DRUM SET , GLOCKENSPIEL , MARK TREE , SHAKER , SMALL SHAKER , TIMPANI , TRIANGLE , WOODBLOCKS , XYLOPHONE |
KEYBOARD 1 | |
REED 1 | ALTO SAXOPHONE , CLARINET , FLUTE , SOPRANO SAXOPHONE |
REED 2 | BASS CLARINET , CLARINET , ENGLISH HORN , OBOE , SOPRANO SAXOPHONE , TENOR SAXOPHONE |
TROMBONE | BASS TROMBONE , TENOR TROMBONE |
VIOLIN |