The Characters
The story revolves around five people who are in their late forties. Four of them have known each other for over twenty five years when they were at university together.
Amy is a successful entrepreneur. She used to be in a relationship with Stephen during their time at university twenty five years ago. She subsequently married, had one child, Nathaniel (now 22) and is now happily single. Her highly successful business is struggling.
Linda works as a designer. She is divorced. She has no children. She feels she is in a rut and wants to meet a new partner.
Melissa works at a child care centre. She has never married. She is a supportive serene person.
Stephen is a primary school teacher. He is very politically minded and is an activist for many causes. He is married with four children aged between 24 (Stephanie) and 10 (Jack). He is disappointed with people and life.
Mark is a marketing manager. He has lived a fast-paced fun-filled rather shallow life. He meets Linda in the course of the musical.
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The Story and Songs
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The details of each of the songs and descriptions of the settings here give away the complete story.
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The Show Opens
Before curtain-up the Overture © consisting of elements of the songs from the show plays.
Act One. Scene 1. Saturday May 10th 2014. Melissa’s house.
In the course of the Act One, we are introduced to the characters who each, whilst successful in many ways, highlight an aspect in their life where they feel they are unfortunate. Although longstanding friends, they are each very different. The advice they give each other is clearly very much the product of their own personality rather than the most appropriate thing for the person concerned. Melissa highlights a more philosophical view of life suggesting they view their lives as a bigger picture.
The musical opens with Amy, Linda and Stephen meeting at Melissa’s house. They find her reminiscing about times in their past. They recall the song Life Will Be © from 1989 that they used to rap along with. The song is sung by Felicity Rogers, Mel Gibbins, Andrew Adams and Jacqui Butler.
Linda (a divorcee) says how she is tired of having to do everything on her own in her life now. She sings the song Pick Me Up © This song is sung by Mel Gibbins.
Linda recounts how she met a man the previous day and liked him but didn’t do anything about it and belittles herself. Melissa reminds her that sometimes in life we are sad because we may not be seeing ourselves clearly. She suggests Linda sing the folk song they all knew back then called Sally Grimes © This song is sung by Mel Gibbins.
As they all try to chivvy her up, Steven draws a parallel with a current song suggesting you can be anyone you like, you just need to take action. Steven and Linda sing You Are Anyone © This song is sung here by Andrew Adams and Mel Gibbins.
Amy says that you have to fight independently for what you need in life. She sings You Have The Right © This version is sung by Mel Gibbins.
Amy, Steven and Linda spot that Melissa hasn’t seemed herself and query whether she is well. She passes it off. After they have left, she telephones her mother and confesses that she didn’t tell them her bad news about her terminal illness. She says that she has not told her friend Paul (who is a lifelong unrequited love) either. Despite being a very philosophical person Melissa laments her lot. She sings Waiting In The Night © This version of the song is sung by Jacqui Butler.
Act One Scene 2. Sunday 18th May 2014. Local coffee bar.
When the friends are together, Linda reveals she has met a man (Mark) and how she would love to throw off the shackles of the lonely life she has been leading but is not sure if she dare. She sings When My Eyes First Saw Him©. This song is sung by Mel Gibbins.
Amy and Steven were in a relationship twenty five years earlier and have a strained interaction. Back then, Steven had planned to travel and live abroad. In the event, he is a local teacher. Whilst being politically active, he is feeling disenchanted with his job and life. He sings I Dreamed © It is sung here by Andrew Adams.
Melissa had told each of her friends over the week about her terminal cancer. They all discuss the idea of kindness. They recall their trip to Berlin at the time of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the kindness people showed to help others over the wall. Melissa reminds them that that is why she called their group Facebook page ‘La Gentillesse’ (which is kindness is French).
Linda reveals that she had met with Mark a few times but then last night got cold feet. She is horrified when Mark shows up at the coffee bar. She dashes out to the toilets. Mark tells the group that he can tell she is happy and asks if they can persuade her to continue to see him. Mark sings Couldn’t She? © It is sung here by Michael Harris.
After Mark leaves, Linda comes out of the toilets. Amy goes on to say that emotions are a waste of time. She draws attention to the song playing in the cafe. Logic ©. She tells them her business is struggling.
Linda looks sad thinking she has been silly to react to Mark the way she has. The song Blue © plays.
Amy is skipping through her tablet and sees an item about a man (Sam) who has won millions on the lottery but says he doesn’t know what to do with the money and is looking for ideas. They each make suggestions as to what they think he should do. They sing the song You Could Be ©. It is sung here by Andrew Adams, Felicity Rogers, Mel Gibbins and Jacqui Butler.
Act Two. Scene 1 The following evening. Local coffee bar.
Having agreed with Linda to meet there, Mark rushes in feeling he is late. He sees that she is not there and thinks she has been but left. He sings She’s Been Here ©. This version is sung by Michael Harris.
In the event, Linda arrives. They hug and agree to go on to a restaurant.
Act Two. Scene 2 15th June 2014. Local coffee bar.
Melissa has agreed to help Mark in what will be his final primary school show before he leaves teaching. She suggests it should be a multi-ethnic account of how peoples around the world give thanks. They draw plans for each of the different pieces the children will perform.
People give thanks for love. ‘An American Bar’ is sung by Kitty McAteer.
An American Bar ©
People give thanks for dance.
Irish Dance ©
People give thanks to God.
Jewish ceremony ©
People give thanks for forgiveness.
Chinese ceremony ©
People give thanks for the simplest of things: water.
Arabic ceremony ©
People give thanks for work.
Industrial North ©
People give thanks for a harvest.
South American Andes Pachamama ©
They are then joined by Linda and Mark and then Amy. Stephen then enters. He is incensed to have heard that Amy’s son Nathaniel has been having a relationship with his daughter Stephanie and has now broken it off and she is heartbroken. He tells Amy, ‘like mother like son’. He starts to point out how her obsessive self interest and heartlessness is unbearable. He is irritated by Melissa’s attempt to smooth things over. Within no time each of the friends are shouting at each other. The four friends sing the song. You’re Always Like That © and vow to have nothing more to do with each other. It is all sung here by Felicity Rogers, Andrew Adams, Jacqui Butler and Mel Gibbins.
Act Two. Scene 3 5th October 2014. Local coffee bar.
Linda and Mark are settled in their relationship. Linda sings. I Woke To Find You’re Wonderful ©. It is sung here by Mel Gibbins.
Mark tells Linda how much he loves her and how she has changed his life. He sings Of All The People I Have Ever Known © It is sung here by Michael Harris.
They lament how the longstanding friendships Linda had fell apart and discuss how Melissa, despite rapidly failing health, keeps trying to get them all to patch it up.
Act Two. Scene 4 19th December 2014. Melissa’s house.
Melissa is close to death. She has arranged for all of the friends to be there including Paul who is flying in from South Sudan. Melissa explains how kindness between them all is the key. She sings Let Me Live Again ©. It is sung here by Jacqui Butler.
Paul is unable to get there. Melissa dies.
Act Three. Scene 1 16th January 2015. Local coffee bar.
Amy, Steven, Linda and Mark discuss what Melissa stood for in all her life. Steven realises the real meaning she had in wanting the children to do the show they did. They realise that when we use the term fortune we use it in different ways: money, being lucky etc. Melissa’s message was that we can all have a fortune. A fortune of kindnesses to others. Steven says he is glad to have given up teaching and to be working on Sam’s new social enterprise venture that he began following Melissa’s advice. Amy has discovered more to her life than her business. Linda and Mark express gratitude for meeting each other. They all sing the song Thank You ©. It is sung here by Andrew Adams, Felicity Rogers, Michael Harris and Mel Gibbins.
They decide to open their group Facebook page (La Gentillesse), designed by Melissa, to the world. It is a place where people can detail kindnesses they have given or received. The musical ends as they see the Facebook site going viral as people contribute instances of kindness to the Finale © medley of songs concerning kindness and thanks.
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