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Mid-Life! The Crisis Musical
Mid-Life! The Crisis Musical
Book, Music and Lyrics By Bob Walton and Jim Walton
With a balanced look at the 'joys' of growing older, through a cast of three men and three women, MID-LIFE! strikes a chord with anyone regardless of age. A series of scenes and sketches poke fun at the frustrations of mammograms, love handles, weekend warriors and proctology exams. The cleverly crafted songs celebrate forgetfulness, reading glasses and menopause, but also touch on the sentimental wisdom that the later years afford us. MID-LIFE! is a hilarious romp with an honest humor about the trials and tribulations of the unavoidable aging process. Welcome to MID-LIFE!
Description Tags: Revue • Americana.
Cast Size: No Chorus • Small (1-10). Vocal Demands: Moderate. Dance Requirements: Minimal. Good For: Amateur/Community • Professional Theatre.
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About The Show

News for Mid-Life! The Crisis Musical

Production Info

Create/Order Merch for Mid-Life! The Crisis Musical

To request the rights to make merchandise for this show email brian.sherman@rnh.com.

Fan Info:

News for Mid-Life! The Crisis Musical

GREAT Things Come in SMALL Packages

If your production budget is currently straining under the weight of large scale shows, you can still present the high quality entertainmentfull of the first rate words and music, humor and pathos that your audiences expect... read more

R&H Theatricals World Premiere Weekend Easter Parade & Mid-Life! The Crisis Musical
Warm spring weather in Minnesota provided an appropriate setting for a World Premiere Weekend read more
It's A Wonderful Mid-life!
In February of 2006, R&H heard from our friends in Minnesota at the Chanhassen Dinner Theatre that they had recently opened a new musical revue, entitled MID-LIFE. read more
Dynamic Duo
Brothers Bob and Jim Walton have tap danced and crooned countless times on the Broadway stage and have written together since 1991. read more
Pit Sit
I had a, well, magical experience on Saturday night.  Andy Einhorn, the indefatigable conductor and musical director of Rodgers + Hammerstein’s CINDERELLA, invited me to sit in the orchestra pit of the Broadway Theatre during the performance.  Because the pit is big enough, there is a space where, once the orchestra members are settled in their seats, a chair can be placed safely, between the bows of the violins and the constant instrument shifting of the woodwind section. Read more →
CINDERELLA Steps into Tony History
With the 9 Tony Award nominations for Rodgers + Hammerstein’s CINDERELLA announced this morning, once again Rodgers and Hammerstein stand tall and proud among the best of Broadway.
Read more →
Spain Embraces "THE SOUND OF MUSIC"
As I am now based in London, where Rodgers & Hammerstein is launching our own European theatrical licensing division – R&H Theatricals Europe – I had the great pleasure of hopping down to Madrid for 24 hours in late December, to see SONRISAS…, meet the cast and equally hardworking crew, and revel in a production of the timeless musical that seems to “bloom and grow forever” – and everywhere.
Read more →

Trivia for Mid-Life! The Crisis Musical

Press for Mid-Life! The Crisis Musical

  • Quotes

“Some great laughs and some more poignant moments… it is a funny sitcom.... [The lyrics are] "sharp, witty and funny'"

— Eric Scott, AbsoluteTheatre.com
“This musical revue is a little stroke of genius!” — Dominic Papatola, Pioneer Press
“MID-LIFE! is worth remembering…if you can!” — D. Jansen, SW Publications

Musical Numbers for Mid-Life! The Crisis Musical

Song #
Song Name
Character Name
Play
Other Versions
1
Prologue
The Company
Other Versions
2
Welcome To Mid-Life
The Company
3
Lies!
The Company
4
Turning Forty
Man 1
Other Versions
5
Biological Clock
Woman 2, Man 3, Man 2
Other Versions
6
Welcome To Mid-Life (Reprise 1)
Woman 2
7
Weekend Warriors
The Men
Other Versions
8
When He Laughs
Woman 3
Other Versions
9
A Trip To The Doctor
Man 1, Woman 2, Woman 1, Woman 3, Man 3
10
Side Effects
Man 2
11
Welcome to Mid-Life (Reprise 2)
Woman 1
12
My Lost Love
Man 3
13
Some Kids
Woman 3, Man 3, Man 2, Woman 2
Other Versions
14
I Quit!
The Company
Other Versions
15
What Did I Come In Here For?
Man 1, Woman 1, Man 2, Woman 3
Other Versions
16
Turning Fifty
Woman 3, Man 3
17
Boys Night In
The Men
18
He Got What He Deserves
The Women
Other Versions
19
Another Trip To The Doctor
Man 1, Man 3, Woman 3
Other Versions
20
Classical Menopause
The Company
Other Versions
21
Welcome To Mid-Life (Reprise 3)
Man 1
22
The Long Goodbye
Woman 1, Woman 3, Man 2
23
I'm Not Ready
The Company
Other Versions
24
Bows/ Welcome To Mid-Life Finale
The Company
25
Exit Music
Pianist
Other Versions

Awards for Mid-Life! The Crisis Musical

Vocal Range of Characters:

Photos for Mid-Life! The Crisis Musical

// Photos

Writers Notes for Mid-Life! The Crisis Musical


Written By: Bob and Jim Walton

When we first began working on MID-LIFE!, we quickly realized that this isn’t a particularly fun or funny time of life for most people who are going through it. Getting older, your body breaking down, the empty nest, divorce, aging parents...it’s a laugh riot! Our challenge became how to take these serious topics and make them funny—after all, we don’t want the audience leaving the theatre feeling miserable about their lives! We have tried to focus on as many universal topics, relationships and situations that Mid-Lifers might find themselves in, but to come at it from a different angle. And at other times the best choice was to hit it directly on the head. Varying the characters from scene to scene is important, so that the audience sees the versatility of our six actors. Also, because there isn’t a lot of time for development of characters or rooting them in specific locations with lots of scenery, it is important to make them recognizable quickly. Some of the scenes and characters need to be played in an almost two-dimensional or heightened sketch comedy manner. For instance, in the opening, it’s almost as if they’re doing a commercial, they’re so happy to get their love handles, reading glasses and varicose veins. A similar style can be employed in the short scenes before “LIES!” However, most times playing the scene or characters as regular people who find themselves in unusual circumstances is best: the “normal” woman who finds herself surrounded by very strange doctors and nurses in the song, “A Trip to the Doctor,” the parents trying to do the right things but with a son who keeps doing the wrong things in “Some Kids” and a husband with a very menopausal wife and a choir in his living room in “Classical Menopause.” Perhaps the most unusual or broad sketch is “Boys Night In”—a combination of horror movie meets George Hamilton meets Botox. There are some local and/or topical references that we encourage you to adjust to specific locations in your area—or to replace Britney Spears with the latest sexy young pop star when her time is up! Musically, it might be challenging for the pianist, but with only a piano for accompaniment we felt it important to make it as virtuosic as possible. Also, care should be taken not only with the solos and duets, but working on the blend of the group vocals is very important. Mostly, have fun, get the laughs, but enjoy the honesty, too. We want to give our Mid-Lifers in the audience something to feel good about before they go home to the letters from A.A.R.P. and their thirty-year-old children still living there! 


Written By: Jim and Bob Walton

After writing and performing in our DOUBLE TROUBLE (A Musical Tour de Farce), a very physically demanding show for two actors in which we played some 12 different characters, we began talking about what to write next.  We knew one thing - we wanted there to be more than two people on stage, and hopefully at least one actual female, instead of us in drag.  We’d always been drawn to the revue format, but finding a universally appealing topic with comic potential was no easy task.  Then, an old adage came to mind: Write what you know.  We stared at each other blankly (something we do quite often), realizing we’d stumbled upon the idea of MID-LIFE!  Baby boomers growing older, the body changing, medical issues, empty nest, divorce—sounds like a laugh riot, doesn't it?  As writers, we were instinctively drawn to heavy and dramatic interpretations of those experiences, but our challenge was to limit them to one or two and make the bulk of the show more comic and upbeat.  Over the course of two years, we work-shopped the material in numerous readings and presentations.  Each time, we learned a great deal, then went back to write another mid-life moment.  Then another, and another.  Luckily, (and sadly) there seemed to be a plethora of experiences to draw on!  In closing, we hope and feel we’ve created an enjoyable show, filled with lots of laughter and threads of bittersweetness.  We hope that even your mid-life audiences will find our show hard to forget.

Performance Tools for Mid-Life! The Crisis Musical

MID-LIFE Slides and Sounds!:
 

MID-LIFE! Slides and Sounds are now available for use in your theatre! You can now use the slides and sound effects from the original production of MID-LIFE! THE CRISIS MUSICAL. For a rental fee of $100.00, you will receive a DVD with three versions of the slide presentation (Flash, PowerPoint and Quicktime) as well as detailed instructions on using them. And, as an added bonus, you’ll receive MP3 files of the sound effects. The script provides an easy guide for using the files, and they are guaranteed to enhance your production with added hilarity.

The projection slides resemble an EYE CHART you would find at the eye doctor’s office, and they will become an integral part of your show. Not only do the slides lead the audience into the next scene or song (each opens with a jumble, which then unveils the scene title), but they also help take focus off the stage during a blackout while set pieces are being changed.

To rent the MID-LIFE! Slides and Sounds, please indicate on Step 3 of your online application under “Additional Information or Comments” (located at the bottom of the page) that you’re interested. And we’ll do the rest.

Playbill VIP:
 

MAKE YOUR OWN PLAYBILL! Playbill VIP allows you to create your very own Playbill Program. We have provided Playbill with all of the credits, song listings, musical numbers and more so that most of the work is already done for you. Just add your productions details, photos of the cast and share it with all of your friends. Learn more: www.playbillvip.com

Rental Materials for Mid-Life! The Crisis Musical

STANDARD

  • Orchestration
    • 1 – Keyboard I (Conductor Score)
    • 1 – Drums
    • 1 – Keyboard II
    • 1 – Reed
    • 1 – Bass
  • MID-LIFE! THE CRISIS MUSICAL PerPkg. (1Lib,1PV,1Info Sheet )
    • 1 – Libretto
    • 1 – Piano Vocal Score
  • Rehearsal Set (20 Books)
    • 1 – Logo CD
    • 10 – Piano Vocal Score
    • 10 – Libretto
    • 0 – Digital Logo

ADDITIONAL

  • MID - PRE-PRODUCTION PACKAGE (1 Lib, 1PV, 1 Info Sheet)
    • 1 – Libretto
    • 1 – Keyboard I (Conductor Score)

Cast Requirements for Mid-Life! The Crisis Musical

PRINCIPALS
3 Women
3 Men

COMMENTS
Strong character actors needed of all shapes and sizes.

Set Requirements for Mid-Life! The Crisis Musical

MID-LIFE! THE CRISIS MUSICAL requires a unit set.

The original production at The Chanhassen Dinner Theatres used a playing area stage level with a revolve to allow for quick set changes. The piano player sat on an upper level, which the actors could access via stairways on either side. This production also used a series of projections that transition between scenes.

Materials Notes

Featured News

GREAT Things Come in SMALL Packages

If your production budget is currently straining under the weight of large scale shows, you can still present the high quality entertainmentfull of the first rate words and music, humor and pathos that your audiences expect...

Read More
R&H Theatricals World Premiere Weekend Easter Parade & Mid-Life! The Crisis Musical
Warm spring weather in Minnesota provided an appropriate setting for a World Premiere Weekend Read More
It's A Wonderful Mid-life!
In February of 2006, R&H heard from our friends in Minnesota at the Chanhassen Dinner Theatre that they had recently opened a new musical revue, entitled MID-LIFE. Read More

Media Rights

Promotional

1. The Promotional Video shall be recorded and shown for the sole purposes of advertising your licensed production of the Play. For such a video, R&H allows theatres to film up to 10 minutes of total footage taken at either a performance or rehearsal (i.e.: 10 minutes of scripted moments.)

2. The Promotional Video may not include more than (i) 1 minute from any song or (ii) 3 minutes, in the aggregate, of footage of copyrighted material from the Play.

3. The Promotional Video may not include any sponsorship or underwriting without the prior consent of all R&H.

4. The Promotional Video must be submitted to R&H by sending the source video and video link to editor@rnh.com.

5. The Promotional Video must include the following: "Rights courtesy of Rodgers & Hammerstein, www.rnh.com"

6. Upon approval by R&H of the Promotional Video, you agree not to make any alterations in the approved copyrighted material used therein and you agree to obtain the prior written approval of R&H for any other use of the Promotional Video not specifically granted herein.

7. Upon termination of the Term, you shall cease to have any rights to use the Promotional Video including, without limitation, in connection with a future production of the Play, and shall immediately remove its content from any and all websites on the Internet.

8. You may not use a commercially available recording.

9. Any additional promotional rights must be approved by R&H by contactingTheatre@rnh.com.

 

*Promotional video rights can only be granted once a performance license for Mid-Life! The Crisis Musical has been secured. Please contact customer service if you have any questions. If you have not yet applied for Mid-Life! The Crisis Musical, you can do so here. LOG IN to learn more.

Archival

1. Subject to the information provided in Licensee’s application and payment of the fee as set forth in Paragraph 3 herein, Licensee shall have the right to create a single copy of the Video for internal archival, private viewing purposes at Licensee’s address only and shall not be re-copied, distributed or otherwise exploited, in whole or in part, in any media now known or hereafter developed without the prior written approval of R&H. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Video shall not be (i) sold to anyone (ii) telecast by any television station or network, including, without limitation, any local cable station or (iii) distributed, exhibited or otherwise exploited over the Internet or as part of any online auction.

2. Licensee agrees to include the following language at the beginning of the Video:

©Year By R&H Theatricals. This production was videotaped by special arrangement with R&H Theatricals for archival purposes only. All Rights Reserved.

WARNING: Federal law provides severe civil and criminal penalties for the unauthorized reproduction, distribution or exhibition of copyrighted motion pictures, videotapes or videodiscs. Criminal copyright infringement is investigated by the FBI and may constitute a felony with a maximum penalty of up to five years in prison and/or a $250,000.00 fine.

This Video is provided to you for private, organizational and home viewing purposes only. By accepting the Video, you agree not to authorize or permit the Video to be copied, distributed, broadcast, telecast or otherwise exploited, in whole or in part, in any media now known or hereafter developed.

*You must be and licensed to present Mid-Life! The Crisis Musical in order to license Archival rights. Please contact customer service with any questions.

Distribution

1. Licensee shall have the right to create the Video and to make up to one hundred (100) copies of the Video for sale at cost to its Members for internal archival, private viewing purpose at Licensee’s address and for private, home-viewing purpose by Members, and shall not be re-copied, distributed or otherwise exploited, in whole or in part, in any media now known or hereafter developed without the prior written approval of R&H. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Video shall not be (i) sold to anyone other than the Members (ii) telecast by any television station or network, including, without limitation, any local cable station or (iii) distributed, exhibited or otherwise exploited over the Internet or as part of any online auction.

2. Licensee agrees to include the following language at the beginning of the Video:

©Year By R&H Theatricals. This production was videotaped by special arrangement with R&H Theatricals for archival purposes only. All Rights Reserved. WARNING: Federal law provides severe civil and criminal penalties for the unauthorized reproduction, distribution or exhibition of copyrighted motion pictures, videotapes or videodiscs. Criminal copyright infringement is investigated by the FBI and may constitute a felony with a maximum penalty of up to five years in prison and/or a $250,000.00 fine. This Video is provided to you for private, organizational and home viewing purposes only. By accepting the Video, you agree not to authorize or permit the Video to be copied, distributed, broadcast, telecast or otherwise exploited, in whole or in part, in any media now known or hereafter developed.

*You must be and licensed to present Mid-Life! The Crisis Musical in order to license Distribution rights. Please contact customer service with any questions.
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