Background and productions

Broadway and U.S. tour The Broadway production opened on April 25, 1993 at the Music Box Theatre. The show closed on April 30, 1995 after 840 performances. Several of the British actors made their Broadway debuts, including Stephanie Lawrence as Mrs. Johnstone, Con O'Neill as Mickey, Mark Michael Hutchinson as Eddie and Warwick Evans as the narrator. Kerry Butler made her Broadway debut in the ensemble. Real-life brothers David Cassidy and Shaun Cassidy later played the brothers, and Petula Clark, in her Broadway debut, joined the cast as Mrs. Johnstone in 1993–94 and in the U.S. national tour from in 1994–95. The Cassidys and Clark also participated in the international cast album. Following Clark's portrayal, Mrs. Johnstone becoming a calling card for other 1960s pop singers, with Carole King and Helen Reddy later playing the role on Broadway.

Plot

Act 1 On a black, empty street in Liverpool, two figures lie down on red stretchers, surrounded by police with their grieving mother beside them, they're then carried off. Mrs. Johnstone sings, "Tell me it's not true, say it's just a story." The narrator introduces the play: "...lets see how she came to play this part." Mrs. Johnstone sings “Marilyn Monroe”. A flashback takes the setting back 25 years to the late 1950s or early 1960s, and the story begins. Mrs. Johnstone sings of her life beforehand. We learn she was once married but is now a single parent with lots of children. She is pregnant at present but feels she can just about cope with one more child.
   In the next scene, we see Mrs Johnstone at her workplace. She is a cleaner for an upper class couple, Mr and Mrs Lyons. In a conversation we learn of Mrs Johnstone’s superstition as she tells Mrs Lyons not to put new shoes on the table (this is important as some of the songs are linked to this idea of shoes upon the table, superstition being one of the key themes in this play). We are also informed that Mrs Lyons is desperate for a baby but is unable to have one, and her husband, who is away working at the moment, doesn't want to adopt. Mrs Johnstone then finds out she's going to have twins and the next day at her work she's very upset. When questioned by Mrs Lyons she explains that she can't cope financially with two babies and the ‘welfare’ have been onto her about the ones she's already got. Mrs Lyons then suggests that Mrs Johnstone gives one of the babies to her and the song “My Child” begins. Mrs Johnstone agrees and is made to swear on the bible to keep to the deal. Mrs Johnstone has the twins, but then regrets having agreed to give one away through the song “Easy Terms”. During this song Mrs Lyons appears to collect her baby.
   Mrs Johnstone continues to work for Mrs Lyons, however, with Mrs Johnstone's constant attention of her baby, eventually Mrs Lyons feels that Mrs Johnstone is a threat, and she no longer wants her around. When Mrs Lyons fires her Mrs Johnstone decides she'll take the baby with her despite having sworn on the bible. In order to stop her Mrs Lyons plays on Mrs Johnstone's superstitions by telling her that “if twins separated at birth learn that they were once one of a pair that'll both immediately die”. The song “Shoes Upon the Table”, sung by the narrator, begins. Mrs Johnstone feels she can't take the baby as she doesn’t want to be a murderer and leaves.
   The story then moves on seven years and we meet Mickey, the son Mrs Johnstone kept. Through chance he meets Eddie, the other twin, and after learning they share the same birthday decide to become blood brothers. Mrs Johnstone finds them and sends Eddie away, telling him not to come round again. Later in the day Mickey goes to Eddie's house and Mrs Lyons throws him out. She and Eddie argue on the subject, Eddie swears at her with a word Mickey taught him and Mrs Lyons slaps him, immediately regretting it. The song “Kids Game” follows. Mickey is playing with some neighbourhood children including his friend Linda. Afterwards he takes her to see Eddie and the three of them sneak off to play. The Narrator sings a reprise of “Shoes Upon the Table” as Mrs Lyons tries to find Eddie. Mrs Lyons becomes so worried about the fact that he's mixing with Mickey, as she's started to believe the superstition she herself made up earlier in the play, that she decides to move house and persuades her husband by pretending to be ill. When Eddie says goodbye Mrs Johnstone gives him a locket with a picture of herself and Mickey. Mickey and Eddie then sing the song “Long Sunday Afternoon/My Friend” which segues into “Oh Bright New Day”. The reason it's a bright new day is that Mrs Johnstone and her family are being re-housed in the countryside and during this song they move into their new house. After this the curtain closes on Act 1.

Act II Eddie and Mickey are now 14 years old. Mrs Johnstone and her family's lives are much improved since moving and they haven’t seen Eddie at all. Mickey has a crush on Linda who is being very obvious in her advances, but Mickey doesn't know how to act with her. Both of them are suspended after mouthing off to their teacher. We then see Eddie’s boarding school and a scene in which he too is suspended, for refusing to give up Mrs Johnstone's locket to a teacher. When he reaches home his mother asks him about it and he won't tell her. The Narrator then sings a reprise of “Shoes Upon the Table” as Mrs Lyons sees Mrs Johnstone near her house, worrying about the made-up superstition. Later by chance Eddie and Mickey bump into each other in a field, but don’t realize who they are. They sing “That Guy” which shows how much they want to be like each other.
   After the song they realize who the other is and meet up with Linda. The song “Summer Sequence” moves the action to when they're 18 years old. Eddie then sings “I’m not saying a word” which shows that he's feelings for Linda but won’t say anything as he knows Mickey likes her too. After this Eddie leaves for university but not before encouraging Mickey to ask Linda out. During Eddie’s absence a lot happens to Mickey. He discovers Linda is pregnant and they decide to get married; however before this happens he's fired from his job in a factory, which not only forces him onto the dole, but it sends him into depression. Eddie returns at Christmas ready to party and have fun, but Mickey realises that they're now very different and after a small fight with Eddie they part. In order to get money he assists his brother Sammy in a robbery, becomes an accessory to murder, is caught and sentenced to 7 years in prison as Mrs Johnstone sings "Marilyn Monroe (Part 3)".
   In prison he becomes chronically depressed and dependent on anti-depressant drugs. When released early for good behaviour, he's still dependent on the drugs, and his relationship with Linda isn't going very well. She tries her best to help him but fails. She contacts Eddie, who is now a councillor. Mrs Johnstone sings “Light Romance” as Eddie and Linda have a romantic fling in a park. Mrs Lyons (Eddies "mother") sees them together and tells Mickey. “Light Romance” segues into “Madman” sung by the Narrator. In this song Mickey, distraught over Eddie and Linda's affair, goes ‘mad’ and grabs a gun before storming down to the council offices to confront Eddie.
   The final scene is set in the council offices. Eddie is giving a speech when Mickey storms in with the gun. Mickey ponders out loud why, even though they were friends, Eddie has everything and Mickey has nothing, and that the one good thing Mickey had (Linda), Eddie now has the audacity to try and take away. Eddie denies this, trying to calm Mickey down, and the police enter. They tell Mickey that they're armed and to put the gun down. Mrs Johnstone runs onto the stage and, in an attempt to stop Mickey shooting Eddie, tells the two brothers the truth. Mickey despairs that he wasn't the one given away, because then he could have been like, or even with, Eddie. He waves the gun in Eddie's direction in his anger and suddenly but accidentally sets it off, which shoots and instantly kills Eddie. The police shoot Mickey at almost the exact same moment, even though Mickey attempts to shout that it was an accident. (But in the script book, available in book stores, there's an alternative ending, in which Mrs Lyons bursts in and shoots both brothers.). This means Mrs Lyons's superstitious idea has come true, although the Narrator comments that class was more to blame than superstition. The final song is “Tell Me It’s Not True”, during which the entire cast come on stage and sing the final chorus. The curtain then falls.

Musical numbers

Act I

• Overture – Orchestra
• Marilyn Monroe – Mrs Johnstone and Company
• My Child – Mrs Johnstone and Mrs Lyons
• Easy Terms – Mrs Johnstone
• Shoes Upon The Table – Narrator
• Kids' Game – Company
• Gypsies In The Wood – Narrator
• Long Sunday Afternoon/My Friend – Mickey and Eddie
• Bright New Day – Mrs Johnstone and Company

  Act II

• Entr'acte – Orchestral piece
• Marilyn Monroe 2 – Mrs Johnstone and Company
• That Guy – Mickey and Eddie
• I'm Not Saying A Word – Eddie
• Take A Letter Miss Jones – Mr Lyons, Miss Jones and Company
• Marilyn Monroe 3 – Mrs Johnstone
• Light Romance – Mrs Johnstone
• Madman – Narrator
• Tell Me It's Not True – Mrs Johnstone and Company wow
  

Awards and nominations