Chapter 1

Hey there! My name is Richard.

I got an email showing what my local community theatre group MUG, (Musical Underground Group), was putting on the following season. I’ve acted and directed in shows there before, so I was interested. The show list, in order they would be onstage, was as follows... (M=Musical, P=Straight play)

M. JEKYLL & HYDE
P. YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU,
(I’ve been in it)
M. SOUTH PACIFIC
P. THE MOUSETRAP (directed it)
M. OLIVER (been in it four times)
M. ANNIE (played Bert Healey)
P. ARSENIC AND OLD LACE
(been in it three times)
M. Unnamed Musical
P. ZOOT SUIT
P. HARVEY
M. BYE BYE BIRDIE
(acted in it a looooong time ago)

I called my best connection to the organization.

“Hey Audrey?”

“Yeah Rich?”

“What’s this ‘Unnamed Musical’ on the email I just got?”

“The original production was called ‘Inside Norma Jeane Baker,’” she replied.

“Sounds like a porno title,” I said.

Laughing, she replied, “It seems to have problems, if you know someone who could re-write it into something for the community theatre stage, more power to you.”

“So is it, or isn’t it a musical?” I asked.

“It could be, but most of the music is real dark and almost evil sounding,” Audrey replied.

“So, it’s a project for someone to re-tool?” I asked.

“Are you interested, Rich? You directed some great shows over the last couple of years, YOU’RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN, and THE WIZARD OF OZ, and what was that dark drama called, oh, THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE. It’s scheduled for over a year away, almost seventeen months, actually. I could send you what we got? Look it over, and get back to me. You would be a lifesaver, otherwise, the theatre would probably have to go dark for three weeks, if we can’t fix it.”

“Sure, Audrey; would I get paid for the rewrite, or just for directing it?”

“You already want to do it, don’t you Rich?” Audrey said.

“I would need a helper, I haven’t written music in a while, anybody you can suggest?”

“Well, I know somebody, who can read and write music very quickly, knows how to play the piano, and is pretty on top of everything else,” she said.

“Except for the being pretty part of that, it almost sounds like you, Audrey,” I said, smiling to myself.

“We worked pretty good before, on that Christmas Musical event two years ago,” Audrey said... “What do you mean, I’m not pretty?”

“Bring everything you got over tomorrow night, OK, kid.”

“Kid, you have the balls to call me kid! I am exactly five years younger than you.”

“Audrey, what’s that great line from THE PRODUCERS, ‘We can do it?’” I said. “Come over at six pm, all right?”

“See you then, Old Man!” she said hanging up.

A little back story is necessary here ... I am Richard Louis, 37 years old, short brown hair, brown eyes, twenty pounds overweight for no good reason -- I have a treadmill, and a pool.

Her name is Audrey Bradshaw, 32 years old – but looks much younger, brunette, blue eyes I think, and she is pretty, not beauty queen pretty, but when she’s dressed up, she is quite the looker. She works for MUG as well.

She sings in the high alto range, while I am something of a low tenor. We have sung together on stage, what was it ... ANNIE GET YOUR GUN, she was Annie Oakley, and I was Frank Butler. We kissed on stage, but that was a while ago.

I decided to bone up on Norma Jeane Baker aka Marilyn Monroe.

She was born Norma Jeane Mortenson, June First, 1926 in Los Angeles, and died on August Fifth, 1962; only 36 years old. That was too damn bad; she was beautiful. Much more talented as an actress then most people gave her credit for, and she sang, oh so sexually.

Something interesting happened when Norma was seven; she was placed in foster care, which I hadn’t known.

Anyhow, she was placed with a couple called the Bohlenders, Albert and Ida. This might be a place to start the story, with the Bohlenders. So, I’ll need to start a character list.

Norma Jeane; aged 6ish
Gladys Monroe (her birth mother)
(became Gladys Baker)
Martin E. Mortenson (her alleged father)
Charles Stanley Gifford (also, possibly her father)
Albert Bohlender
Ida Bohlender
Grace McKee (who became her guardian
as a ward of the state)

When she was about eleven, she moved in with Grace and Doc Goddard; two more characters. Apparently, Doc tried to sexually assault her and this arrangement didn’t work out. Scratch out those two. Maybe just refer to them in passing exposition.

She was moved into a succession of her Aunt’s places, first Olive Brunnings, then Ana Lower. I may need a set of sisters to play Norma Jeane as a youth, somebody out there must have some preteen daughters who have always wanted to act, and so I need an eleven-year-old version of Norma Jeane too, two total, so far.

She met a boy while in high school named James “Jim” Doherty, so now I need a 15/16-year-old Norma Jeane, and a young man as well. That makes three Norma’s now!

Apparently, her caretakers moved away and she and Jim, with Gladys forcing the issue, got married, he at 18 ... she was maybe a year younger. Her Aunt Ana arranged the ceremony.

This is good stuff, lots of characters, pathos, seeing a young girl grow up, not being wanted as time passed -- Easily 4 or 5 scenes; including a couple of Musical Numbers. That is where I need Audrey.

I fixed myself some dinner and went to bed.

I have a job with the city that only takes up about four to five hours a day. I got up, fixed myself some breakfast and went to my job. I worked the counter at the city offices.