Musical Heaven

The curtain opens on that most magical of places, backstage
at the Zangler Theater in New York in the 1930's. The last
performance of The Zangler Follies is wrapping up for the
season and Tess, the dance director, is dodging the advances
of the married Mr. Zangler. Bobby Child, the rich son of a
banking family, is backstage hoping for an audition with
Zangler. Bobby performs "K-ra-zy For You", but fails to impress
Zangler after landing on Zangler's toe during the final
flourish of his dance routine. Dejected, Bobby heads outside.

Bobby is met by Irene, the wealthy woman to whom he has been
engaged for five years, and then by his mother who demands
that Bobby carry out a piece of banking business for her.
Bobby is told to go to Deadrock, Nevada to foreclose on a
rundown theatre. As the two women argue over him, Bobby
imagines dancing with the Follies Girls and joins them in a
rousing rendition of "I Can't be Bothered Now". Brought back to
reality, Bobby decides to escape to Nevada.

When Bobby arrives in Deadrock, it is clear that the town has seen
better days. The men sing "Bidin' My Time" in a long, slow drawl.
Everett Baker is expecting a banker named Bobby Child to arrive and
foreclose on his Gaiety Theater. The only woman left in this forlorn
town is Everett's daughter, the spunky Polly Baker, who vows to get
even with "Bobby Child" if she ever meets him. Bobby falls in love
with Polly at first sight, not realizing who she is, and expresses
his excitement in "Things Are Looking Up". Lank Hawkins, the owner
of Deadrock's saloon, and Polly's ardent suitor, is not pleased to
see a rival for Polly's affections.

Bobby finds himself in quite a bind. If he forecloses on the theatre,
he will lose the girl he loves. Inspired, he comes up with the idea
of "putting on a show" to pay off the mortgage. Polly agrees to
this plan until she finds out who Bobby is - that banker from New
York! Bobby is heartbroken, but he decides to put on the show
anyway, disguised as Zangler. Polly, deeply hurt, expresses her
loneliness in "Someone to Watch Over Me".

A few days later, ten Follies Girls on vacation from The Zangler
Follies appear like a mirage in the desert. Bobby has asked them to
help stage a spectacular show in Deadrock. When the men of Deadrock
see the girls, the sleepy town becomes very lively. Meanwhile, to
Bobby's dismay, Irene arrives, threatening to expose Bobby's charade.
Polly falls in love with Bobby's impersonation of Zangler, and
expresses her love for "Zangler" with the song "Embraceable You".

Opening night arrives, but everyone is disappointed to find that the
only ticket buyers are the Fodors, an English couple writing a
guidebook to the American West. What starts out as a disappointment
changes into the realization that the show has galvanized the
once-sleepy town. They celebrate with a spirited rendition of "I Got
Rhythm" while the actual Zangler stumbles unnoticed into town.

Act Two opens in Lank's saloon where Bobby is professing his love to
Polly. Unfortunately, she is still in love with the man who she thinks
is Zangler. Bobby is about to convince Polly that he has been
impersonating "Zangler" when the real Zangler walks into the saloon
looking for Tess.

Zangler finds Tess but refuses her request to produce the show. Tess
storms off. Zangler, now drunk, bemoans his fate. Bobby, dressed
like Zangler, reels in to drown his sorrow over losing Polly. The two
men act as mirror images of each other and lament their lost loves in
"What Causes That". The next morning, Polly sees two Zanglers passed out
together. She realizes that Bobby was telling her the truth, but she
feels hurt by his deception.

The townsfolk vote to give up on performing the show again. Bobby is
disappointed and decides to return to New York when Polly refuses to
admit that she wants him to stay. Before departing, Bobby thanks her
for the memories by singing "They Can't Take That Away From Me". Polly
then mourns her loss in "But Not for Me".

Zangler agrees to stay in Deadrock and back the show after all. He spends
his last dollar putting together a top-notch production to show Tess how
much he loves her. In New York, Bobby's mother gives him the deed to the
Zangler Theater. Bobby's happiness evaporates as the Follies Girls
remind him in "Nice Work If You Can Get It" that nothing matters as much as
true love. Bobby takes off for Deadrock and Polly.

Deadrock has been transformed into a jewel of a city where the "Deadrock
Follies" has been playing to packed houses, and the star of the show is
Polly. Nevertheless, Polly misses Bobby and decides to look for him in New
York. Polly and Bobby cross paths but are ultimately reunited in Deadrock.
Irene marries Lank, and Bobby's mother (who follows her son out West) is
smitten with Everett. Bobby and Polly embrace at last. The curtain falls
on a finale of bliss and a reprise of "Embraceable You".


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