Ben Rosen

Mr. Bengford

Musical Theatre p. 6

December 21, 2007

Turning Heaven Can Wait into a Musical

         Heaven Can Wait is a show about self-discovery. In the show, the main character Joe Pendleton switches between two different bodies, assuming different personas for each. Despite the various transformations, Pendleton still searches for who he is. The core of the show centers around Pendleton learning that it does not matter what physical lifestyle you live in: it’s who you are that matters. The musical version would have the same plot-line; however, it would have some character changes. The characters in the musical version of Heaven Can Wait would be Ms. Jordan, Joe Pendleton, Escort #7013, Mrs. Julia Farnsworth, Mr. Tony Abbott, Ms. Bette Logan, and Max Levene. Out of these characters, Joe Pendleton, Max Levene, Mrs. Julia Farnsworth, and Ms. Jordan would sing at the proper moments of the show.

         Ms. Jordan would jumpstart the show with a flashy song about self-discovery. The song would have a fast pace to keep the energy up but meaningful lyrics to tie the song to the emotional core of the show. The song would be entitled “My Type of Work” and would involve Ms. Jordan happily singing about all that life has to offer and how she is so willing to teach each and every individual about it. In the song she would bring up different cases of unhappy people and how she aims to make them appreciate life with her work. The song would close on a more sentimental note talking about how she wishes that everyone could see the beauty in everything just as she does.

         The first song post in the story would be when Joe Pendleton first realizes that he has died and will be placed in a new body. At this moment, Joe feels a rush of emotions: anger, sadness, and hysteria. He is completely lost and fearful of what the future holds for him. The song would be entitled “A Minute to Soon” and would be about how Pendleton feels so remorseful and that he was taken from the world much too soon. The song would be a slow ballad emulating the distraught state of Joe. The song would mainly discuss how Joe now believes that absolutely nothing should be taken for granted anymore.

         The second song post would occur with Mrs. Julia Farnsworth. Her entrance would be when Joe assumes the body of Mr. Farnsworth. At that moment, Mrs. Farnsworth notices a change in her husband. Her song would be a very energetic song but with a somewhat pitiful message. It would resemble the song “Loathing” from Wicked. The song would be entitled “Nuisance” and would instantly give the audience the idea of Mrs. Farnsworth’s character. The song would have a comedic sense to it too because Mrs. Farnsworth would be playing around with Mr. Farnsworth (now Joe Pendleton) and Pendleton would have no idea who she is or what she is doing. The song would also have an emotional aspect to it where it shows why marriages go sour.

         Heaven Can Wait: the Musical would be a slightly different story than the play. The story would follow Joe Pendleton as he changes bodies and would detail more closely his emotional state. Joe would be a more vulnerable character. Ms. Jordan would be much more comedic and full of life and would guide Joe with an eerie sense of knowledge and foretelling. Mr. and Mrs. Farnsworth would be a much younger couple and Tony Abbot would have more explanation of his motives. After Joe lands in the body of the boxer Murdoch, he would leave that body as well and come on stage as a free spirit and open the closing number. Then the rest of the cast would come out and sing with him about self-discovery and how Joe feels he does not need a body because he has discovered who he truly is. That would be the overall moral of Heaven Can Wait: the Musical.