Cupid’s Arrow

This original musical, in which a hip immortal helps college students find love, was developed during the authors’ sophomore and junior years at Roy C. Ketcham Senior High School in Wappingers Falls, NY. The Masque and Mime Society, the school’s drama club, presented it as a full production May 27-29, 1988, near the end of the authors’ senior year.

Read the Cupid’s Arrow – Sample stageplay .pdf including lyrics.

Request the full Cupid’s Arrow stageplay.

© 2007 Mark S. Meritt; © 1988 Mark S. Meritt, Ed Budd and Todd Stern

The Score

You can listen to .mp3 samples of each song by following the links below. Except as noted, all are from the original cast recording, of which you can learn more below. The sound quality is low, and the performances are those of earnest high-schoolers, but better some samples than none at all!

© 2007 Mark S. Meritt; © 1988 Mark S. Meritt, Ed Budd and Todd Stern

Original Cast Production and Recording

The original cast production was recorded on videotape, live during the May 28, 1988, performance in the Roy C. Ketcham High School Auditorium.

View the YouTube Video

The digital video was captured by Allan Meritt in March 2007 and posted by Mark on YouTube on April 23-24, 2007. You can watch the entire video right here by just pressing the Play buttons immediately below — all parts will automatically play in order.

Act I

Or, you can visit YouTube to see the Act I video or post a comment.

Act II

Or, you can visit YouTube to see the Act II video or post a comment.

Original Cast Recording

The original cast recording was taken from the original production videotape’s soundtrack. The five songs in which the character of Leslie MacKensie sings a lead part were re-recorded on Friday, June 10, in the chorus room, the custodian’s office, and a classroom of RCK High School with all singers but only piano and saxophone accompaniment. This recording was necessary since Stephanie Velardi, who played Leslie, was ill during the original production. Stephanie did not miss a performance, but Ms. Jodi Becker, the choreographic consultant, dubbed the vocals live each night for most of Leslie’s songs. Stephanie sings all her songs on the original cast recording, while Jodi can be heard on the videotape.

Non-Ensemble Song Performers

Bud, God of Love — Ed Budd
Zachary Yates — John Paul Marr
Leslie MacKensie — Stephanie Velardi
Muffy Sheridan — Cindy Hitchcock
Trudy Ryan — Kristen Lawrence
Harriet Yates — Jennifer McCarthy
George Yates — Christopher Mooney
Susan MacKensie — Maria Licari
Phil MacKensie — Joshua Polenberg
The All-Being — Robert Gianotti
Sobrina, Goddess of Fate — Susan Albright
The Immortal Quartet — Shannon Antonucci, Deedee Hauptfeuhrer, Meghan Murphy, Sharon Zaubi

The Band

Keyboard — Mark S. Meritt
Lead Guitar — Matt Herbst
Bass Guitar — Udaya Patnaik
Saxophone — Gordon Sorlini
Drums — Dev Patnaik
Auxiliary Percussion — Jon Nasser

Circle P - Phonorecord Copyright 2007, 1988 Mark S. Meritt

Additional Recordings

During college, Mark first gained access to a multitrack tape recorder. Among his first experiments were new instrumental versions of two songs from Cupid’s Arrow.

Circle P - Phonorecord Copyright 2007, 1990 Mark S. Meritt

7 comments for “Cupid’s Arrow

  1. I can’t help but think I was here at this! And here it is on the web almost 20 years later ..
    that’s awesome! Too cool!!!

  2. I remember skateboarding across the stage in the opening number… It was a really fun production to work on, getting to work with good friends and my sister. I still get to stay in regular touch with Mark Meritt and Ed Budd.

    Did this show when I was a sophmore, and got to wear graduation gown and tassles. When I graduated in 1990, I also wore my 1988 Cupid’s Arrow tassles on my cap.

    Back then we sang “Graduation used to be so far away”. Now, graduation WAS so far away.

    Thanks to everyone in the production. Great work, Mark.

  3. HI TO ALL

    I REMEMBER THIS PLAY. IT WAS GREAT THEN AND NOW… THE GROUP IN THE DRAMA CLUB WAS SPECIAL… HOPE EVERYONE IS OK…

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