Yearly Archives: 1994

The Demise of Mann

September 6, 1994
By
Music by Mark S. Meritt; Lyrics by Richard Hack and Mark S. Meritt

This piece is from the score of the original stage musical The Right Circles. It is performed by the characters Miranda, Bill, Art and Larry.

Listen to .mp3 sample of The Demise of Mann from the Demo Recording.

See the The Right Circles post for Demo Recording performance credits.

Lyrics & Book Excerpt

MIRANDA:
Late-breaking story
Something interesting someone wrote
Root left a suicide note
Extremely revealing
Telling all his motivations
Your lives could be hell
Or I could bring salvation
I’ll keep my mouth shut
Only if you meet all my demands
One million dollars
And performing rights, both small and grand
Don’t refuse me
You’ll be splashed across every newsstand
BILL:
How could this happen?
ART & LARRY:
You are stepping over the line
MIRANDA:
Consider it just a fine
ART:
Fading to blackmail
LARRY:
You should know that crime does not pay
Behind the bar, Miranda begins to pour three drinks.
MIRANDA:
I beg to differ
I too can gain from foul play
BILL:
You saw the body?
MIRANDA:
To all.
Lying lifeless in a pool of red
To Art and Larry.
I have a trigger
If I pull it you’ll be just as dead
ART:
She stoops to conquer
LARRY:
Who’d have thought we had Achilles’ heel
Miranda holds her glass out for a toast.
MIRANDA:
Game is over
MIRANDA, ART & LARRY:
There is no choice but to seal the deal

© & Circle P - Phonorecord Copyright 2007, 1994 Mark S. Meritt and Richard Hack

Damned Fools

September 6, 1994
By
Music by Mark S. Meritt; Lyrics by Richard Hack and Mark S. Meritt

This piece is from the score of the original stage musical The Right Circles. It is performed by the characters Bill, Art and Larry.

Listen to .mp3 sample of Damned Fools from the Demo Recording.

See the The Right Circles post for Demo Recording performance credits.

Lyrics & Book Excerpt

BILL:
I don’t want to hear of
Your fun and your games
I’m your pawn
Everything I loved is gone
And you’re the ones to blame
We’ve offended artists
We should not attack
Circles drawn
You’ve decided right from wrong
But what goes ’round comes back
What if Miranda
Exposed our mise-en-scene
With one call
She could destroy us all
We’d never work again
ART:
There is nothing to be done
LARRY:
Just relax, don’t get uptight
And the game is won
ART:
Even if we close tonight
BILL:
That is not the point at all
Damn your sick experiments
You have got some gall
Judging only innocence
BILL, with Art and Larry below:
Art is like a rainbow
It’s not black and white
But your views
Blindly separate the hues
You don’t have the right
ART, with Bill above:
Look who calls the kettle black
Judging us, you hypocrite
LARRY, with Bill above:
And you stab our back
Over their ungodly shit
BILL:
Fine, if you don’t care for their
Feelings then consider mine
I did all you dared
In exchange you turned me into Frankenstein
ART:
You have brought this on yourself
LARRY:
We didn’t force you decide
ART:
Blame nobody else
ART & LARRY:
Dr. Jekyll turned himself
Into Mr. Hyde
BILL:
Give me the cash
I can’t take this anymore
Larry produces a fat envelope filled with cash, hands it to Bill.
BILL:
Don’t forget
About your acting debt
I’m still your leading whore

© & Circle P - Phonorecord Copyright 2007, 1994 Mark S. Meritt and Richard Hack

Creation

September 6, 1994
By
Music by Mark S. Meritt; Lyrics by Richard Hack and Mark S. Meritt

This piece is from the score of the original stage musical The Right Circles. It is performed by the Cast of “Round.”

Listen to .mp3 sample of Creation from the Demo Recording.

See the The Right Circles post for Demo Recording performance credits.

Lyrics & Book Excerpt

GOD 1: In the beginning, the gods were.
GOD 2: But for them, the universe was void.
GOD 1: Of objects, of meaning.
GOD 2: They were their own amusement.
GOD 1: To break the boredom…
GOD 2: They decided to exchange stories.
GOD 1: But in an empty existence…
GOD 2: There was nothing to tell stories about.
GOD 1: Thus, they began to create.
Fanfare ends, musical list begins. Man and Antiman enter, and contort themselves into the items listed by the Gods.
GODS 1 & 2:
Proton, neutron, electron
Nuclear phenomenon
Atoms and elements
Molecules subsequent
Gases form a newborn star
Supernova and pulsar
Galaxies fill the void
Cosmic dust, planetoid
Ocean giving way to land
Glacier, mountain, desert sand
Left alone for centuries
Life arises from the seas
Algae, fish, amphibian
Reptile, bird and mammal, MAN
GODS 1 & 2, MAN, ANTIMAN, in a round:
Proton, neutron, electron
Nuclear phenomenon
Atoms and elements
Molecules subsequent
Gases form a newborn star
Supernova and pulsar
Galaxies fill the void
Cosmic dust, planetoid
Ocean giving way to land
Glacier, mountain, desert sand
Left alone for centuries
Life arises from the seas
Algae, fish, amphibian
Reptile, bird and mammal, MAN
MAN

© & Circle P - Phonorecord Copyright 2007, 1994 Mark S. Meritt and Richard Hack

Someone Else’s Eyes

September 6, 1994
By
Music by Mark S. Meritt; Lyrics by Richard Hack and Mark S. Meritt

This piece is from the score of the original stage musical The Right Circles. It is performed by the character root.

Listen to .mp3 sample of Someone Else’s Eyes from the Demo Recording.

See the The Right Circles post for Demo Recording performance credits.

Lyrics & Book Excerpt

ROOT: You have no idea what you have done. (Music starts: “Someone Else’s Eyes.”)
Art is what my whole life
Has been based upon
I reveal
Everything I know and feel
How can that be wrong?
Art is like a rainbow
It’s not black and white
But your views
Blindly separate the hues
You don’t have the right
All art has beauty
No matter how absurd
Every voice
Supports a valid choice
None should go unheard
Though you may not see where beauty lies
Anything at all can be beautiful in someone else’s eyes
Facets of a diamond
Attached yet apart
They combine
Each one helps refine the shine
And every karat quantified
Means that much more to see inside
The heart
Is where our views of the world
Come to light
Though we see
Everything so differently
We can both be right
Yet here you mock me
In trials so unfair
Hear my plea
No one should ever be
Made afraid to share
Go ahead, detest, deride, despise
You can keep your feelings
They’re not on what my self-respect relies
I won’t give in because I am not
beautiful in someone else’s eyes

© & Circle P - Phonorecord Copyright 2007, 1994 Mark S. Meritt and Richard Hack

Miranda’s Left

September 6, 1994
By
Music by Mark S. Meritt; Lyrics by Richard Hack and Mark S. Meritt

This piece is from the score of the original stage musical The Right Circles. It is performed by the characters Miranda and Bill.

Listen to .mp3 sample of Miranda’s Left from the Demo Recording.

See the The Right Circles post for Demo Recording performance credits.

Lyrics & Book Excerpt

MIRANDA:
I saw this coming, you’re so predictable
It reads like a dime novel
What a load of bullshit
BILL:
I wouldn’t blame you for
Walking out and leaving me flat
MIRANDA:
You selfish bastard
You won’t get off as easy as that
I’ll leave you squirming as you
Watch your whole life go up in smoke
You’re just a pawn who works for clowns
BILL:
And for a practical joke
MIRANDA:
The joke is on you
I’m going to
Unmask your scam
BILL:
Miranda be smart
What about Art
And Larry
MIRANDA:
Damn those fools
Up till now they have run the show
That’s destroyed me
But now I make the rules
Game is over
And so are we

© & Circle P - Phonorecord Copyright 2007, 1994 Mark S. Meritt and Richard Hack

Ready and Willing (Reprise)

September 6, 1994
By
Music by Mark S. Meritt; Lyrics by Richard Hack and Mark S. Meritt

This piece is from the score of the original stage musical The Right Circles. It is performed by the character Josey.

Listen to .mp3 sample of Ready and Willing (Reprise) from the Demo Recording.

See the The Right Circles post for Demo Recording performance credits.

Lyrics & Book Excerpt

JOSEY: That’s plenty of time.
Time for a one-act with a cast of just two
It’s not the size of your part, it’s what you do
We should practice when we’ve the chance
You can get right inside of my character’s pants
The lights go down as we begin our routine
She turns the light down.
I will give the best performance you’ve ever seen
And when we’re done we’ll have a standing “O”
Raise the curtain, let’s mount the show

© & Circle P - Phonorecord Copyright 2007, 1994 Mark S. Meritt and Richard Hack

Phone Call #2

September 6, 1994
By
Music by Mark S. Meritt; Lyrics by Richard Hack and Mark S. Meritt

This piece is from the score of the original stage musical The Right Circles. It is performed by the characters Art and Bill.

Listen to .mp3 sample of Phone Call #2 from the Demo Recording.

See the The Right Circles post for Demo Recording performance credits.

Lyrics & Book Excerpt

ART:
Hello, Bill, and how are things in the
Land of non-intelligence?
BILL:
Maybe I’ve been there too long but
I think they’ve started making sense
ART:
What, are you crazy? Don’t let them brainwash
You with their idiot’s delight
BILL:
Don’t worry too much, there’s only six days left
Which reminds me, where is the rewrite?
Music stops. The man in the stage left phone booth turns slowly toward the audience. It is Art.
ART: Bill, why don’t you turn toward the uptown phone booth.
BILL, turning toward stage left: Where?
ART: Hi.
Bill notices Art.
BILL, fumbling with the receiver: Holy shit!
ART: Don’t hang up, and for Chrissakes, don’t look at me.
Bill turns toward the audience again.
BILL: Have you been there all along?
ART: No, sometimes it was Larry. We’ve been right next you every Thursday at 3:37. Nice touch, huh?
BILL: You’re a sick, sick man.
ART: Do you want the rewrite?
BILL, turning to Art again: Well, yeah.
ART: Aw, Jesus!
BILL, turning back again: Oh, shit. Sorry.
ART: Put your duffel bag on the sidewalk.
Bill does. Art then places an identical bag next to Bill’s.
ART: I’m placing an identical bag next to yours. It contains the documents you’ve requested. On my signal, you will make the switch. Ready? Go.
Music continues.
BILL, taking the second bag:
Arthur, you have gone so nuts they should
Lock you in a rubber room
ART:
Look who’s talking, your whole life has been
Centered ’round a nom-de-plume
Kidding aside, until the show opens
This is the last time we will speak
If you have an emergency, call my
Service, but otherwise we’ll see you next week

© & Circle P - Phonorecord Copyright 2007, 1994 Mark S. Meritt and Richard Hack

The Game (Reprise #2)

September 6, 1994
By
Music by Mark S. Meritt; Lyrics by Richard Hack and Mark S. Meritt

This piece is from the score of the original stage musical The Right Circles. It is performed by the character Larry.

Listen to .mp3 sample of The Game (Reprise #2) from the Demo Recording.

See the The Right Circles post for Demo Recording performance credits.

Lyrics & Book Excerpt

LARRY:
Our grand experiment is almost done
Have some conviction, please pardon the pun
Just keep a cool head
Remember what you said
To throw in the towel’s a shame
It’s a confidence game

© & Circle P - Phonorecord Copyright 2007, 1994 Mark S. Meritt and Richard Hack

Miranda’s Rights

September 6, 1994
By
Music by Mark S. Meritt; Lyrics by Richard Hack and Mark S. Meritt

This piece is from the score of the original stage musical The Right Circles. It is performed by the character Miranda.

Listen to .mp3 sample of Miranda’s Rights from the Demo Recording.

See the The Right Circles post for Demo Recording performance credits.

Lyrics & Book Excerpt

MIRANDA: It’s not just that.
I have been for so long
Saying that nothing’s wrong
Acting as content as I was before
But I can’t pretend anymore
I’m unsure of my heart
Now that we’ve grown apart
Far too many days I am on my own
Even when you’re here, I’m alone
I have the right to speak my mind
and plead my side of the case
Even if I say things we don’t want to face
For love cannot survive
When love is built on lies
I recall in the past
Knowing our love would last
Now I wish we could just return to then
How I wish we could start again
I have the right to midnight carriage rides
with stars up above
Little things which silently confess your love
These are the things we need
For our love to succeed
There is a side
Of your life that you hide
From me
And although I can know
Only one side I don’t
Like the one that I see
One thing I’m certain of
Strangers can’t stay in love
Nothing more to do, nothing left to say
I can’t go on living this way
But despite all our wrongs
I still feel we belong
All you have to do is just let me in
I’m sure I could love you again
I have the right to know the truth
no matter how hard to face
Only truth can right the wrongs that lies embrace
Open your heart
Let me be part
Of your life
I just hope in hindsight
That I was right
To try

© & Circle P - Phonorecord Copyright 2007, 1994 Mark S. Meritt and Richard Hack

Part of Your Life

September 6, 1994
By
Music by Mark S. Meritt; Lyrics by Richard Hack and Mark S. Meritt

This piece is from the score of the original stage musical The Right Circles. It is performed by the characters Josey and Roderick.

Listen to .mp3 sample of Part of Your Life from the Demo Recording.

See the The Right Circles post for Demo Recording performance credits.

Lyrics & Book Excerpt

JOSEY:
I have watched you everyday
Thought of you and I dare say
No one’s ever so attracted me
Let me be
Part of your life and
You won’t be disappointed
RODERICK:
Thank you for the pass you’ve thrown
Nothing’s ever set in stone
But I’m used to being by myself
No one else
Takes part in my life
JOSEY & RODERICK:
Then again to start anew
As two, not one
A partnership would surely bring
Great things to come
JOSEY:
You and I, we should combine
RODERICK:
Doubtless
JOSEY:
I’ll fill your void, you fill mine
RODERICK:
Oh, yes
JOSEY:
If parts make a whole, we’re missing some
RODERICK:
And if there’s one
Who my part would fit
You’d be it
JOSEY:
So our tryout is a go?
RODERICK:
Pace is crucial, keep it slow
JOSEY & RODERICK:
We can mount a passion play
And perform three times a day
So I guess it’s time to stage the show
They lean into a kiss. Blackout.

© & Circle P - Phonorecord Copyright 2007, 1994 Mark S. Meritt and Richard Hack

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