(Three Women...and a piano)

three one act comedies

music & libretto by
Philip Seward

written for Natalie Arduino,
Amy Becker & Patrice Boyd

STORY: This collection of three one acts is designed to be performed separately, in any combination of two, or all three together with the epilogue. The first act, Piano Detective, is told à la film noire and concerns the cabaret singer Cadee Bad, portrayed by Natalie Arduino, whose cadence has been stolen. One night on a dark wharf, she seeks out Detective Dick to help with her dilemna. The second act, Piano Princess, is a fairytale about a princess in search of her own fairytale. No longer content to be without her own magical story, this Princess, portrayed by Amy Becker, seeks out a fairytale handyman, Rick, to weave her a special tale. The final act of the trilogy, ...And Piano Make Three, concerns Sarah, sung by Patrice Boyd, and her boyfriend Richard. After a year of dating she is definitely in love with him and he is definitely still in love with playing his nine-foot Steinway named Elsie. This charming romantic comedy, like the others, plays out in New York city. The Epilogue explores the process of composing music as the composer contemplates the best voice for his the main female role in his new work. Each of the woman espouse their particular strengths, i.e., mezzo, lyric or coloratura soprano. The work comes to a comical conclusion with a final ensemble on the nature of music.