WHEN PIGS FLY!
BOOK & LYRICS BY FREDERICK HEIDE & LEE BECKER
MUSIC BY FREDERICK HEIDE
A love letter to America’s tall tale tradition, brimming with hysterical comedy.
Three colorful rural Wisconsin characters share hilarious stories and uplifting songs---all while seeking the help of a local saint to win a pie contest, pursue romance, and lift a curse on the family farm.
This delightful show weaves together classic folk songs (e.g., The Frozen Logger, Jubilee, All My Trials) with newly composed songs and side-splitting tall tales to tell a sweet story reaffirming the power of love and optimism.
REVIEWS:
Four stars out of four! Just plain down-home fun. Beautiful harmonies and nifty instrumentalizing. Brimming with local character and color. Clever, light, tender, comical, and earthy. (Warren Gerds, Green Bay Press Gazette)
It’s brilliant. Subtle, profound, and lasting. On the surface, it feels light. Quite funny. But then, when you aren’t expecting it, there’s a rush of emotion. It will catch you unaware. One minute you are laughing out loud about an improbable situation or a very unexpected, clever joke. And the next, you are wiping a tear you feel streaming down your cheek, summoned by a song that strikes deep. You walk out humming the last song from the show, and feeling---is it gratitude? It’s something warm and good.
Dottie (left) and Wilbur in a scene from When Pigs Fly!
casting
CAST SIZE: 4
This show has three speaking/singing parts (2 men, 1 woman and one character who sings (if desired) but doesn’t speak (any gender).
The two men play rhythm guitar and string bass respectively; the woman adds hand percussion. The nonspeaking character (HUMPHREY) sings (if desired) and plays lead string instruments (e.g., guitar, mandolin, fiddle); this character needs no acting training.
BOB: A farmer who loves to tell stories and avoids work whenever possible. Age 25+
DOTTIE: Bob's workaholic wife, devoted to the teachings of Saint Diligencia. Age 25+
WILBUR: Bob's best friend. Age 25+
HUMPHREY: Bob and Dottie's brain-damaged relative who lives with them. Non-speaking part. Age 18+.
SAINT DILIGENCIA: The Patron Saint of Unremitting Toil. Played by the same actor as Dottie.