"The Belle of the Wabash"

"THE BELLE OF THE WABASH"
--A Musical Melodrama--
by Mike Craver

BELLE OF THE WABASH tells the story of how the 6 BOSH AND MOONSHINE characters first meet - on a steamboat named Belle, sailing down the Mississippi. But the Belle soon hits a snag. Fearing the ship will sink, our heroes swim to shore and hitch a ride on a train to a little backwater town in the Black hills of Illinois. They bump up against local piety but eventually win the respect of the townfolk through a mixture of talent, cunning, and clever distillery -- perhaps discovering more about themselves in the process than they had bargained for. Just as their bills come due, they learn that their beloved Belle didn't sink after all, and has been repaired -- so our heroes are able to resume their odyssey down river just in the nick of time!

Characters:
Fannie Mae Garrettson, a saloon singer; Daniel Brown, aka 'Deadwood Dan', a saloon entertainer; The River Belles, 3 dance hall girls; Dora Hand, a young woman from the East; Frederick Forsythe Fosdick, III, a Shakespearean actor; Reverend Mould, an undertaker; Ollie O'Shaughnessy, a young adventurer.
TIME:The mid 1880's.
PLACE: Grand ballroom of a steamboat, a Mississippi river bank, a main street, a church, and an Opera House

THE BELLE OF THE WABASH is a 9 character one set (or black box) musical with 18 songs.

for more information about "Belle of the Wabash"

THE BELLE OF THE WABASH had its premiere production in April and May, 2010, at the Mighty Orangeville Playhouse, in Orangeville, Illinois, featuring Glenda Adams, Emily Evans, Jim Frederick, Mary Jo Frederick, Paula Fulton, Chuck Hancock, Phil Jackman, Terri Jackman, Sandy Janicke, Terrie Miller, Josh Ryan, JaneVan Hamme, Sue Wichman and Peter Woodruff. Also featuring "The Belle Band": John Buford, Sheri Novak, and Carl & Joan Sanford. Directed by John Buford, with additional staging by Paula Fulton and Terrie Miller. Sound and Light by A.J. Adams; and general Management by Caryl Buford.

Print articles:
Journal Standard, Freeport, IL -- author feature
Journal Standard, Freeport, IL -- synopsis