Condescend. Stay my friend. How do I start not to love you?
Muscle
Muscle played in Chicago opening June 6 -July 22, 2001 at the Pegasus Players.
Music by William Finn, Lyrics by Ellen Fitzhugh, Book by James Lapine
Based on the book by Samuel Wilson Fussell
Muscle was originally going to be written by Sondheim and Lapine as a compliment to "Passion" and performed together. "Passion" was expanded into a full night and Sondheim dropped the project.
Scenery was by Heidi Landesman, costumes by Ann Hould-Ward, lighting by Peter Kaczorowski, sound by Dan Moses Schreier, musical direction by John McDaniel, stage manager was Beverly Randolph, musical staging by Joey McKneely, and direction by James Lapine.
| Character | Played in workshop (NYC) by |
| Max Riddle | Jarrod Emick |
| Professor/Milton, therapist | John Christopher Jones |
| Robert Riddle, Max's father | Dennis Parlato |
| Mary Ann, Robert's girlfriend | Stacey Logan |
| Ruth Riddle, Max's mother | Jessica Walter |
| Alice, Max's college friend | Sarah Uriarte |
| Jack, Max's college friend | Christopher Sieber |
| Elaine, Max's boss | Karen Ziemba |
| Albert, Max's co-worker | Kevin Chamberlin |
| Carmen, Max's co-worker | Darcie Roberts |
| Stuart, Max's co-worker | Stephen Lee Anderson |
| Gina, bodybuilder/ Trainer 1 | Denise Faye |
| Paul, at the gym | Norm Lewis |
| Ajax, bodybuilder | Chuck Cooper |
| Mousie, bodybuilder | William Parry |
| Tara, trainer 2 | Brenda Braxton |
| Vinnie, bodybuilder | Jimmy Noonan |
| Dwight | Brooks Ashmanskas |
Act 1 - Princeton, NYC, and Boston
| Song | Sung by |
| Nothing Like a Beginning | Max & Company |
| As Far As The Eye Can See | Max |
| Terrors of the Heart | Stuart, Elaine, Carmen, Albert, Waiters |
| Anyone At All | Mousie, Ajax, Max, & Company |
| Introducing the Gym | Company |
| Theory | Milton |
| Theory (reprise) | Carmen, Stuart, Albert |
| You're an Athlete | Mousie, Ajax, & Max |
| Now I Understand | Ruth & Max |
| California | Ajax, Mousie, Max, & Company |
Act 2 - LA and NYC
| Song | Sung By |
| Beauty | Company |
| Beauty (reprise) | Tara & Vinnie |
| Never Look Back | Ajax |
| Home Is | Vinnie, Mousie, Max, Ruth, & Robert |
| Real Life | Alice |
| A Nice Thing | Robert, Ruth, Max, & Gina |
| Judges | Company |
| Almost Perfect | Max |
| Nothing Like a Beginning | Max, Elaine, & Company |
Synopsis:
Max has just graduated from college and has started working in NYC. After reading a piece about Arnold Schwarzenegger, Max joins a gym. Some of the bodybuilders at the gym notice his determination and take him under their wing. Max gets more and more obsessed with bodybuilding and gets fired from his job after shoving a co-worker. He decides to move to LA with one of his bodybuilding friends. Eventually, Max is ready for a competition. When he places third, he is devastated. He decides to move back to NYC and offers his old boss the option on the book he is writing about his experience.
Commentary:
This musical got generally terrible reviews.
