Teaser Tuesday: Live from Goodspeed Writer's Colony! A scene from Strangely Beautiful the Musical!

For today's Teaser Tuesday, I'm sharing a page from our work-in-progress show, The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker, the musical based on my debut novel. I'm here this week at Goodspeed Musicals Writer's Colony sponsored by The Johnny Mercer Foundation.

The Strangely Beautiful team of Nicholas Roman Lewis, Kenny Seymour and I are so thrilled to be here to work on the show in a conducive, supportive environment.

So here's a scene from our show! Nicholas and Kenny handle the songs and lyrics, due to my background as both a professional stage actor and playwright, I'm blessed to be writing "the book" (the script) of the musical, so here's how I've adapted one of the early scenes from the novel into an early scene in the show! Enjoy!

From THE STRANGELY BEAUTIFUL TALE OF MISS PERCY PARKER, a new musical

Music: Kenny Seymour

Lyrics/Music: Nicholas Roman Lewis

Book: Leanna Renee Hieber

 

I SCENE 1B

(Lights up on a bloodied street, detectives over a body – a recent “Ripper” murder. Headmistress Rebecca Thompson looks on, stricken. She is elegant and severe. At her elbow is stern, stoic, striking and formidable Professor Alexi Rychman, leader and second in command of the Guard. Alexi’s gaze and mind wanders. They observe at a distance)

Rebecca:

Two, Alexi. Now two women. Mutilated, like nothing the Grand Work has ever seen.

Alexi:

(Turning to her)

We deal in spirits. Possessions. Poltergeists. This is something remarkably…. different. We had no warning, no Pull to summon our powers. We’ll have to wait.

Rebecca:

Wait? It always surprises me when patience wins you.

Alexi:

(Gravely)

It's been nearly twenty years since The Goddess' prophecy. She still isn't here. If hadn’t patience, my dear Headmistress, I’d have gone mad long ago.

Rebecca:

Each year the Balance further favors the restless dead we fight. Waiting so long for the Seventh, are you sure you haven’t missed her along the way?

Alexi:

(Firmly)

 

Nothing "heavenly" has been "placed in my path". And there's been no portal to the dead. Nothing of the sort. I’ve felt nothing in my heart. She has not arrived-

Rebecca:

(scoffing) Your heart. Prophecy has nothing to do with love. How many times-

Alexi:

(Sharply) How many times have I said it would? Why must you always fight me?

Rebecca:

Why must you look for prophesied love when it…

Alexi:

When it what?

Rebecca:

(Beat. Deflecting from herself) When it is all around you!

Alexi:

A bond of love is implicit in Prophecy, Rebecca, though you claim otherwise. I’ve made my life choices accordingly, difficult as that has been-

Rebecca:

No, convenient- you’ll wait for Prophecy like an arranged marriage, like one of your algebraic equations, Professor.  But I warn you, if she becomes your love affair rather than the business of the Grand Work, it’s a grave danger. Mortal hearts make mistakes. Mortal hearts are cruel, unpredictable things…

Alexi:

(Beat.) Are you finished?

Rebecca:

(Staring at him, pained, grieved.) We’d best get back to Athens, we’ve new admissions. You have students to terrify.

Alexi:

(As if he likes that idea)
So I do, Headmistress. So I do.

END OF SCENE

Follow me on Twitter @LeannaRenee where I'll be tweeting the whole experience day by day.

Stay tuned next week right here for my thoughts about this wonderful week. Already on day one we've seen amazing work from our fellow Colony writers and the staff here is THE BEST. They are truly fabulous. The wonderful reputation of Goodspeed precedes them and they do not disappoint. This is such a great thing to be in process on as the Strangely Beautiful saga is in process for it's re-release / reissue in new editions from Tor/Forge, so there's such life in this saga, and as these characters and these books are so very dear to my heart, this is surreal and incredible to see it have a different, three-dimensional life. What a lucky thing.

Cheers and happy haunting!