The Ticket
The Ticket is a vibrant musical that takes a satirical look at the American political process.
It’s forty-seven days before the gubernatorial election and the race is heating up. Mayor Diane Weston — the clear frontrunner, poised to claim the office her grandfather held for four terms. But Blake Sullivan, a hapless career legislator, is stumbling into a good run with the media, and a young millionaire tech entrepreneur is running a strong grassroots campaign. As the dynamics within the race begins to change, the polls tighten, emotions rise, and a perfectly civil campaign starts to get a little…nasty. Waiting in the wings is a legendary sports hero posed to shake up the entire campaign. Who will have the savvy, good fortune, and money to survive or thrive the process – and will the “best” candidate emerge as the victor?
At the center of this story is ambitious intern who arrives at the hottest political talk show in Houston — The Ticket — but quickly finds herself running Mayor Weston’s campaign and becomes embroiled in all the tricks and treachery of the campaign. How will the intern navigate the torrents of the campaign — and shape the outcome — without compromising her principles?
This fast-paced and energetic musical explores how the political game is played — with conniving candidates, ambitious reporters, ratings-driven media personalities, powerful lobbyists, shrewd campaign operatives, and alienated family members. It’s a volatile mix of cold-hearted but endearing characters playing a high-stakes zero-sum game of politics.
As a musical, The Ticket can uniquely explore the frenzy, frivolity, and absurdity of a campaign while also expressing the emotional struggles of the candidates as they define who they are, why they want to win, and what they hope to accomplish.
In 2003, Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati chose The Ticket to perform in their annual new work musical workshop. For two weeks in September, the writers worked with the director, the cast and the band in order to develop the piece. Two shows were performed.
In 2006, The Ticket did an Equity Showcase at the Sage Theatre in New York City. In August the show was workshopped and a couple stage readings ended the workshop. The Ticket had a 16 show run in Novermber.
Vocals - Jennifer Burnett, Joe Sanford Peter Yellen, Gary Bragg, David Demichelis
Rob Lowe, Deb Thomas, Conrad Kehn, Billy Tidwell, Roxann Fromm, Leisa Bragg
Kathy Albertson, Paul Ewald
Jeff Jenkins - Keyboards
Rob Lowe - Keyboards
David DeMichelis - Guitar
Eric Thorin - Bass
Mark Raines - Percussion
Recorded at Notably Fine Audio
Engineer - Colin Bricker