Act I
Backstage at Me and Juliet, a long-running Broadway show, the company prepares for another evening performance. Sidney, an electrician on the show, waits for help from another technician named Bob, but Bob is nowhere to be found. Jeanie, a member of the show’s chorus, was expecting him, too (“A Very Special Day”). When she admits to Sidney this isn’t the first time Bob has stood
her up, a few others chime in, wondering why she’d want to go with a
guy like Bob. Jeanie explains how their relationship started (“That’s
the Way It Happens”).
When Bob finally arrives, Sidney, annoyed by
Bob’s lateness, mentions that Jeanie was looking for him. He asks if
Bob would ever marry her. Bob laughs, calling Jeanie a “sweet kid,” and
promises he’ll never get married, saying the institution is a trap that
women use for financial gain. Sidney’s annoyance turns to anger, and he
calls Bob a baboon. Bob furiously grabs Sidney by the collar and chokes
him until a few of the company members stumble on, including Jeanie. Bob
immediately changes his tone and charmingly tells Jeanie about a piano
he’d seen for sale. He picks her up and sets her down on a desk, but
soon has to take her down because the Assistant Manager, Larry, needs to
use it. While the chorus rehearses, Larry sings of his unrequited love
for Jeanie (“That’s the Way It Happens” Reprise).
The head stage manager, Mac, is making the nightly rounds when Charlie, the lead actor of Me and Juliet,
storms in, complaining about Dario, the production’s music conductor.
Charlie blames Dario and his orchestra for playing so loudly that people
can’t hear his singing. Dario threatens to quit over having to work
with Charlie. To keep Dario on the show, Mac has been sending him single
flowers with forged love letters from an anonymous admirer, known as
the “gardenia lady,” who has been watching Dario from the audience.
Content to play for a secret admirer, Dario agrees to play tonight’s
show.
Lily, who plays “Juliet” in Me and Juliet, tells
Mac she’s arranged to take her vacation in August. Larry tells Jeanie
that leads require a second understudy during the summer months. Though
she doesn’t consider herself much of an actress, Larry thinks she should
try out for the role because the extra weekly pay could help her afford
the piano she’s been eyeing. She laughs at his remembering such a minor
detail from their previous conversation, and the actors are called to
places. While conducting the “Overture,” Dario looks out for his special
admirer, sniffing his gift gardenia passionately.
At the show’s
start, the title character, “Me,” played by Charlie, sets the scene and
introduces the characters, including Don Juan, Carmen and Juliet, played
by Lily (“Opening of Me and Juliet”). “Me” describes just the kind of
love he has for her (“Marriage Kind of Love”). Backstage, Bob and Sidney
busily change lamp colors on a light bridge above the action on stage.
Comparing his situation to the main character’s, Sidney tries to
remember how he felt before getting accidentally engaged to his wife,
Josephine. Bob identifies more with Don Juan’s character, who is being
seduced by Carmen, and he sings along with the show (“Keep It Gay”).
Later,
Mac shares the stage when Sidney needs to fix some lights, but Larry
also needs it to see Jeanie for a second Juliet understudy audition, all
while Mac seeks a potential replacement for the part of Carmen. Sidney
agrees to share the stage with Larry, while smugly knowing that Larry
has had a crush on Jeanie for a long time. Mac strongly advises Larry
against getting involved with a girl in your own show, saying it’s a
rule he’d never break.
Charlie brings in actress Betty Lorraine,
whom Mac has called the object of his affection. The choreographer and
the producer, Mr. Harrison, observe as Betty expertly reads through
Carmen’s seduction scene and performs a number from the show (“The
Audition: Keep It Gay” Reprise). When she books the part, Betty gives
Mac a big, grateful kiss, but he responds coldly. Ruby tells Betty about
Mac’s strict rule about dating girls in his show. Betty decides she’ll
take the job – and get Mac to break his rule.
With Larry watching,
Jeanie begins Juliet’s song timidly, so he stops her. With surprising
skill, he thoughtfully explains how Juliet is a strong, passionate
character, perhaps more so than Carmen, because Juliet is the one who is
actually in love. He continues to give Jeanie direction, describing how
to overcome her fear of the smartest people in the theatre – the
ever-changing audience (“That Big Black Giant”). In the midst of
directing her, Larry notices Jeanie looking at him a certain way and is
flustered when she wonders aloud how it is you can be in the same show
with someone for so long without ever really knowing them at all. Larry
shakes it off and sets her up to try the song out again, as Juliet on
the balcony (“No Other Love”). While she practices, Bob approaches the
stage to watch, but mocks her from behind. When Jeanie notices, she
stops the song, deflated, and leaves. As the stage lights go dark, Bob
grabs Larry’s arm and refuses to let go. He threatens Larry, saying that
if he crosses the line of stage manager and understudy with Jeanie, Bob
will kill him. Bob throws Larry onto the ground and walks off, leaving
Larry alone on stage again.
In the stage door alley, members of
the chorus gossip about Larry and Jeanie and speculate what will happen
when Bob finds out. Betty arrives, and Mac – fervently sticking to his
number one rule – greets her with a professional tone that comes off as
awkwardly formal. Knowing his inner turmoil, Betty goadingly flirts with
him. Ruby, the company manager, catches them dancing together and Mac
leaves to start the show. Ruby is left wondering if being in front of an
audience every night has anything to do the peculiar personalities of
show people (“That Big Black Giant” Reprise).
In their dressing
room, Betty and Jeanie discuss Betty’s romantic life, and Mac calls the
five-minute warning to places. As they finish getting dressed, Betty
passionately muses on what a great thing it is to be an actress (“It’s
Me”) before making her way to the stage. Jeanie rushes to put her dress
on when Larry arrives and helps her out. They decide they have to tell
Bob about being together, and they kiss before Jeanie runs onstage.
Above
the stage, Sidney and Bob sit with the lights, waiting for Act I to
end. Sidney admits he has never cheated on his wife. Suggesting she may
be cheating on him, Bob calculates how long he’s gone at night. Sidney
furiously warns him to stop and, unable to hit Bob because of their
position in the rafters, resorts to telling him about Jeanie and Larry,
and points out the two sharing a kiss below them. Suddenly, a spotlight,
controlled by Bob, shines on both of them during the last number of the
first act. Betty, performing center stage, tries to continue her solo
without being lit by her usual spotlight. Almost stuck in the grip of
Bob’s control, Jeanie crosses the stage in his spotlight, unable to
escape in front of the audience, when suddenly a sandbag plummets from
above the stage and hits the prop tray out of Jeanie’s hands. Terrified,
the performers go on with the ending of the act. Finally, Mac orders
the curtain to drop.
Act II
Just before the second act of Me and Juliet,
two ushers and a concessions worker recall the “funny” changes to the
end of Act I. Suddenly, Ruby rushes Larry into the lobby. Terrified for
his safety, she shoves him into a storage room and urges Herbie at the
concessions stand not to unlock it for anyone, especially Bob. Ruby
scampers away and the intermission crowd herds into the lobby for a
smoke and a lemonade, discussing their night out at the show (“Ten
Minutes’ Intermission”).
At the end of intermission, Jeanie
charges into the lobby, running away from Bob. Herbie ensures her no one
will unlock the door Larry is hiding behind, and she takes cover
beneath his concessions counter. Unable to locate Jeanie or Larry, Bob
decides to wait at a bar across the street, where he can watch to make
sure neither of them leaves the theater. Alone at the bar, he revels in
his rightful place: away from everyone else (“It Feels Good”). Onstage,
the second act of Me and Juliet continues with the two title characters deciding to give each other a chance (“We Deserve Each Other”).
In
the company manager’s office, anticipating an inevitable confrontation
with Bob, Larry paces nervously. Jeanie tries to calm his nerves,
reminding him that they’re together now that they’ve secretly married
(“I’m Your Girl”). Bob enters, offering Larry a chance to end things
with Jeanie and leave. At first, Larry obliges fearfully, but, after
seeing Bob’s hand on Jeanie, he attacks him instead. Mac, Betty, Ruby
and others join the fight against Bob, who eventually hits his head on a
radiator and is knocked out, leaving Larry to escape. With the second
act still underway, Betty realizes she’s got to change costumes and
Larry plans for upcoming cues to execute.
When Bob comes to, Ruby
and Mac convince him that he’s killed Larry and the police are waiting
for him outside. Bob quickly leaves the theater and Mac tries to catch
up with him. Ruby takes a call from their producer, Mr. Harrison, who
tells her he’s moving Mac to another show. Dario angrily conducts one of
the final scenes of the show, frustrated that his gardenia lady hasn’t
revealed herself. While the cast and crew set up for the next big scene
behind a lowered scrim, Ruby tells Mac the good news: he will be moved
to a different show, meaning that he and Betty can finally get together.
As Mac and Betty embrace, Larry approves sending the curtain up to let
the show go on, leaving Mac to make an awkward exit during the dance
number.
When the curtain finally drops, Larry asks the cast to
rehearse the first act finale so they won’t have to come in early the
next day. He leads the rehearsal and Jeanie stands in for Juliet. As she
sings through the number, Bob crosses through and Larry asks him to be
at the theater the next day to adjust the lights. Bob quietly but
professionally agrees. Together, Larry and Jeanie sing the lovers’ duet
as the curtain falls (Finale: “No Other Love”).