Over the Boardwalk - The Musical

In the summer of 1963, “down the shore” in New Jersey, three generations of women-constrained by the gender roles of their time-are forced to take on ruthless developer, Dirk Golding, who has big plans to bulldoze their aging, family-owned beach boardwalk amusement pier and replace it with a hotel and apartments to “bring in a better element.”

Sue Ferguson, the boardwalk’s heir and owner, once reigned as the pampered “Princess of the Pier” before her father and husband died. But now, to survive, her gumption level has to go way up and fast. It’s the end of June and the bank’s just told Sue that she has until July 4th to come up with more money than most people earn in a year! Someone’s been vandalizing the boardwalk’s rides. Sue’s 18 year old daughter, Melody, is threatening to forego college for show business. Grammie G won’t let Sue count the ol’ girl out just yet, and a familiar-looking young reporter-with an eye for Melody- is snooping around. Sue’s about as broke as broke gets, and out of hope but her family and friends aren’t ready to give up on her or the boardwalk.

Melody wants Sue to “think like a man.” Sue’s best friend, Dot, owner of the beauty parlor on Ocean Avenue, thinks Sue’s come a long way from the days when she blew the engine in the Chevy cause she “didn’t know you were supposed to put oil in it, too!” And Candy, Dot’s beautician-daughter, a self-professed authority on “The Rules” girls have to follow, thinks men like Golding only want women under the boardwalk, not over it. Candy’s boyfriend, Anthony Falconi, who can fix everything but his love life, wants Candy, but how can he get her to stop trying to make him jealous? Philosophy-spouting, Bobby, works for Sue every summer, but he’s in the depths of his personal “winter” this summer. He also knows the reporter’s full name!

The tides are about to turn rather abruptly for everyone in the months just before President Kennedy is shot and the Beatles come to America. But, while the country is still happily doing “The Peppermint Twist,” the people who love Ferguson’s Boardwalk fight to keep the greedy hands of gentrification and modernity away from their memories! Summers of cotton candy, ice cream, thrill rides, games and innocence can’t be demolished forever without a huge fight…

OVER THE BOARDWALK

Website designed, maintained and hosted by CreationDepot.com