Thorstein Veblen’s THEORY OF THE LEISURE CLASS – Wall Street Meets Vaudeville 1900 – a high-class musical romp through New York society of 1900 as satirized by famed turn-of-the-20th-century socioeconomist Thorstein Veblen – in the form of a melodrama within a musical! It was Veblen who coined the phrases “Conspicuous Consumption” and “Captains of Industry.” And now Veblen seeks to see his theories played out on the unsuspecting thespians who just need a job! Will Veblen sell enough copies of his book to pay his rent - and the actors? Can heiress Miss Van Drummond save the poor of Broome Street and rescue her penniless, idealistic boyfriend from a Chinese shoe factory? Will corporate scandals bankrupt them all?!! Book and Lyrics by Kleban Award recipient Charles Leipart, Music by Richard B. Evans.

Thorstein Veblen's THEORY OF THE LEISURE CLASS premiered in March 2005, at the historic Provincetown Playhouse in Greenwich Village, NYC, directed by Karen Azenberg. Music Director Michael Ricciardone; Lighting by Liz Tyler Brody; Costumes by Tom Smith; Production Stage Manager Jacob Seelbach. The cast included John Allen Biles, Kristin Carlson, Jamie Cronin, Greg Kenna, Christopher LaCroix, Lauren Marcus, Eyal Sherf, Luke Smith, and Amanda Webb.   Thorstein Veblen's THEORY OF THE LEISURE CLASS was also presented by the Kansas City Crossroads Musical Theater Festival in July 2006, Directed by Ernest Williams, with Chris McCoy, Artistic Director; staged readings were also held at the Abingdon Theatre, NYC, June 2004; Chicago's Stages Festival of New Musicals, July 2002; Musical Mondays at the Broadway Theatre Institute NYC, November 2002, directed by Gwen Arment, with Jack Lee as Musical Director; National Alliance for Musical Theatre, NYC, September 2002, directed by Thommie Walsh. Cast of 9. Script & Demo CD available.

Thorstein Veblen's THEORY OF THE LEISURE CLASS,  presented at the Kansas City Crossroads Musical Theater Festival in July 2006. Left, Director Ernie Williams moderates a roundtable discussion with Evans, Leipart, other festival participants, and journalists.  Cast included Jim Korinke, Heidi Stubblefield, James Wright, Elaine Fox, Lyndsey Agron, Chris Cobbett, Mark Snethen, Dean Vivian, and Cindy Baker. Thorstein Veblen's THEORY OF THE LEISURE CLASS, presented at Chicago's Stages Festival of New Musicals, July 2002.   Tim Pleiman, Artistic Director, Theatre Building Chicago; John Sparks, Festival Director; Joan Mazzonelli, Festival Administrator; Cindy Stevens, Artistic Dir. & Business; Alison Henderson, Stage Director; Jeremy Ramey, Music Director.

Richard B. Evans and Charles Leipart with cast from the presentation of Thorstein Veblen's THEORY OF THE LEISURE CLASS, at the Broadway Theatre Institute, NYC. Standing from left to right: Gwen Arment (Director), Amy Goldberger, Louisa Flaningam, Joel Briel, Susan Derry, Jonathan Ball, Broadway Music Director Jack Lee, Steve Sterner and Steve Geyer. Leipart and Evans kneeling in front.

Cast of Thorstein Veblen's THEORY OF THE LEISURE CLASS, as presented by the National Alliance for Musical Theatre in NYC. From left to right: Back Row: Nick Wyman, Robert Bartley, Sam Davis (Associate Music Director), Matt Bogart; Front Row: Michele Ragusa, Kathy Fitzgerald, Charles Leipart, Richard B. Evans, Felicia Finley and Thommie Walsh (Director).

INDEX TO MUSICAL NUMBERS: ACT 1 1. Prologue (Veblen & Company) 2. This Little Book (Veblen & Mary) 3. Status Quo / Things Can Change (Ellen & Fenny) 4. The Gentlemanly Breeds (Grinley, McPhee, Veblen, Fenny) 5. The Social Climber's Rag (Mrs. Vandersnood, Veblen, Fenny) 6A. Ted's Vision (Ted) 6B. In the Halls of New Harmonia (Veblen & Company) 7. Destiny Tango  (Veblen, Grinley, JP) 8. Greed is Good (McPhee & The Money Honeys) 9. N.H.M.D.C. (McPhee, Ellen, Ted & Company) 10. Here and Now (Ted, Ellen) 11. Whiskey, Bourbon (Veblen, Mary) 12. The New Century Ball Music (Orchestra) 13. Wedding Music (Veblen & Company) 14. The Price of Everything (Veblen & Company) ACT 2 15. I'm the Kind of Man You Need (McPhee & Company) 16. Fenny's Prayer (Fenny) 17. Ladies of Leisure (Ellen, Fenny, Veblen) 18. Manhattan Primitive (McPhee & The Picasso Primatives) 19. You Go On (Ellen) 20. Old Brown Shoes (Mary & Grinley) 21. Here and Now Reprise (Ted, Ellen) 22. President Jack! (McPhee, Veblen) 23. Things Can Change Reprise (Fenny & Company) 24. Act 2 Finale (Ellen & Company) 25. Bows Music - Old Brown Shoes (The Company)

© 2008, Richard B. Evans   |  All contents of this website © (p) Richard B. Evans and Seacastle Music Company   |   email: Richard@RichardBEvans.com