Phantom of the Country Opera

Phantom of the

Country Opera

Book by Sean Grennan & Kathy Santen
Lyrics by Cheryl Coons
Music by Michael Duff

The plot may sound oddly familiar:
Operatic sensation Christina Joseph leaves a promising career at La Scala and returns to her roots in Nashville, Tennessee, singing backup at the Country Palace. There she finds an enemy in an aging Country-Western diva and a mentor in a mysterious janitor determined to make her Country Music's newest star.

It's a splashy, hilarious Country-Western send-up of the classic tale of horror, "The Phantom Of The Opera!" Filled with irreverent wit, painful punning, sly contemporary references and more than a touch of the absurd, this shameless romp is a bit like The Nashville Network on acid. And with an unforgettable score that runs the gamut from Grand Opera to Country to Broadway including a little ditty called "Hog Butcher's Daughter" "Phantom Of The Country Opera" has audiences tapping their toes and rolling in the aisles.

Published by

Creators

As book writers, this husband and wife team has had the pleasure of collaborating with Cheri Coons and Michael Duff on several projects including "Phantom of the Country Opera", (Published '95, MTI) "Ms. Cinderella" and "The Ho Ho Ho Show". Along with "Rodeo", they are currently at work on "Rasslin'!" the far too long untold pro wrestling musical. In addition, Mr. Grennan's non-musical comedy "LUCK!" recently won an honorable mention from the National Writer's Association's Playwrighting Contest. Other daring writing exploits include live industrials, trade shows, speeches, a cartoon pilot, lots of videos and related corporate sc ribing. As actors, they've collectively performed in over 100 professional productions including the award winning Duff/Coons musical, "At Wit's End". Check out Sean Grennan's newest show MARRIED ALIVE

Sean Grennan & Kathy Santen

Cheryl Coons

Cheryl Coons (Lyrics) has co-written more than a dozen musicals which have received professional productions, including At Wit’s End (Carbonell Award for Best New Work), River’s End (ASCAP Foundation Harold Arlen Musical Theatre Award, Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Awards for Best Original Script and Best Original Score), Sylvia’s Real Good Advice (Joseph Jefferson Award for Best New Work), Female Problems (After Dark Award for Best Music and Lyrics), and Phantom of the Country Opera, published by Music Theater International. Her work has appeared on the stages of Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Florida Stage, Marin Theatre Company, Marriott's Lincolnshire Theatre, Northlight Theatre, and Pegasus Theatre. A revue of her work, Yadda, Yadda, Yadda: The Lyrics of Cheri Coons was produced at the Royal George Theater,and was honored as one of Chicago’s 10 Best Cabaret Shows of the year by Cabaret Scenes magazine, Gay Chicago, and Cabaret Online. Her original novelty songs have been featured on Good Morning, America, The Today Show, and NPR’S Morning Edition, and her lyrics have been quoted in The New York Times and USA Today. Her songs have been performed and/or recorded by cabaret artists including Tom Anderson, McKinley Carter, Joan Curto, Sara Davis, Sharon McKnight, Lisa Menninger, Beckie Menzie, Tom Michael, Bob Mason, Stephen Rader, and Kat’ Taylor. Cheri has appeared with collaborator Beckie Menzie at Carnegie Hall, performing their original material in an evening hosted by Michael Feinstein. A fixture in the Chicago Cabaret scene since the 1980’s, she was a founding member of the acclaimed vocal trio, The Pumps, and appeared as a featured soloist in many Chicago venues, including the Pump Room at the Ambassador East Hotel and the Metropole at the Fairmont Hotel. Visit Cheryl Coons.com for more.

Michael Duff

Michael Duff has written four musicals which have received professional productions, most recently At Wit's End, which received Florida's 2001 Carbonell Award for Best New Work. He was the recipient of Chicago's Joseph Jefferson Award for Musical Direction for his work on Female Problems, to which he also contributed a number of songs, sharing Chicago's After Dark Award for the music and lyrics. He composed the score for Phantom of the Country Opera, published by Music Theater International, and Ms. Cinderella, produced at Marriott's Lincolnshire Theater. Listed in Who's Who of Entertainment, Mr. Duff has been musical director/conductor for over 80 different productions, including the third national tour of Les Miserables, the national tour of Nunsense with Dody Goodman, and Peter Pan, with Cathy Rigby, tours of 42nd Street, Bob Fosse's Dancin', West Side Story, and Fiddler on the Roof, with Theodore Bikel. From 1981 to 1988 he was Musical Supervisor and Staff Arranger for the Burt Reynolds Jupiter Theatre, and was Musical Director at Marriott's Lincolnshire Theatre from 1991-1996, He performed on Broadway as The City Editor in The News.