Myth America The Musical with Songs
Myth America is a dark musical comedy that ends in tragedy in the tradition of Urinetown and the great movie satire, Dr. Strangelove.
The story examines recent history and events that deceived a nation and pulled that country into an unnecessary war for the enrichment of those in power. Many brave soldiers believing that the nation was actually threatened died, not knowing the war was predicated on a lie.
In our story Edward Rex Welsh Meanie makes a secret pact with Hugh R.A. Lush Jr., a drunken playboy and the son of former president Hugh R. A. Lush Sr. that he will help him become President of the United States if Lush Jr. allows him to run the country covertly from the Vice President’s office. Meanie, the former director of the CIA, who is power -mad wants to use his position to become the world’s richest man by controlling the world’s oil reserves.
Once in power, Meanie, who before taking office, was CEO of Rexxon Oil Services and still holds deferred stock options and also owns the Great American Broadcasting System (GABS), convinces Americans that the oil rich country of Petrodollarstan has Objects of Vast Annihilation (the OVA) that they will use to destroy the U. S. He will then declare war and take over their oil, thus enriching himself. He uses the iconic and sexy broadcast journalist Kitty Careless, star of GABS, the network he owns, to win over the country to support the war effort by having a young married patriotic couple, Bud Pie and Rose Apple, star on her reality TV show and promote patriotism and service to the U.S.
Songs from Myth America the Musical
To listen to the original music from Myth America click the play buttons below. Or listen on philipseward.com
More about the plot of Myth America The Musical
Meanie doesn’t know that Kitty Careless is getting inside information from an informant named Deep Penetration, and is secretly working with Meanie’s right hand man, the Reverend Evan Lee Bliss, to thwart Meanie’s evil plans. But eventually he is informed of this by Les Morals, Kitty’s boss at GABS, which is owned by Meanie.
Kitty Careless faces the moral dilemma of whether to come forward to alert the nation to the lies of Lush and Meanie or to remain silent and reap the benefits of her high paying job. Afraid of what the CIA might do to her if she speaks out (she has been warned that others have been assassinated by the CIA when they spoke out against the powers that be) she remains quiet. Because of her silence war is declared. The U.S. invades Petrodollarstan. Meanie is enriched by the war. Bud Pie, a true American patriot and star of Careless’s reality show, becomes collateral damage after he enlists and is killed fighting valiantly for his country in Petrodollarstan.
After Bud’s death Kitty has a moment of self-reflection and self- recognition after which she decides she must live a moral and principled life reminiscent of when she was a young journalist, that is, before she was bought out by the system. She speaks into a tape recorder expressing her new found courage and feelings and states that she will tell the nation about the lies that brought the nation into an unnecessary war and expose Lush and Meanie for the corrupt officials they are. She makes it clear that she has evidence to prove their lies and that if she is found dead, at least the evidence will be there to expose the truth.
Shortly after this divulgence Kitty is found dead in her condominium. On the TV news it is reported that she was killed during a robbery, that her condo had been rifled through and it appears that things were taken.
Myth America has all the ingredients to be a hit musical on Broadway. It is funny, suspenseful, dark and tragic and highly entertaining. The musical score is terrific and is complemented by the sharp and incisive lyrics. The story which is highly political excoriates the hawkish right wing of American politics by revealing their age old use of deception to advance their permanent war agenda. This is the unfortunate mythology of America, built into its identity from its inception. Myth America will awaken audiences to the tragic nature of American propaganda and fake news that manipulates the public and perpetuates war and rewards the military industrial complex and the power elite.
America is now a country that is fascinated by politics. Myth America, a political musical entertainment can tap into the country’s passionate interest in politics. It is the right story at the right time. With Trump as President and an election coming up, Myth America can be a good political influence as well as an entertaining, moving and highly satisfying evening in the theater.