by David Hines

Synopsis

Class Of 77 is a comedy/drama musical which takes the audience back to the late 1970’s to meet a class of sixth formers (aka Year 11’s) as they prepare to leave school for university and/or life. Fifteen years later at the school reunion many things have changed, not only for the students but in the world in general as well. The world of 1992 is very different to that which existed in 1977 and through the script and music we see just how different.

The school reunion approaches. It’s the first held since they all left in 1977 and the show opens with Michael and Bruce reminiscing about that final school year (‘Was A Time’). We are transported back to that time to see their friends, share their feelings and suffer their failings; meeting a host of characters including Jenny, Michael’s then girlfriend; Linda, the resident hippy; Adam, Brian and Greg who spend every weekend working on their beloved green Ford Cortina (‘Me And My Cortina’), and Sue, Helen and Judy who think about boys a lot, and spend every Thursday night glued to ‘Top Of The Pops’. Not forgetting Kevin, the computer genius and Sven the Swedish exchange student.

As their time at school comes to an end Michael expects Jenny, who is the love of his life, to follow him to London and to share a flat with him as they go to university. Jenny, however, has other ideas (‘Not The One’) and after talking with Linda, a real ‘free spirit’ who is into women’s lib (‘Girls Talk’), she breaks up with Michael and pursues her own path without him. Meanwhile, Linda herself has decided to skip university altogether and travel, something that her boyfriend, Bruce, cannot understand. Bruce and Michael console each other as they try to look to the future (‘Tomorrow’). Kevin, who can foresee a world of technology (‘Brave New World’) has developed something called a ‘personal computer’ but is ridiculed for it, and Sven, despite his tenuous grasp of the English language, can’t really focus on much except for having a good time. At the end-of-year school dance Greg and Sue unexpectedly hit it off (‘A Girl Named Sue’), and the class finally says goodbye to their school life (‘Class Of 77’) and head off into the big wide world.

During the interval, time marches on fifteen years and Act 2 opens with Judy lamenting the passage of time (‘Fifteen Years’) as she waits for the school reunion to start. As the class re-unite we learn that some very different outcomes have occurred for many of the characters. Kevin, of course, is hugely successful, but surprisingly, so is Sven, who has become the Swedish Ambassador (‘We’ve Come A Long Way’). Linda is still a free spirit, whilst Bruce has become the archetypal hardworking husband and father. Some of the girls are divorced already and Adam has had to trade in his Cortina for a Minivan. Michael and Jenny meet for the first time in fifteen years with Michael revealing the hurt and betrayal he has been feeling (‘The Magic In Her Eyes’). By the end of the show though Michael and Jenny get back together (‘Seventeen’) and the whole class comes to understand that they’re all getting older (‘You Can’t Stay Young Forever’) and that the golden years are not those in the past, but are those up ahead (‘Golden Years’).

Fully orchestrated in six parts (expandable to include strings and brass), or with professionally recorded performance backing tracks available, ‘Class Of 77’ is fully equipped to give your actors and audience a fantastic time. The show is ideally suited to an acting age between 15 and 25 and features a lot of comedy, some drama, a love story and a lot of dance routines.

Characters

Songs