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by Max Kinnings, Matthew James and Nick Hale
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“Every once in a blue moon there pops up an innovative musical that grabs you by the (metaphorical) balls... Hooked is one of those.”
Nick Awde, The Stage, August 2009
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a story about impulsiveness,
a story about naivety,
a story about loyalty, class and money,
sex and drugs, the haves and the have-nots.
Ultimately though, it's a story about reckless love
and one man's inability to say 'no'
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a vibrantly addictive new musical from
Nick Hale and Matthew James (the team behind legendary
Bacardi and Guinness commercials) alongside
Max Kinnings, Rik Mayall's writing partner
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Synopsis
On the surface the story is about a man going off the rails at the mercy of a mass of addictions; Ben is hooked on alcohol, cocaine and sex and it turns his world upside down. Under pressure to be successful from his wife, Emma, Ben throws himself into his work. Working late in media-land he gets drawn into an intoxicating world of thrill-seeking. Stoked up on success, coke, champagne, hookers and hangers-on he starts to think he's invincible and steadily loses touch with his own identity. In the process he ruins a business and the lives of the two very different women that have fallen for him.
Ben becomes a frequent visitor to The Ruby Lounge, a seedy dance club owned by drug-pusher Parnell - a violent man who leaves his clients in no doubt as to how ruthless he can be and what could happen if ever a debt were not settled. Whoever Ben was has left the building and no-one's interested in what's left - except for an unlikely saviour in the shape of Monique - a high-class escort from Eastern Europe employed with Angel and Odette as one of Parnell's club dancers.
Emma has now to accept she's living in an illusion. She is taken to the limit and finally takes action. Ben goes into freefall, suffers a dramatic heart attack, goes to re-hab, gets clean but resorts to using Monique rather than facing the crisis full on. We watch helplessly as desperate Monique embarks on a doomed romance with Ben, only to discover she is pregnant. She plans to tell Ben but he talks first and after she's heard what he has to say she decides to keep her secret to herself. Desperately unhappy with her duties at the Club, she decides to run away. Given that she has become a popular attraction at the club, Parnell is angry and his ominous presence closes in on her, resulting in him forcing her to contract an infectious terminal illness.
In this story everyone is hooked on something. Apart from Ben, everyone is hooked on money - however palatably it's dressed up. Monique and Emma are both hooked on Ben. Whether your drug is money, men, cocaine, sex, status, control or power is not the point. What 'Hooked' reveals is that unhealthy addictions are rife in society and come at a high price. 'Hooked' will appeal because like any great dramas, it sets your emotions on fire. You'll be amused by Ben's capers, you'll get angry at the both the male leads as they destroy the lives of the female protagonists. You'll be full of dread as the shadowy, menacing figure of Parnell closes in on the unaware couple. And finally you'll be fighting back the tears as Monique's fate is revealed. Only in the final scene are we offered some hope as we see Ben and Emma united with Monique's orphaned son. Ben has learned his lessons and with renewed strength of character he can lead his life according to his natural moral code.
'Hooked' was very well received by press and public alike when it premiered at the
George 4 venue at the 2009 Edinburgh Fringe and subsequently
when it transferred to the Theatre 503 in Battersea.
The reviews from national media such as Capital Gold, The Times and the Mail On Sunday,
as well as the fringe reviewers, stand testament to the both
the strength and sensitivity of 'Hooked' and its creators.
Characters
| Principals (2m, 2f) |
| Ben |
On the outside, Ben is a charmer and a chancer, he is popular and talented. But on the inside he’s falling apart. The trouble is that he doesn’t know what he wants. Ben lives two lives, one that is comfortable, suburban and dull, and one that is exciting and fun but also dangerous and addictive. He’s gradually being torn apart and something’s got to give. The two different worlds he inhabits can no longer be kept apart and are about to collide with disastrous consequences. Will Ben survive, or is he destined to keep on making the same mistakes again and again? |
| Emma |
In the upper middle class, middle-England world from which Emma comes, someone like Ben is considered an oddity. But it’s the fact that he’s an unpredictable maverick that appeals to her. So much more interesting than those lawyers and City types. But as much as she enjoys Ben’s unconventional job and quirky outlook on life, she also craves the safety and comfort of a rock solid family life. And up until recently, Ben was shaping up pretty well in that department. But now something’s changed... |
| Monique |
Innocent, hungry for adventure, and full of dreams of becoming a professional singer, Monique is also desperate to escape the misery of her childhood back home in Romania. Moving to London is a fresh start for her. She would rather she wasn’t working at The Ruby Lounge – but it’s not as if it’s permanent and it is show business – of sorts. She will save her money, bide her time, and grab all the opportunities that come her way. London is the place where dreams come true – isn’t it? |
| Parnell |
As manager of The Ruby Lounge, Parnell sees two types of punters come through the doors: the ones who are passing through, just flirting with danger; and then there are the others, the regulars, the ones who are sucked in and can’t help themselves. These are the ones who pay the bills, keep him in good suits, maintain his lifestyle. Parnell cultivates them, grooms them, keeps them happy – just as he does with his girls. It doesn’t mean that he likes them; he’s just taking care of business. And sometimes people get hurt. It’s nothing personal – it’s just the law of the jungle. |
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| Support (2f) |
| Odette |
Odette is one of life’s survivors. Having grown up on the mean streets of South London, there’s very little that will shock her, even working at The Ruby Lounge. She watches the other girls come over from eastern Europe and she can see that most of them are like lambs to the slaughter. She tries to watch out for them. She does what she can to keep them from harm; tries to help them toughen up. But there’s only so much that you can do. It’s a brutal world out there. |
| Angel |
When you’ve been thrown out and cut off by your rich parents for your total lack of repentance for a string of petty offences, you do what you can to get by. Life is ever thus for Angel. But it turns out that she’s pretty good at what she does. She’s found her slot. There are rich pickings to be made from the punters who slather and drool over her. Late at night, full of booze and drugs and dizzy with lust, they’re not exactly careful with their cash and personal belongings. |
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Songs
| 1) Ready To Roll |
Odette, Angel and Monique |
| 2) Long Live Love |
Ben |
| 3) You’re Not The Moon |
Emma |
| 4) Written On The Wall |
Emma |
| 5) Where The Pleasure Lies |
Odette, Angel and Monique |
| 6) Ready To Roll (Reprise) |
Instrumental
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| 7) We’re Gonna Find Another Way |
Monique |
| 8) What I’m Looking For |
Ben |
| 9) Patience |
Emma |
| 10) Easy Street |
Ben |
| 11) Satellite |
Monique |
| 12) Don’t Let Me Down |
Ben and Monique |
| 13) Gypsy Girl |
Ben |
| 14) Where The Pleasure Lies (Reprise) |
Instrumental
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| 15) Riverside |
Ben |
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Duration: 75 minutes (approx)
Information for Production Administrators
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Here's a list of all the supporting material available and some other information you might need. Pricing for the production materials is supplied automatically with a Perusal Set. Royalty pricing can only be provided as a formal quotation.
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| Available now (see below) ... |
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| Perusal Set |
| These are available to borrow free of charge (but you have to pay the postage to return the set to us). The set contains ... |
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- Printed Script
- Studio Cast Recording Audio CD
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| Available after Perusal ... |
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| Libretti/Vocal Scores |
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Available to purchase in this form ...
- Rehearsal Master Set on a Data CD (Cast). This contains the script for your cast and crew provided as A4 pdf files together with a Cast Recording CD of all the songs from which your cast will learn the music. There are no scores for this musical. The price includes a multiple copying licence allowing you to copy the CD's (enabling you to give or sell copies to your cast for them to make up their own rehearsal books) or to make multiple prints of CD's for your production company to organise and provide to your cast or crew.
To order this, go to the 'Order Rehearsal Material' page
Please note that we do not sell individual printed copies of libretti, nor do we hire sets of printed rehearsal libretti or scores.
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| Available after Rights Obtained ... |
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| Backing Tracks |
| Productions must buy the set of music and sound effects tracks supplied on CD. |
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| Orchestrations |
| Not available. This musical can only be performed to the professionally produced backing tracks. |
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| Royalty Type |
| Royalties for this title are 'variable fee, post paid', and will be calculated on a percentage of your box office income once your production has finished. See our pricing policy for details. We work on a quotation system for royalties, based on information you supply to us. Complete a printed application form or create account with us, and use the online version. |
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| Video Licence |
| We have secured the rights to video productions of this title from the Authors, and we manage them on their behalf. Once a 'Licence To Perform' has been granted, and then on payment of a fee, we will be able to issue a 'Licence To Record'. There are some strings attached to this, but these are far outweighed by the benefits. |
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- Record one or more live performances and mix down to a single video
- Give or sell copies to your cast and crew
- Sell copies to your audiences (take advance bookings on the night)
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Order your free preview script or perusal material now ...
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