Secondhand Lions: A New Musical is based on the 2003 movie of the same name. Music and lyrics for the musical were written by Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner, who also wrote First Date.[1] The book was by Rupert Holmes.
The show was directed by Scott Schwartz, who directed Golda's Balcony and co-directed Jane Eyre on Broadway. Scott Schwartz was appointed Artistic Director of the Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor, New York in 2013.[10]
Plot
Walter, a young boy, is unwillingly dropped off unannounced, by his mother, Mae, at his two great-uncles' farmhouse in Texas for the summer. The uncles, Hub and Garth, recently bought the farm, returning after a long time with a secretly earned fortune. Over the course of the summer, Walter tries to find the method in which his uncles gained money, and what they did during their absence. The tale he hears and discovers reveals the uncles' courage and bravery in their prime.
Differences from the Film
Jane, the girl across the pond, is an added character in the musical.
The ‘relatives’ in the film that arrive to learn about the uncle's fortune are omitted in the musical.
There are no live animals in the musical.
Jasmine, in the movie, is renamed Samira.
Musical numbers
Act 1
Overture - Orchestra
The Wild Lion Boys – Male Ensemble
The Fort Worth College of Court Reporting – Mae
Just Right – Walter
Worth Believin’ In (Part 1)/The Steamship – Garth, Young Hub, Young Garth
The Sultan of the Sultanate of Oujda – Fake Sultan, Ensemble
Sand – Sultan, Harem Girls, Grand Vizier, Ensemble
You Have to See It to Believe It – Jane, Walter
You Have to See It to Believe It (Reprise) – Jane
Mae's Letter – Mae
Just What I Needed –Samira
Unlike Anyone I’ve Ever Known – Young Hub, Sultan
Ghita's Advice – Ghita, Samira, Harem Girls
Hub's Revelation – Hub, Garth, Young Hub, Walter, Ensemble
Act 2
Entracte – Orchestra
Just What I Needed (Reprise) – Samira, Ghita, Harem Girls
Alive or Dead – Sultan, Ensemble
You Have Brought Me Love – Samira, Young Hub
Fly into a Better Tomorrow – Walter, Jane, Garth, Ensemble
The Sultan of the Sultanate of Oujda (Reprise) – Prisoners
The Sultan's Lament – Sultan, Ensemble
You Have Brought Me Love (Reprise) – Samira, Hub
Worth Believin’ In (Part 2) – Hub
The Wild Lion Boys (Reprise) – Stan
Do Something for Me – Walter
Don't Count Us Out – Garth, Hub, Walter
Worth Believin’ In (Finale) - Company
Roles and original cast
The principal cast of The 5th Avenue Theatre's production was as follows.[2][7]
† Grayson J. Smith appeared as Walter Double, before the song 'Just Right'.
Recordings
The World Premiere Recording was released digitally on October 2, 2020 by Broadway Records.[11] It includes a cut song entitled "The Fort Worth College of Court Reporting".[12]