Examples of his Music and Lyrics from a few of his shows
WARNING: Many of these demos are over five minutes in length.
If you have a short attention span and at least two fingers – feel free to skip through…
TOPLESS
(click image for the demo)
In 1966 on the closing night of their song and dance variety show in Las Vegas, six young women take fate into their own hands to save their show and their showbiz family from being replaced by a topless review. Book, Music, and Lyrics by Gordon Goodman. Demo arrangements by Ed Martel.
DRIVE-THRU
(No Video Demo)
Four teenagers working at a Drive-thru restaurant in a small California town have their lives turned upside when a hooker, a psychopath, and an escaped convict decide to drop in for a burger. Cast of 6, with puppets, manslaughter, rock & roll, and dinner from Bob’s Big Boy. An old-fashioned Dinner Theatre experience in conjunction with one of the most famous drive-thru’s in history.
BARRELMAN (Waiting for a Score)
This show was originally conceived while Goodman was sitting alone with the legendary singer/songwriter,actor, Mac Davis, in Mac’s living room. Mac was on the couch, strumming through some of his songs. He wrote so many hit songs, he never truly realized how tied these were to periods of people’s lives. As he was playing, suddenly images of trailers (on wheels) started rolling into Goodman’s head. He didn’t know what they meant. The memory haunted him for five years, until one day, the images he saw that night unfolded into a dramatic, deeply contextual love story. A one-of-a-kind musical theatre 360 visual experience, Barrelman drops the audience smack dab in the world of a working rodeo just as the story unfolds. There’s never been anything like it.for a
MISS PALM SPRINGS
(click image for the demo)
This is a crazy story about a drag artist who enters a beauty contest, only to get shipwrecked in the Pacific, but then is impersonated by a young woman, who falls in love with the contest producer, but is then kidnapped and replaced by the original man, then both of them get tangled up in a plot to steal a famous diamond from a rich heiress… It’s hard to describe this modern farce that addresses so many social issues it’ll make you dizzy with laughter. Music by film composer, Michael Isaacson, with book and lyrics by Gordon Goodman.
GHOSTS
(click image for the demo)
A supernatural love story in the late 1800s, London, where the tenants are surrounded by ghosts who are all kept captive by a powerful evil spirit, one who plans to walk the streets again and resume his identity as Jack the Ripper. Book, Music, and Lyrics by Gordon Goodman. Piano arrangements for the demo by the late great Jeffrey Rizzo. So many brilliant artists here: Douglas Sills, Karen Culliver, Marsha Mitzman, and Amick Byram are just a few.
FULL MOON
(click image for the demo)
A psychiatrist on the Vegas Strip dreams of being a star with his own show in the largest casino in town. But his past is catching up with him, a past that seems to be spread over more than one hundred years. This musical comedy has something for everybody: Comedy, Romance, Song and Dance, Vampires and Werewolves, combined with everything you’d expect to find on the Las Vegas Strip. Like a return to the comedic song and dance shows from the 40s, this show is especially great for the Halloween season. Book, Music, Lyrics by Gordon Goodman. Among the cast for the piano/vocal demo is the lovely Lulu Lloyd with Piano arrangements by the brilliant Ed Martel.
THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME
(click image for the demo)
An honest portrayal of Victor Hugo’s original work set to music, this has already been produced as a musical audiobook. Cast of 40 on the recording: Christina Saffron, Norman Large, Damon Kirshe, David Engel, Larry Raben, and dozens of others. Book, Music, Lyrics by Gordon Goodman
THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO
(click image for the demo)
This is one of the hardest stories to fit on a stage. Marshall Borden did it in his $1 million play mounted at the Stratford Festival in Canada. We talked about a musical version of the play and these are the numbers I created for that project.
OPERA GOATS
(click image for the demo)
On a small farm in Italy, 3 farm animals miraculously begin to sing arias from famous operas. This phenomenon gathers media attention from all over the world until Farmer Tucci is invited to bring the three animals to Rome to sing in a brand new opera starring the famous opera diva, Frida Von Frikt. But Frida has no intention of singing with any smelly farm animals. Rehearsals can be very dangerous – deadly even – and Frida intends to make them deadlier than usual. A warm and funny modern fable with unforgettable characters. Book and Music by Gordon Goodman. Musical numbers performed by Augustino Castagnola, Terri Bibb, and Leslie Leighton.
KING OF THE NORTHERN LIGHTS
(click image for the demo)
A story of the origins of Santa Clause, The King of the Northern Lights begins in the depths of the Earth where a gnome leads an army of underworld creatures ruled by a ferocious demon. Book, Music, Lyrics by Gordon Goodman. The narrator of the Northern Lights demo was the late Joe Campanella. Among the cast was the amazing Kathryn Skatula.
SECRET SANTA
(No Video)
Originally Goodman wrote this to be a live Elf on the Shelf show but their lawyer very politely asked him to cease and desist. Goodman then approached Universal to make it a Frosty the Snowman show, but it seems Frosty is ‘persona non grata’ these days so that was nixed. What he did then was create a cool 70-minute Christmas show centered around an elf who has to impersonate Santa after Santa breaks his leg and can’t get presents delivered by dawn. 13 musical numbers, many of them original. Written for both adults and children, this is a high-energy immersive holiday adventure for the whole family.
A STOCKING FULL OF COLE
(No Video Demo)
Once upon a time, there was a golden age of Christmas music that was supported by millions of record albums – black plastic discs that held the performances of the world’s greatest artists within their tiny plastic grooves. Nat King Cole was one of the primary members of this royal group of artists. In this holiday musical variety show, five cast members bring to life all the songs Nat included on his albums as they tell the life story of this remarkable man. Book by Gordon Goodman.
THE MONKS OF SHAWFORD ABBEY
(No Video Demo)
Eight bumbling monks from the 13th century set off on a pilgrimage to Rome leaving a trail of miracles in their wake. From hip hop to classical to Gregorian chant, this hysterically funny, unbelievably talented group of brothers are a cross between Take 6, the Manhattan Transfer, and Monte Python. The Monks of Shawford Abbey is a full-length book musical AND a 40-minute show for hi-tech conventions.
Hundreds of Gordon Goodman’s songs not represented here.
He’s been writing music since he was 11.