The Musicals of Peter Kennedy.
"HAM"
Loosely inspired by the war between American fast food giants, McDonalds and Burger king, HAM is a slap-stick musical comedy that takes a light-hearted look at the competitive nature of marketing and advertising.
Fast food Baron, Joey Hamilton of ‘Hamiltons Hamburgers’ is concerned about the impending release from prison of his old rival ‘Big Sam’, apprehended some five years earlier for attempting to poison Hamilton customers by putting red paint in their Tomato Ketchup bottles!
Hamiltons aspiring production manager Timothy Fickle has come up with a new concept in Burger preparation that is guaranteed to keep Hamiltons at the top of the ladder. It’s the ‘Fickle-Pickle-Burger’.
Realizing that his old recipe books are out of date, Big Sam employs the seduction skills of his moll, Lucille, to extract secret recipes from gullible Fickle, and having acquired them, Big Sam stages an ‘Insect’ scandal at the Hamilton joint which leads to a collapse of his customer base.
The scene is set for a final conflict that leads to a somewhat farcical court room climax.
CHARACTERS:
JOEY HAMILTON All-American Fast Food Impresario. Character
Comedy role, mature. Baritone.
SONIA KRAUSKI His loyal and Business-like Secretary.
Character Role. Mezzo.
TIMOTHY FICKLE Nerd, with a heart, and potentially romantic.
Character/comedy. Lyrical Baritone.
MELISSA GOODALL Timothys adoring assistant. Loyal, sweet
and vulnerable. Soprano.
BIG SAM The Godfather of Fast foods. Corrupt and
Heartless. Character/comedy. Tenor/baritone.
MAX COOTER His hoodlum, but incredibly thick, side-kick.
Comedy. Little singing.
LUCILLE Sams Moll. A not-so-dumb blonde. Strong
comedy role. Brassy Mezzo.
SYLVESTER SMUT Camper-than-a-boyscout-jamboree Television
presenter. Comedy role. Song and Dance.
MRS GUTHRIE A corruptible consumer. Character/comedy
role. Little singing.
Various other character cameo roles.
SCENES:
A Hamburger Joint. A Television Studio. Outside a Prison. Outside the Hamburger Joint. An Apartment. Another Hamburger Joint. A Courtroom.
CHORUSES:
Big vocal harmonies for More Ham, Big Sam’s Back, We Won’t Give Up and Harmony and Diction.
DANCES:
Tap routine for Hap-hap-happy Day. Rock’n’roll for Big Sam’s Back.
Big musical staging for Fickle-Pickle, Visit Big Sam, Fat and Happy and Harmony and Diction.
PRESENTED BY:
First Act MC, Banbridge Choral Soc, St.Patricks Choral Soc, Marian Choral Soc Tuam, Encore TC, Leatherhead MS, Teen Encore, Galway. Victoria College, Belfast. Arts Theatre Youth, Belfast. Knockbreda Secondary School, Belfast. Newtownbreda School, Belfast. Sullivan Upper School, Co.Down. Ballinrobe Youth Theatre Group.
ACCOLADES:
Peacock Professional Theatre Award for "Best Music for Theatre" 1986.
AIMS Comedy Nominations for productions in Tuam and in Galway.
PRESS:
"A feast of laughter, song and dance, with all the ingredients of perfect slapstick comedy. This new, young theatre company (First Act, Belfast) will have made many new friends with this tasty new show." Belfast Telegraph. 1986.
