Make Goodbyes Matter
Spotlighted Demo
This week's spotlighted demo from our musical "The Caveman" is a duet between Fizg (Sojourner Brown), our fight everything that moves heroine, and Zuke (Cal Silberstein), the character who embodies the embarrassing times of having a middle school crush:
Fizg and Zuke sing this duet about how saying goodbye can be awkward (which is a reprise of an earlier solo song from Zuke where he effectively sings about falling in love being awkward). There may be something between these two but, alas, Zuke has to move on with his pack and Fizg must stay with Turk'ak and Grug. Saying goodbye to someone who means so much but know so little about is, in fact, awkwardness.
Few Fun Facts
Earlier in the show Zuke has a solo version of "Awkwardness" where he causes the action of the latter half of the show. The character of Zuke wasn't in the earliest draft of the show but, after the NYU Graduate Musical Theatre Writing residency at the Goodspeed Opera House in January 2018 (where Zuke's solo "Awkwardness" was written) he's now an essential part of the show.
Writing at the Goodspeed Opera House was the perfect environment to develop this character and we are eternally grateful to have had the opportunity to write there. We can assure you Zuke is grateful to have been created there as well!
The original inspiration for the name Zuke came from my friend Andrew Clark and one of his Dungeons & Dragons characters named Zook (a Gnome Rouge). After asking him to use the name Zook for this character Theo and I changed the spelling to Zuke and thus is how our caveman hype-man found his name!
Song's Context in the Show
Zuke is, by character description, the personal hype-man for the brutish Chief Murnat. Zuke is calculating, smart, and very put down but, when we get to this moment of "Awkwardness: Reprise", Murnat is gone. Zuke now must take on the mantle and responsibility of Leader of the Pack. Fizg has been injured in a previous moment of the show so when Zuke offers her to leave with him and his clan she has to refuse him. This song is Fizg and Zuke's recognition of each other having an impact on each other but, alas, they must part now and it's probably goodbye forever.
Now. Hear. This.
Listen here! Feel the Awkwardness!
Make Goodbyes Matter
Make Connections Strong
See With More Than Just Your Eyes