Act One

Forrest Fields is a secondary school that is going to close unless money can be raised for a new Technology centre. Then it can stay open.

The show opens with kids, teachers and parents with placards milling around the high street of Forrest Fields raising money. The opening song is called SOS - Save Our School is built on the Morse code rhythm dot dot dot dash dash dash dot dot dot.

We then move to the caretaker's house and are introduced to the Carpenter family. Arthur, the caretaker, Jan, his wife, their two sons (twins but not identical) Jason and Justin (dim and dimmer!) and Cindy. Cindy is not their child, she was adopted. Cindy has to do all the chores because her father and mother are out at work all day. She has no time to be part of anything outside the classroom because she has to get home every afternoon to do her jobs. However she has a strong desire to sing; to be on the stage.

For Once In My Life
The brothers both fancy a girl at the school called Tracy. Tracy is a bully, a manipulator. She has promised to choose one of the brothers to take her to the school disco/prom. So the brothers creep around Tracy doing everything they can to win her affection. This is Tracy's manipulation of them. To get them to run all her errands etc.

We meet Tracy in the scene in the Carpenter's Kitchen. Tracy and Cindy have a duet 'Cindy and Tracy' - it is obvious that the two girls can't stand each other. Also Tracy has for some time been the star singer of the school music/drama group.

The next scene finds us in the school hall where a Bingo night is about to happen, again to raise money. We meet the Headmaster and some of the staff etc getting the hall ready for the Bingo night. Then everyone enters for the Bingo. Song - Bingo - big chorus number, lots of fun, bouncy song. At the end of this the headmaster announces that enough money has been raised, the school will stay open, and to celebrate that fact there will be a ‘Gala Music Evening.

After this we see Cindy and her father talking. Cindy is depressed and tells Arthur she wishes to sing and act etc. But she doesn't think she will be able to because of her jobs and Jan, her step mother, has always indicated to her that she is very against anything to do with performing/music/the stage. Arthur then explains to Cindy why Jan is so against her singing.

He tells her that many years ago he was in a group with Cindy's real mother, who was a singer, a very good singer. Also at the time Jan was his girlfriend. Jan was very jealous of Cindy's real mother and thought there was something between her and Arthur. Eventually Cindy's real mom had a relationship with the bass player in the group. She became pregnant, Cindy was born, she dies in childbirth and bass player, not keen on being a single parent, left for America.

Arthur suggested to Jan that they get married, as they had planned to do anyway, and adopt Cindy. Jan agreed as long as Arthur gave up the group and show business and got himself a proper job, that is then what happened. Arthur then encourages Cindy to go and see the school music teacher and ask to become part of the music/drama group. He re-assures her that he will handle Jan and her objections. They then sing a duet - Sing - which is a song saying ‘go for your dreams and don't let anyone stop you.

Cindy goes to see the music teacher. The music teacher asks her to sing something. Cindy sings a song she wrote herself called - Winter - The music teacher is very enthusiastic about Cindy's voice and asks her to audition for solo song in the forthcoming Gala Music Evening - Cindy is very pleased and willing to do that.

The brothers overhear all this and go straight to Jan, their mother, to tell her. She is livid, very angry, and explains to the brothers that they all have to stop Cindy getting the part. Firstly because they will have to do all the house chores if Cindy is in the music/drama group and that Tracy will be very angry if Cindy gets the part.

Although they agree to help their mother stop Cindy the one brother (dimmer) can't understand why his mother seems so angry, so vicious about this.

The other brother (dim) explains to him that it is probably the step-mother type syndrome- a scene then unfolds that transports the story into fantasy land - the story of Snow White Sleeping Beauty and Cinderell are then portrayed during the song/instrumental Fantasy.

Act Two

The act opens with kids milling round arriving for a music/drama group rehearsal. Tracy is there with her friends and the brothers. They all boost Tracy's confidence, creep to her, in the song Superstar telling her that she will walk the part but Tracy is so bigheaded she already believes this anyway.

Then the rehearsal big chorus number - Get Up - very bouncy/funky number.

Most of this act deals with what Jan does as her cunning and clever plan, to stop Cindy being on the stage. She tries to get Cindy to wash her hair with pink dye but ends up with pink hair herself because the dimmer of the two brothers mixes up the bottles. She then changes the time on the kitchen clock to make Cindy late for her audition. This works and Cindy misses the audition, so the part of the solo is given to Tracy. Cindy is devastated and Arthur chastises her slightly about attention to detail - he doesn't know it's not her fault. His cleaners tell him he he might have been a bit hard on Cindy and remind him of what ˜being young is all about Song Not A Care In The World.

Arthur discovers eventually that Jan has been responsible for Cindy not getting to the audition and confronts his wife with this. She turns her back on him convinced that what she has done was for the best. Arthur, who up to know has been a very calm, likable chap, explodes in anger at her Song The Lady That I married - this song starts by attacking her but calms down and becomes quite romantic he asks when's the lady that I married coming home - in other words she is not the same lady he fell in love with. Jan is utterly overcome by this and in an instant realizes what she has done has been very wrong. She apologizes to Arthur and all is well in the Carpenter home.

Next we are at the Gala Music Evening Tracy is preening herself getting ready to perform. The brothers ask her which one of them she will choose to take her to the prom/disco. She is then very nasty and insulting to them both which even upsets her close friends who turn on her. Jason and Justin then tie her up, put a bag over her head, and lock her in the broom cupboard. They then sing a duet Brothers about sticking together like loving brothers should.

OH DEAR!! - so who will sing the solo - GUESS! Song Children of the World - big chorus number but with Cindy taking the solo.

All ends happily - except for Tracy who's still in the cupboard - serves her right too!