Nerdy Prudes Must Die
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| Nerdy Prudes Must Die | |
|---|---|
| A Hatchetfield Horror-Comedy Musical | |
 A promotional logo | |
| Music | Jeff Blim |
| Lyrics | Jeff Blim |
| Book | Nick Lang Matt Lang |
| Basis | Characters from the Hatchetfield Series |
| Premiere | February 16, 2023: El Portal Theater, Los Angeles |
Search Nerdy Prudes Must Die on Amazon.
Nerdy Prudes Must Die is a comedy-horror musical with music and lyrics by Jeff Blim and a book by Matt and Nick Lang.[1][2] It is the thirteenth staged show produced by StarKid Productions and takes place in the same universe as their previous musicals: The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals and Black Friday, though in an alternate reality where the events of the previous shows never happened. The show ran from February 16-25, 2023 at the El Portal Theater in Los Angeles, California, directed by Nick Lang.[2][3]
A live recording of the musical was released on digital download on September 15, 2023 with a YouTube release on October 13, 2023.[4] A cast recording was released on September 15, 2023 on Apple Music and their website.[5] The album charted number one on Billboards Album Charts for the week September 24, 2023,[6] above the cast albums of Disney and Marvel’s Rogers: The Musical and a new recording of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!, which both debuted that same week.[3]
Funding for the show was done through BackerKit as part of StarKid's "StarKid Returns campaign." It was the first time BackerKit was used for one of their mainstage productions.[7] The show had a goal of $275,000 but ended up reaching $386,350 through its 6,110 backers.[8]
The show marks StarKid's official return to live theater following the COVID-19 pandemic. It is the fifth installment in the Hatchetfield series.[9]
Development[edit]
Nerdy Prudes Must Die was the first musical to be conceptualized attached to the name Hatchetfield. It was announced to be in production on October 11, 2019[10]. The show's book was written by Nick and Matt Lang with music and lyrics written by Jeff Blim. It was due to be performed in the fall of 2020, but was postponed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic[11][12]. The show was officially announced on June 10, 2022[13] and the initial casting of Mariah Rose Faith Casillas and Angela Giarratana was announced on September 8, 2022[14] The rest of the principal cast had been announced by October 9. == Synopsis ==[15]
Act 1[edit]
The act begins with a flash-forward, with Richie Lipschitz begging for his life from an unnamed voice, before showing two officers and Detective Shapiro finding his body alongside the phrase "Nerdy Prudes Must Die!" written in Richie's blood.
In the present, Richie, Ruth Fleming, and other high-school students sing of their troubles and difficulties ("High School is Killing Me"). During a test, Stephanie Lauter asks to cheat off Peter Spankoffski's test; he agrees. However, class prude Grace Chasity catches the two and notifies the teacher. As they both get sent to the principal's office, they start to develop a friendly relationship. However, Pete quickly runs off in fear of the Nighthawk's star quarterback, Max Jägerman. Max begins to harass Richie in the hallway but stops upon noticing Grace, in whom he is currently interested. He attempts to flirt with her, calling her a "dirty girl", but Grace immediately shuts him down and runs off. Max laments to his friend about his crush on Grace ("Literal Monster").
Later on, Steph arrives at home and her father, Mayor Solomon Lauter, scolds her for getting caught cheating, and takes her phone away, promising only to give it back if she raises her grades. Meanwhile, Richie, Ruth, and Pete meet in the library to work on a group project. Richie and Ruth call the interaction between Steph and Pete a "fantasy," though Pete gets a call from Steph, inviting him to meet her at local restaurant Pasqualli's to study, which Pete eagerly accepts ("Cool As I Think I Am"). However, Max sees Pete in the parking lot and harasses him. When Pete tries to stand up for himself, Max retorts by punching him in the stomach, clarifying that he decides who is a nerd, and reminds Pete that he is Hatchetfield's "god". Meanwhile, Grace is eating dinner with her highly religious parents, Karen and Mark Chasity, where Mark explains he is struggling to sell a supposedly haunted house, "the Waylon place". During the conversation, Grace, thinking of her encounter with Max, makes several sexual Freudian slips. Disgusted by her own fantasies, she decides to take a bath, but ends up fantasizing about Max joining her ("Dirty Girl"). She is once again disgusted, declaring this is all Max's fault and that Max "has to go".
The next day, Richie and Ruth accuse Steph of luring Pete to Pasqualli's so he'd get beaten up, but she ignores the allegation, asking where he is. The three barge into the boys' bathroom, finding Pete with a black eye. Steph suggests they do something and Grace barges in, proposing that she work with them to get back at Max. She creates a plan involving luring Max to the Waylon place under the guise of a party and then scaring him on film to label him a "potty-pants" ("Bully the Bully"). As they set up the prank, Grace reveals the Waylons were part of a cult that allegedly gave them powers, and that they built many major structures in Hatchetfield. Max arrives at the house and Pete appears, dressed as a ghost, though Max attempts to fight him. When Pete runs away in fear, Max drunkenly believes he has defeated the ghost. Next, Ruth, dressed as a skeleton, enters and Max freaks out, yet decides to once face his fear. Before he can harm Ruth, Steph interjects, telling him it was all a prank. Surprisingly, Max is overjoyed, saying this is the nicest thing anyone's ever done for him and that he might've misjudged the five of them; however, the floor beneath him breaks and he plummets three floors to his death. With his last breath, Max proclaims that "Nerdy prudes must die!" In panicked shock and at Grace's suggestion, the remaining five decide to hide the body beneath the house, chopping Max up and ridding the house of any evidence ("Bury the Bully").
Two weeks later, everyone at school is preparing for the big game against Clivesdale, and the school's environment becomes less toxic without Max. Steph informs Pete she passed her test and got her phone back thanks to his help, before inviting him to the game. The football players, cheerleaders, and nerds all sing about their excitement for the game and new attitude towards their school ("Go, Go Nighthawks!"). Richie has assumed the role of the Nighthawk mascot, Zeke, prompting the team to praise him and apologize for bullying him. As they head toward the field, Richie suddenly hears Max's voice calling out his name before Max's spirit appears. Using his newfound powers, Max eventually tracks down and kills Richie ("Nerdy Prudes Must Die").
Act 2[edit]
As Grace awakes from a nightmare, Mark receives notice that he managed to sell the Waylon place, but is also notified something was found within the house, though not what. Steph, Pete, and Ruth enter, poking fun at the fact that Hatchetfield lost to Clivesdale. Grace enters, nervous about the four of them getting discovered. They all begin panicking but are cut off when they are all called into the principal's office where Detective Shapiro questions the four about a murder. They are tight-lipped when they think the investigation is about Max, but when it's revealed she's there about Richie, they are horrified. Shapiro tells them of the bloody "Nerdy prudes must die" message and the four deny any connection to it. The police are called away after Max's body is found.
Later, Mayor Solomon implements a strict curfew on the town and spins allegations of Stephanie's connection to the murder, saying, "Don't point your fingers at me; point them at your neighbors." The people of Hatchetfield quickly descend into hysteria ("Hatchet Town"). Meanwhile, Ruth makes her way to the school's auditorium, where she runs the lightboard for The Barbecue Monologues, the school play. Drama teacher Miss Mulberry asks Ruth to focus a light during a break. However, upon getting on stage, Ruth performs a scene from the play and sings of how she yearns to be the center of attention "Just For Once". Afterwards, Ruth hears Max booing and taunting her before killing her with a wedgie.
Grace meets with Detective Shapiro and frames the entire city of Clivesdale for Max's murder. Shapiro, however, reveals she found Grace's bracelet by the corpse. In a panic, Grace steals the cop's gun and runs away. Meanwhile, at Beanie's coffee shop, Pete and Steph begin to argue, blaming each other for what happened, culminating in Steph accusing Pete of starting the mess because he has feelings for her. Pete returns this accusation, though they both deny it ("If I Loved You"). Grace enters Beanie's and fills them in on Ruth's death and that she is hiding. As she begins to devise another plan, a cop enters looking for her. The cop tackles bystander Paul Matthews to the ground, while Grace, Steph, and Pete escape. Outside, Steph takes the gun away from Grace as she begins to cry, offering to turn herself in, though Steph acknowledges that they're all in this together. Mayor Solomon enters, revealing that he knows what the three of them did. In his car, Solomon explains that the Waylons really did participate in cult actives and that even when they died, they lived on through a spell they cast on the house, which was triggered by Max's death. Arriving in the woods, Solomon orders them to dig up The Black Book, filled with spells and incantations, which the Waylons owned and Solomon knows can stop Max. He insists this isn't about their lives, but about everyone's in Hatchetfield, instructing them to participate in a ritual, striking a bargain with the Lords in Black. Suddenly, Max's voice appears; Solomon ushers the teens away, as Max takes Solomon's life with a shovel.
Steph, Pete, and Grace discover that to perform the ritual, they must be at an Altar, a location the Waylons built. With one of these locations being Hatchetfield High, they decide to hold the ritual in the gym. However, Detective Shapiro finds them, ordering them into her car. As the teens attempt to explain what happened, Shapiro sees Max and tries to drive away, but Max appears inside and smashes her head into the windshield, causing the car to crash. Later, the teens finally arrive at the gym and begin the ritual. The Lords in Black (Wiggly, Blinky, Tinky, Nibbly, and Pokey) appear and reveal they will help in exchange for what one of the teens cherishes most ("The Summoning"). Alone, Steph and Pete both realize what must be done, though Steph refuses to kill him, saying that, instead, he should give up what he cherishes most, but he realizes it is Steph ("Cool As I Think I Am (Reprise)"). Hesitantly, Steph agrees to shoot Pete. He asks if everything were different, if she would go to Homecoming with him. Steph tearfully says yes, before firing the trigger, though Max catches the bullet, wanting to kill Pete on his own. He begins charging towards Steph, but Grace enters, telling Max she wants to sleep with him. Max agrees, promising that he'll kill Steph and Pete later. Grace and Max re-enter, and she confesses that she sacrificed what she cherished most: her chastity. Thus, the Lords in Black return, dragging Max away.
Weeks later, Homecoming takes place with strict security. As Steph and Pete arrive at the dance together, Shapiro is revealed to have survived and even assisted in covering up what happened with Max. Grace also arrives at the dance, having found a date in Jason, one of the football players. The company happily dances together ("The Best of You"). Outside the dance, Grace and Jason confess feelings for each other and share a kiss. Suddenly, Grace's expression changes and she pulls the Black Book out of her backpack, stating she will devour his soul, proclaiming "Dirty dudes must die!" and that all perverts should run ("Dirty Dudes Must Die").
Musical numbers[edit]
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== Original cast ==[16]
| Role | Los Angeles
(2023)[1] |
|---|---|
| Max Jägerman | Will Branner |
| Detective Shapiro, et al. | Bryce Charles |
| Soloman Lauter, et al. | Corey Dorris |
| Stephanie Lauter, et al. | Mariah Rose Faith |
| Grace Chasity, et al. | Angela Giarratana |
| Ruth Fleming, et al. | Lauren Lopez |
| Richie Lipschitz, et al. | Jon Matteson |
| Max Chasity, et al. | Curt Mega |
| Peter Spankoffski, et al. | Joey Richter |
| Karen Chasity, et al. | Kim Whalen |
| Sam Sweetly/Hatchetfield High Principal | Jeff Blim (Pre-recorded) |
Main characters[edit]
- Stephanie "Steph" Lauter, the most popular girl in school. She is the daughter of Hatchetfield's mayor, Solomon.
- Grace Chasity, a highly religious teenage girl. She is the daughter of Mark and Karen Chasity.
- Peter "Pete" Spankoffski, a traditionally nerdy teenage boy. He is best friends with Ruth and Richie.
- Max Jägerman, the star quaterback who becomes a vengeful spirit. He is the enemy of Steph and Pete and the love interest of Grace.
Supporting characters[edit]
- Richard "Richie" Lipschitz, a nerdy anime fan. He is best friends with Pete and Ruth.
- Ruth Fleming, a socially awkward teenage girl. She is best friends with Pete and Ruth.
- Detective Shapiro, a homicide investigator. She works for the Hatchetfield Police Department.
- Solomon Lauter, the mayor of Hatchetfield. He is Steph's father.
Featured characters[edit]
- Mark Chasity, a Christian realtor. He is the father of Grace and the husband of Karen.
- Karen Chasity, a highly religious mother. She is the mother of Grace and the wife of Mark.
- Wiggly, a malevolent extradimensional entity who rules an alternate dimension. He is the leader of the Lords in Black.
- The Lords in Black, a group of malevolent extradimensional entities led by Wiggly. They rule a dimension known as the Black and White.
- Miss Mulberry, the drama teacher at Hatchetfield High.
- Officer Bailey, an incredibly jumpy and angry police officer.
=== Film cameos ===[17] The show's recorded version also featured some special featured performers who did not appear in the live production.
| Role | Los Angeles (2023)[1] |
|---|---|
| The Cop, et al. | Davis Hamilton |
| The Reporter, et al. | Virgina Vass |
| Ziggy | Jae Hughes |
| Charles | James Tolbert |
| Gerald Monroe | Dylan Saunders |
| The Man in a Hurry | Jeff Blim |
== Creative team == [18]
| Crew Member | Job[1] |
|---|---|
| Nick Lang | Writer, Director, Producer |
| Matt Lang | Writer |
| Jeff Blim | Music, Lyrics |
| Dylan Saunders | Producer |
| Corey Lubowich | Producer |
| Lauren Lopez | Choreographer |
| Lex Gernon | Scenic Design |
| June Saito | Costume Design |
| Mariah Harrison | Assistant Costume Design |
| Gabriela Vega | Special Effects Makeup |
| Joey Guthman | Lighting Design |
| Stephanie Yackovetsky | Sound Design |
| Ilana Elroi | Sound Mixer |
| Zach Phaneuf | Technical Direction |
| Carly DW Bones | Intimacy Direction |
| Paul Gabriel | Stage Manager |
| Olivia Schlueter-Corey | Wardrobe, Assistant Stage Manager |
| Nick Giambrone | Electrician |
| Hayden Kirschbaum | Electrician |
| Fiona Jessup | Electrician |
| Salem Mitchel | Electrician |
| Keanu Ross-Cabrera | Electrician |
| Soran Schwartz | Electrician |
| Matt Dahan | Music Director, Orchestrations, Keyboard 1 |
| Sam Johnides | Keyboard 2, Guitar |
| Josh Fleury | Bass |
| Austin Farmer | Drums |
Prequels[edit]
Nerdy Prudes Must Die served as the fifth installment in the Hatchetfield Series, following The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals, Black Friday and two seasons of the web-series Nightmare Time. All installments in series were written by both of the Lang Brothers and feature music by Jeff Blim.
A short film titled "Workin' Boys" was announced in 2019 as a reward for Black Friday's Kickstarter campaign. Production of the film was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and as a result the film is due to be released in Fall 2023.[19]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Nerdy Prudes Must Die". StarKid Productions. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "The El Portal Theatre l Nerdy Prudes Must Die". elportaltheatre.com. Archived from the original on 2023-03-20. Retrieved 2023-10-05. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 Caulfield, Keith (2023-09-26). "StarKid, Captain America & 'Oklahoma!' Meet Atop Billboard's Cast Albums Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 2023-10-17.
- ↑ Coming Soon... NERDY PRUDES MUST DIE!, retrieved 2023-10-05
- ↑ "Nerdy Prudes Must Die (Original StarKid Cast Recording)". StarKid Productions Official Webstore. 2023-09-15. Retrieved 2023-10-05.
- ↑ "Cast Albums – Billboard". Billboard. 2023-10-05. Archived from the original on 2023-10-05. Retrieved 2023-10-17.
- ↑ "#StarKidReturns 💫". Team StarKid. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
- ↑ "StarKid Returns". BackerKit. 15 October 2022. Archived from the original on 2023-03-03. Retrieved 2023-10-05. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Shows". StarKid Productions. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
- ↑ It's ALIVEstream!, retrieved 2022-09-11
- ↑ "What Has Team StarKid Been Up to Lately?: Welcome to Hatchetfield". OnStage Blog. 2 April 2021. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
- ↑ Charlesworth, Hayley Louise (2022-02-09). "Nightmare Time and a Case Study for Digital Theatre During the COVID-19 Pandemic". Networking Knowledge: Journal of the MeCCSA Postgraduate Network. 15 (1): 47. ISSN 1755-9944.
- ↑ Coming 2023... NERDY PRUDES MUST DIE!, retrieved 2022-09-11
- ↑ "Team StarKid on Instagram: "🔑Nice work losers! The next installment in the Hatchetfield series is set to premiere at the El Portal Theatre in LA, running February 16-25, 2023! 🪓😡👓🌲🩸💀 Until then, stay tuned for more secrets and keep those four-eyes peeled for the launch of our crowdfunding campaign later this month! 🤓 #StarKidReturns #Project1 #NerdyPrudesMustDie"". Instagram. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PG3RDdyD_GQ
- ↑ https://www.teamstarkid.com/nerdy-prudes
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PG3RDdyD_GQ
- ↑ https://www.teamstarkid.com/nerdy-prudes
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UU6wYKsJX4
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