MainstreetMusicals.org

SYNOPSIS

Christmas in Springfield, Missouri, 2029. Manny Brink, a closeted repair boy, refuses doctors’ advice to turn off life support for his mother, Terra. He discovers Earth Icon—a national singing contest organized by Zen a technology corporation (‘Can’t Bear the Weight’). He dreams of a life beyond working to pay Terra’s bills( ‘Momma, Would Ya Mind?’) and watches application example videos from Puerto Rican contestant, AB (‘Powerful’). Manny auditions for the cash prize (‘Spongeaneous’) and convinces the show’s host, Conrad, to waive application fees in return for Terra’s online data and testing Zen’s AI products. Conrad exploits Terra’s data to train ‘e-Mom’— her AI version in Virtual Reality (‘Training For The Win’) — to manipulate Manny into winning only Earth Icon’s second prize — employment at Zen’s profitable but polluting data center in Missouri.

Manny’s ignorance and fake machismo put him at odds with AB in their respective Opening Round songs (‘Calm’, ‘AB CO2)’). Manny tests out e-Mom (‘The Rest is Logistics’, ’Look At You Now’). e-Mom trains Manny on his vocals and helps him cheat by calculating the location of rare upcoming snowfall caused by climate change. Once Manny trusts her and comes out to her, e-Mom puts him to sleep using Terra’s lullaby (‘The Missouri Waltz’), secretly asks Conrad to divert more power to her servers in Missouri (‘Training For the Win Reprise: Machinations’), and advises Manny to become more competitive against AB. Manny rats on AB to get her humiliated at Conrad’s party (‘In the Zone’). At the Second Round, an annoyed AB reveals that Zen’s AI uses unusually heavy data transmissions (‘Head in the Cloud’) and interrupts Manny’s Christmassy portrayal of Zen’s green energy,(‘Now We Can Chill’), but Manny deflects her arguments. Conrad pitches Manny on aiming only for the second prize, prompting Manny to secretly investigate why Conrad has been using him (‘Pawn to Knight’).

AB forces Manny to measure e-Mom’s data usage while she tells e-Mom about her sister’s death from power shortages after Hurricane Maria to make e-Mom sing (‘Where Hope Never Dies’). e-Mom reconnects with Terra’s environmentalism through a debate with AB and accidentally reveals Manny’s sexuality (’One Day At a Time’). With their secrets in the open, Manny and AB bond and discover Conrad’s secret use of AI. Manny meets Conrad to find out if his AI is another e-Mom, but Conrad distracts Manny by professing his ‘live for the moment’ philosophy (‘The E in Earth’). Manny discusses his frustration with responsibility for the planet, but realizes he cannot leave its fate to chance (‘Have to Know I Tried’) and asks e-Mom to generate a simulation of Conrad successfully launching AI nationwide (‘Simply Put - It Ain’t Pretty’). The worrisome results help Manny overcome e-Mom’s programmed guardrail (‘Ignorance Ain’t Bliss’). Angry, Conrad reveals Manny’s cheating in previous rounds to AB, breaking their friendship. He also threatens to reveal Manny’s use of e-Mom and lies about his sexual orientation (‘Expected More’). Alone and desperate, Manny realizes how his need for validation caused this mess (‘Rockbottom’).

Manny receives a pre-recorded birthday message from Terra (‘A Place of Calm Reprise- A Place in the Sun’). Regaining his motivation, Manny apologizes to and earns AB’s trust by offering her his spot in the finals of Earth Icon. On the live telecast, AB sarcastically mocks Conrad (‘Friends, Romans, Countrymen, Yo’), thus distracting him from Manny as he risks his life to break into Conrad’s data center in Missouri. An insulted Conrad demands a rap battle with AB (‘Final Rap Battle: Climatic Choice’). Manny discovers that he can only expose Conrad by shutting off all AIs at once, including e-Mom (‘Missouri Waltz Reprise : Death Duet’). Manny hesitates but finally sacrifices e-Mom, courageously comes out on live TV, and exposes Conrad’s hypocrisy, leading to Conrad’s sacking from Zen. AB petitions viewers to help finance Manny’s hospital expenses (‘This Land is Your Land’).

A month later, Manny decides to give up his singing aspirations and honor Terra by teaming with AB to promote renewable energy in Missouri. This decision awakens Terra from her coma. Terra tells Manny how she loves him regardless of his sexual orientation and how his actions have filled her with pride (‘Have to Know I Tried Reprise- Be An Earth Icon’).