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Following Jimmy Valentine, One-Page Synopsis

In a prison shoe shop on 2/2/1922, when a fellow inmate accidentally produces what convicted thief Jimmy Valentine calls a “wayward” sole, Jimmy promises to deliver those shoes to Shifty, who “lost that toe in the War.”

When Jimmy is released from prison later that day, he hears a voice that identifies itself as his reflection. But Jimmy doesn’t have a mirror. Challenged by this voice and by his cellmate Emil, Jimmy swears that he will sell his burglar's tools and go straight, offering Emil a cigar. Emil declines, saying that they’ll share cigars when they meet back in prison. Jimmy declares that they’ll both go straight and will share cigars at the cafe Emil had always dreamed of opening.

Jimmy walks out of prison singing about his “Pride”, jimmies open a locker in a train station, retrieves his green checkered bag of tools, says, “On the other hand,” and goes back to stealing.

In an alley in New Orleans, Detective Jen Price traps life-long thief Dan Willoughby. Instead of going back to prison yet again, Willoughby commits suicide by pointing a loaded gun at Jen. In Elmore, Arkansas, at dinner with her girlfriend Collette Adams, Jen vows to redeem herself by catching Valentine. Collette is appalled that Jen would take such a risk on a case that would never be assigned to her, and they break up.

At Mardi Gras, Jimmy meets a woman wearing an emerald bracelet, not realizing that this woman is Detective Jen Price. The following night, Jimmy breaks into Jen's house, sees his reflection in a mirror, and negotiates a compromise with it: to steal the bracelet, but leave behind the sculpted poppy he'd always worn to break into safes. When Jen returns home, she’s frustrated to discover that Jimmy got away, and dismayed that Jimmy revealed some redeeming qualities by leaving her something beautiful. Jen decides to continue her pursuit anyway, singing that Jimmy is "bad enough".

Jimmy escapes to Elmore, where he falls in love with Annabel Adams, which motivates him to work with his reflection to go straight. Jimmy calls himself Henry Spencer, opens a shoe store, and dates Annabel. Emil shows up at Jimmy’s shoe store and threatens to reveal who Jimmy really is. But Emil can't carry through on his threat, and Jimmy decides to help Emil start a cafe, going with Emil to Annabel's mother Collette, a banker.

Collette gets Jimmy to register his shoe store as collateral for Collette’s loan to Emil.

Annabel accepts Jimmy’s proposal of marriage. But Jen's pursuit of Jimmy has led her to Elmore, where she reunites with Collette. The following morning, when Collette is showing off her new vault to her future son-inlaw, she happily introduces Jen to "Henry Spencer". Moments later, Collette is accidentally locked inside her vault. Jimmy breaks into the vault to rescue Collette, giving Jen the evidence she needs to prove that "Henry" is really Jimmy Valentine. Jimmy walks up to Jen so that she can arrest him quietly.

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But Jen says, “Guess you’re mistaken, Mr. Spencer. Don't believe I recognize you."

Later that day in Emil’s café, Jimmy personally gives Shifty his shoes, and shares cigars with Emil.

 

Notes

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CAST OF CHARACTERS

This show can be performed by as few as 8 people.

Main roles are:

JIMMY VALENTINE (28, male, legit tenor), romantic rogue. Both an infamous jewel thief and a shell-shocked veteran of the Great War.

REFLECTION (28, male, legit tenor) the person JIMMY sees and hears when he looks in the mirror; therefore, a different actor who can look similar to JIMMY.

JEN PRICE (36, female, legit mezzo), judgmental huntress. First female police detective in New Orleans.

COLLETTE ADAMS (44, female, legit soprano), assertive banker, in a romantic relationship with JEN. Southern accent.

ANNABEL ADAMS (20, female, legit soprano), independent ingenue. Collette's daughter.

EMIL LaRUE (30s, male, baritone), JIMMY's cynical cellmate

Note: EMIL is pronounced with an accent on the first syllable, which rhymes with "say". The second syllable rhymes with "feel". LARUE rhymes with, and is stressed like, "the shoe".

Ensemble roles are:

BROOKS (20s, female, legit soprano), detective in training

BARTENDER (30s or older, trans or male, baritone or mezzo), club owner

ALICE (30s or older, female, non-singing), serene mentor

WILLOUGHBY (30s or older, male, baritone), washed-up thief

NEWSIE 1 (mezzo or soprano)

FRANK (male, tenor or legit soprano), bored guard

DRUNK (30s or older, male, baritone)

PHIL (male, baritone), jaded secretary

FREDDY (20s, male, baritone), hopeful prisoner

TOM (20s, male, non-singing), stodgy gentleman

SHIFTY (30s, male, baritone)

NEWSIE 2 (non-singing)

PHOTOGRAPHER (non-singing)

DOUBLING OPTIONS FOR MINIMAL CAST SIZE

ENSEMBLE 1 (female, legit soprano) could play the roles of: BROOKS, ALICE, FRANK, and NEWSIE 1;

REFLECTION or ANNABEL ADAMS could double as PHOTOGRAPHER; and

ENSEMBLE 2 (male, baritone) could play all the other roles.

PRODUCTION NOTES

The action occurs in the year 1922. Locations are: prison, New Orleans, Little Rock, and a fictional town in Arkansas called Elmore. Dates and locations can be projected in the style of newspaper headlines.

 

Notes

To save the script to your computer click with the right mouse button. A small menu should appear select "save target as" or "save to your computer," or "save link as." The exact text may vary depending on your browser.