With Bated Breath
When a company that produces a sexual enhancement drug relocates to a religious factory town in northern Minnesota, and its fumes begin to enter the air, the puritanical beliefs of the townspeople begin to waver. Long held inhibitions release and untold secrets spurt forth as the town spills into debaucherous revelry. For the pious Pastor Johnson, it means the arrival of the devil. For the tempting Dr. Corazon De La Fuente, who runs the factory, it is a wonder to be studied. Stuck in the middle is Mayor Frankie, anxiously watching as his town populace begins giving into wildest urges. Fargo meets Dr. Frankenfurter in this wacky comedy that is based on true events until it's not.
With Bated Breath is published and available from Next Stage Press and can be purchased here. Signed copies are available at The Drama Book Shop.
With Bated Breath began in 2003 when playwright Mark-Eugene Garcia stumbled upon a fluff news story about a small Irish town claiming its residents were affected by fumes from a nearby Viagra plant. While Pfizer dismissed the claim as impossible, Mark-Eugene couldn’t help but wonder—what if it wasn’t?
At the time, he and his writing collaborator, composer Jeff Thomson, were searching for a new musical concept. When Mark-Eugene pitched the idea, they jumped on it, crafting an original and outrageous story set in a small Minnesota town affected by a pharmaceutical plant explosion that turns its residents into sex zombies.
Over the next year, the team developed the show through The Academy for New Musical Theatre (now New Musicals Inc.), under the direction of Scott Guy and Elise Dewsberry. The piece was presented in a series of workshops and performances over the following two years, culminating in a two-night run at the Colony Theatre in Burbank in 2005.
After relocating to New York, both Mark-Eugene and Jeff continued to develop the show. Eventually, they realized their creative visions were diverging, and Jeff offered his blessing for Mark-Eugene to continue the project solo.
Mark-Eugene continued developing the piece while working on other shows. Between 2018 and 2020, he presented a reimagined version of the libretto—now titled With Bated Breath—in installments at the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop. The final draft, shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic, the cultural focus on consent and the Me Too movement, and Mark-Eugene’s personal experiences with anxiety, was presented as a Zoom reading. The overwhelmingly positive response prompted him to pursue publication through Next Stage Press.
The play has since found success with Next Stage Press, and Mark-Eugene proudly dedicated the published script to his friend and original collaborator, Jeff Thomson.
At the time, he and his writing collaborator, composer Jeff Thomson, were searching for a new musical concept. When Mark-Eugene pitched the idea, they jumped on it, crafting an original and outrageous story set in a small Minnesota town affected by a pharmaceutical plant explosion that turns its residents into sex zombies.
Over the next year, the team developed the show through The Academy for New Musical Theatre (now New Musicals Inc.), under the direction of Scott Guy and Elise Dewsberry. The piece was presented in a series of workshops and performances over the following two years, culminating in a two-night run at the Colony Theatre in Burbank in 2005.
After relocating to New York, both Mark-Eugene and Jeff continued to develop the show. Eventually, they realized their creative visions were diverging, and Jeff offered his blessing for Mark-Eugene to continue the project solo.
Mark-Eugene continued developing the piece while working on other shows. Between 2018 and 2020, he presented a reimagined version of the libretto—now titled With Bated Breath—in installments at the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop. The final draft, shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic, the cultural focus on consent and the Me Too movement, and Mark-Eugene’s personal experiences with anxiety, was presented as a Zoom reading. The overwhelmingly positive response prompted him to pursue publication through Next Stage Press.
The play has since found success with Next Stage Press, and Mark-Eugene proudly dedicated the published script to his friend and original collaborator, Jeff Thomson.
History
- Performance, Colony Theatre Burbank (As a musical, under the title "Up in the Air") 2005
- Workshop, Academy of New Musical Theatre (As a musical, under the title "Up in the Air"), 2005 Workshop,
- Academy of New Musical Theatre (As a musical, under the title "Up in the Air"), 2004
Up in The Air! 2004 Workshop and Performance at the Academy of New Musical Theatre- Los Angeles
Mark-Eugene and Jeff Thomson holding up the first draft of their first show!
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Preparing for the first rehearsal.
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The first idea of a poster for Up in the Air.
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Up in the Air! Workshop Performance at The Colony Theatre Burbank- November 2005.
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Music:
Jeff Thomson
Lyrics:
Mark-Eugene Garcia
Book:
Mark-Eugene Garcia , Jeff Thomson
Director:
Dan Olivera
Music Director:
Mike Patti
Vocal Arrangements:
Jeff Thomson
Performer:
Graham Beightol , Mike Cline, Aria Noelle Curzon, Lisa Harman, Elizabeth Hoffman, Larrs Jackson, Nicole Kaplan, Roy Leake, Happy Mahaney, Karen McClain, Bryce Ryness , Vil Towers, Mark Raymond Velarde, Wendy Worthington
Jeff Thomson
Lyrics:
Mark-Eugene Garcia
Book:
Mark-Eugene Garcia , Jeff Thomson
Director:
Dan Olivera
Music Director:
Mike Patti
Vocal Arrangements:
Jeff Thomson
Performer:
Graham Beightol , Mike Cline, Aria Noelle Curzon, Lisa Harman, Elizabeth Hoffman, Larrs Jackson, Nicole Kaplan, Roy Leake, Happy Mahaney, Karen McClain, Bryce Ryness , Vil Towers, Mark Raymond Velarde, Wendy Worthington