TUBULAR: A Musical in One Act
by
Bailey Nassetta
Jackie Kelly comes from a wealthy family who's obsessed with appearances. Fresh off launching her campaign to become the next beauty pageant queen, Jackie jets off with her family to the Seychelles for one last luxury vacation before fame inevitably arrives. But after drifting asleep on a hot pink inflatable flamingo — piña colada in one hand, iPhone in the other — she wakes up alone in the middle of the Indian Ocean.
But this isn’t Jackie’s story.
Back home in the suburbs, her disappearance becomes the opportunity of a lifetime. As news crews swarm their manicured cul-de-sac, Jackie’s family seizes the spotlight with tearful interviews, branded fundraisers, sponsorship deals, and increasingly unhinged attempts to turn tragedy into celebrity. Her mother reinvents herself as a grieving icon. Her father negotiates media rights. Her church hosts prayer vigils with merchandise tables. And her boyfriend Chad? Chad is mostly concerned with how all of this affects his music career.
As Jackie fights to survive somewhere beyond the horizon, the people who supposedly love her spiral deeper into the intoxicating spectacle of public sympathy, suburban ambition, and performative grief. A darkly absurd satire about fame, narcissism, and the American obsession with being seen, the show asks: when tragedy becomes content, does anyone actually want the missing girl to come home?
CREATIVE TEAM
created, written & directed by Bailey Nassetta
produced by Tayi. Sanusi
music arrangement by Jake Brasch
costume design by Paige Nassetta
choreography by Mara Pelto
video shot, edited, & designed by Rebecca Hidalgo
sound design by Kairos Looney
featuring performances by Lucy Livingston, Will Davis,
Vincent Cinque, Daniela Rivera, Kadey Fischer,
Colin Thomas, Patrick Sweeney
PRODUCTION HISTORY
may 2016 - The Kraine Theatre
july 2016 - SheNYC Festival
*Awarded Best Ensemble