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Moral Value MealMoral Value Meal
The Moral Value Meal logo; Ellie Dvorkin and company in a scene from Moral Value Meal
Moral Value Meal (2006) is a musical play written by Noah Diamond and Amanda Sisk. It was the third production from Nero Fiddled, and the second chapter in the Burning Bush trilogy, preceded by Burning Bush: A Faith-Based Musical (2005) and followed by Life After Bush (2008). Moral Value Meal deals with the search for moral values in the foreign and domestic policies of the Bush administration. It premiered in May of 2006 at Urban Stages in New York City. It was produced in association with the Immediate Theater Company.
Scenes
Musical Numbers
Original Production
Moral Value Meal opened on May 4, 2006 at Urban Stages. Musical arrangements by D.J. Thacker. Musical numbers staged by D.J. Thacker, Ellie Dvorkin, and Amanda Sisk. Lighting design by Ayumu "Poe" Saegusa. Directed by Noah Diamond and Amanda Sisk.
Original Cast
Musical Accompaniment
Synopsis
The action begins at a beautiful American wedding. There is no bride, but there are two grooms, and they're just about to say "I do" when agents from the Department of Homeland Security bust in and announce that they are policing moral values. "Same-sex marriage is a contradition in terms," huffs one of the agents, "much like working poor or black person." Held at gunpoint, the wedding guests have nothing left to do but sing and dance, as they wonder what happened to the democractic republic they thought they knew ("Moral Value Meal").
After a brief debate between a proponent of "intelligent design," a scientist, and some sort of Creationism fairy, we are introduced to a teenage evangelical couple. Sitting in the car after a date, they lament the fact that all the music on the radio "is about sin...If only there were romantic music virtuous people could enjoy!" Two lovable spokespeople appear, selling an album of "evangelical love songs," entitled For the Love of God -- guaranteed to keep you out of the mood. Now that we are not in the mood, we are confronted by Vivian, the chairwoman of the Evangelical Christian Political Operative Organization (ECPOO). She tells us about "Save it for Later," her new program to encourage abstinence, but her test subject spots a pretty girl and runs off, mid-oath.
Somewhere in America, a pharmacist refuses to fill a young woman's prescription for birth control. "This is a prescription for murder," she declares, and no sooner has the girl raised her voice in protest than her state senator walks in to back up the pharmacist. How could this happen? By way of explanation, three women demonstrate the steady erosion of abortion rights since 1973, concluding: "But they'll never overturn Roe v. Wade." A conservative appears, arguing that this has nothing to do with choice -- liberals, he says, simply love abortion. We are whisked off for a carefree romp at the Abortionland Clinic and Spa Resort.
On the news, Mopsy Jimenez-Tippington speaks with Private Benjamin Finger, president of Homeless Veterans for Bush. The interview is interrupted, however, by the now-familiar news that Americans are living in terror, and that its name is Cheney ("The Creature"). Next, on her segment "Deep Inside Washington," Jimenez-Tippington reveals that public officials are not always who we think they are. A brassy, red-headed chanteuse is introduced as Justice Samuel Alito. Joined by the entire company, whoever it is reminds us of one of the Supreme Court's supreme decisions in the area of equal rights ("Corporations are People Too").
Elsewhere in Washington, Donald Rumsfeld and Peter Pace invite an American soldier to model the new body armor the Pentagon has ordered. It is found to be somewhat skimpy. Mopsy Jimenez-Tippington, meanwhile, arrives at a crossroads. Her boss, Pubert Gristle, accuses her of liberal bias. Waving a thick sheaf of White House talking points, he fires her. She is replaced by the infamous Muffy O'Reardon-Sanchez. The McPatton Thing, unfortunately, is on next. The abrasive Archie McPatton and guest Amy Keeler spew venom at anyone who would question certain choices Senator Rick Santorum has made regarding the proper handling of a misscariage. Soon, we meet this Senator Rick Santorum, and as one unfortunate job applicant discovers, it's much worse than anyone knew.
At the White House, George W. Bush laments the rigors of his office. He wanders through the halls, consulting with portraits of other presidents, some of whom consult back. Soon he and Laura are back in Crawford, vacationing again at last. A series of urgent messages is relayed to Bush -- a terrorist threat here, an economic crisis there -- but he is steadfast in his refusal to interrupt his vacation. But when he receives word that someone is thinking about removing a feeding tube, he runs back to work. In the play's stunning conclusion, one man, one woman, and one leg learn what it means to be an American in Bush's culture of life ("Finale").
See also
External links
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This is Neropedia, the Nero Fiddled wiki. It contains information about Nero Fiddled (a New York City-based political theatre company and blog), American politics, and related subjects. Please help us by joining Neropedia, editing existing articles, and adding new ones.
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