Synopsis

UNSUNG: THE MARIE DRESSLER MUSICAL is inspired by the amazing life of Marie Dressler, a vaudeville phenomenon and award-winning movie star in the late 19thand early 20th centuries. Though little-known today, her roller-coaster life rivaled that of the most compelling soap opera, while shining a revealing spotlight on the repressive times in which she lived.

The first and final scenes of UNSUNG take place in 1934 at a birthday bash for Marie hosted by Louis B. Mayer, MGM Studios head. In scene 2, we travel back to 1881. 14-year-old runaway Leila Koerber auditions for a two-bit stock company. She’s hired and given a new name -- Marie Dressler. Hoping to play serious parts, she’s told her plain features and ungainly presence will limit her to comedy. 

Subsequent Act I scenes trace Marie’s sequential successes. Making the proverbial lemonade out of lemons, she parlays her comic persona all the way to Broadway, garnering superlative reviews. Gradually, we meet other important characters: Mamie Steele, Marie’s housekeeper, who becomes her trusted confidante, astrologer Nella Webb, and novice reporter Frances Marion, whose job Marie saves in an early scene. We later meet promoter Jim Dalton, a mysterious suitor whom Marie marries. 

Setbacks appear when Marie defies cultural expectations. Producers find her requests and demands too assertive for a woman, and she quarrels with them. Angered, she stops performing altogether in 1917-1918 and spends her time entertaining American troops and raising money for the war effort. She also establishes a chorus members’ union, which causes her to be blackballed by Broadway producers. By act’s end, bad investments and no work leave Marie penniless. Further, she discovers Jim never divorced his first wife; in the midst of his desperate apologies, he collapses and dies.

Act II follows Marie’s journey from penury to movie star. Mamie and Nella convince her to relocate to Hollywood, where Frances Marion, now a successful screenwriter, creates roles for her, including, at last, serious ones. Marie becomes a well-beloved major star. She also begins a secret affair with Claire Du Brey, a young actress, fueling long-standing rumors she prefers women. Happier than ever, she is nonetheless wounded when Will Rogers asks permission to crown her “Most Beautiful Woman” at a gala so everyone can have a good laugh. Years of being called unattractive have taken their toll. 

Marie is elated when, in 1931, she receives a Best Actress Oscar for “Min and Bill, playing a serious role. Basking in her triumph, she dismisses frequent stomach pains, but Louis’ doctor examines her, and he learns she has terminal cancer. Louis informs Claire, Mamie, Frances and Nella, and the devastated group agrees not to tell Marie so she can continue enjoying life for as long as possible.

Sadly, her insecurities re-emerge when her lover Claire attempts to restart her own career. Marie accuses her of being in the relationship to use Marie’s connections. Claire objects and Marie kicks her out, rationalizing she’s better off alone. 

The final scene revisits the birthday party that opened the show, an event being broadcast throughout America. Believing she’s unaware of her fate, her friends maintain cheerful facades and are shocked when Marie says she knows it’s her last birthday. They listen tearfully as she goes to the mic. Ever the consummate actress, she thanks “everyone in the world,” vowing they’ll see much more of her in the years to come. As a lighting shift indicates the passage of time, the entire company pays tribute to Marie, promising that she will be “unsung” no more.

Major Roles

Young Marie Dressler:  14-20 Audacious and talented with a sad history

Bright powerful mezzo/belter

Marie Dressler: 21-64 Confident but vulnerable – the focus of the show

Mezzo/belter with slightly lower range 

Frances Marion: 19-45 Marie’s close friend, later a successful screenwriter

Warm mezzo

Mamie Steele Cox: 25-55 Marie’s maid and close confidante

Belter/gospel 

Nella Webb: 32-64 Marie’s astrologer and friend

Character soprano

Jim Dalton: 35-45 Marie’s husband, both devoted and duplicitous 

Baritone/tenor leading man

Claire Du Brey: 20-35 Marie’s younger lover, an actress herself

Sweet soprano

Louis B. Mayer: 40-50 Head of MGM studios, Marie’s Hollywood boss

Character baritone

Jerry Cox: 30-60 Mamie’s husband who also works for Marie

Baritone

Ensemble Roles: (all vocal ranges)

Will Rogers: 50ish

Audition Director: 45ish

Stage Manager: 35ish

Bellboys:   18-25

Party guests, Reporters: Various ages  

Soldiers, Nurses, Patients: Various ages

Luisa: 18-25

Dorothy: 18-25

Pearl: 18-25

Marie’s Fan Club members: 40-75 

• Zoom readthrough Dec. 16, 2020
  A mix of union and non-union actors did a readthrough for an invited audience, with the musical numbers represented by pre-recorded videos. The readthrough was followed by a lengthy discussion, including feedback from the audience and performers, leading to significant rewrites.
  
• Zoom readthrough June 6, 2021
  Similar to the previous readthrough. This time the feedback was very encouraging, leading us to start a fundraising campaign to do a live workshop.
  
• Workshop, Dec. 10-11, 2021
  Staged reading with a cast of 15 (2 union), a 4-piece orchestra, and a director/choreographer, performed live at Potrero Stage in San Francisco and also streaming. The workshop generated additional feedback for further minor changes, as well as inspiring one attendee to give us a donation to finance a studio recording of some of the music.
  
• Studio recording, Feb. 21, 2022
  We were able to hire several performers from the various readings as well as all the musicians from the workshop, and we recorded 5 songs in a professional recording studio.
  
• Workshop, Jan. 20, 2024
  Staged reading produced by the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, featuring graduate students in the voice department and one guest artist. Since the last workshop, we had renamed the show and written several new numbers, and this performance included all the latest changes.