This page contains a more detailed synopsis for each scene that occurs in the musical. The musical number that is performed during each scene is also listed here.
Act I
Scene 1 Ferguson Home -- Sunday Morning
Scene 2 Bar -- Sunday Afternoon
Scene 3 Roadside -- Sunday Late Afternoon
Scene 4 Garage -- Friday Morning
Scene 5 Town -- Friday Afternoon
Scene 6 Movie-House -- Saturday Afternoon
Act IIScene 1 Ferguson Home -- Saturday Afternoon
Scene 2 Jail -- Saturday Early Evening
Scene 3 Nightclub -- Saturday Night
Scene 4 Ferguson Home -- Sunday Afternoon
Scene 5 Roadside -- Sunday Early Evening
ACT I SCENE SYNOPSIS
Scene 1 Location: Ferguson Home. Time: Sunday Morning. Musical Number: “Get Up (Get Out Of Bed)”. Loula wakes up the family with the song and they gather for breakfast. She tells them that she will be staying after church for a meeting, but tells them she wants them to come on home and take care of their chores.
Scene 2 Location: Bar. Time: Sunday Afternoon. Musical Number: “Speak Easy”. Sterling and Jesse go see the owner of the new club about performing there opening night. They are excited and the bouncer tells them to “Speak Easy” and calm down. They audition and get their chance.
Scene 3 Location: Side of Road Near Home. Time: Sunday Late Afternoon. Musical Number: “I Feel Like…Sh!” Cat gets off the bus and is befriended by Ludiwici. She and Ludiwici sing the song in which Cat complains about many things and Ludiwici cuts her off just as she is about to cuss and implores her to act nice and not curse around her mother. She takes Cat home and Loula initially chastises her daughter for playing near the road and for bringing a stranger home. After Ludiwici pleads with her, she eventually gives in and allows Cat to board with them.
Scene 4 Location: Garage. Time: Friday Morning. Musical Number: “Big Dreams”. The brothers finish the work week and talk about their plans for the weekend and their future. Duke, the oldest, gets fed up with all their talk and starts the song telling them to forget about their dreams and deal with reality. His younger siblings continue the song and defend their dreams. After the song, Sterling and Jesse tell Duke about their plans to sing at the nightclub. Duke threatens to tell their mother, but relents and tells them to do what they want. He could care less.
Scene 5 Location: Town. Time: Friday Afternoon. Musical Number: “All The Pretty Things”. Loula, Ludiwici and Cat go to town. Loula is confronted by her rival Emma Washington about the nightclub opening near Loula’s church and questions what they are doing about it. She says her church-members would never allow something like that to happen. Loula almost loses it, but Cat intervenes and diffuses the situation. Loula runs some errands, and Cat and Ludiwici go shopping. Cat leaves Ludiwici alone where she sings “All The Pretty Things” about all the things she sees and would like to own. A store clerk confronts her at the end of the song and berates her for touching the merchandise. Cat enters the scene and comes to her defense and chases off the clerk. The clerk returns with the manager after Loula has rejoined them. The clerk accuses Ludiwici again and although Cat tries to help her, Loula is not hearing it. She apologizes to the manager and offers to pay for any broken merchandise. The manager says no harm was done and they leave.
Scene 6 Location: Buzzard’s Roost (Upstairs at Movie-House). Time: Saturday Afternoon. Musical Number: “Riot!” The brothers, Cat, Ludiwici and others have gathered for the matinee. The movie starts, the overture plays and as everyone eagerly waits for the picture to start; “Dixie” begins to play. The young people become restless and demand that the real movie begin. They become more vocal and agitated until finally someone offstage yells “you niggers shut up!” The chorus sings “Riot!” which speaks of the frustration of oppression and the demand for change. The song ends with the crowd worked up. The police arrive offstage and order everyone to raise their hands. Cat and Duke escape. The crowd settles and raises their hands as ordered, but they raise clenched fists in protest. End of Act I.
ACT II SCENE SYNOPSIS
Scene 1 Location: Ferguson Home. Time: Saturday Afternoon. Musical Number: “Snap, Crackle, Pop!” Ladies from the community gather at Loula’s to get their hair done. Cat enters fresh from her escape during the riot at the movie-house. They sing the song which is about the different hair styles they want to try and about the different style icons of the era they want to emulate. The song ends with the ladies transformed and looking good. Sister Phullips, a gossip and one of Loula’s church-members, arrives and delivers the news about the riot at the movie-house. Loula is angered about the situation which she attributes to trouble-makers. Cat cautiously tries to defend those involved without indicting herself, but eventually stays quiet.
Scene 2 Location: Jail. Time: Saturday Early Evening. Musical Number: “Big Dreams (Reprise)”. Sterling and Jesse sing a few verses of the song a cappella while everyone solemnly waits in jail. Duke enters with the sheriff pleading for his siblings to be released. Cat rushes in and stirs things up. The sheriff sternly talks to everyone – especially the brothers and Cat – as he starts to let them go. Cat can no longer hold her tongue and starts to let loose, but Duke covers her mouth and pushes her offstage. The others follow.
Scene 3 Location: Nightclub. Time: Saturday Night. Musical Numbers: “Big City” and “Doin’ the Do”. People enter the new club. Some walk in boldly. Others try to sneak in. Outside Loula, Sister Phullips and others have formed a picket line to protest the club opening. Sterling and Duke enter hoping they avoided being seen by their mother; but Sister Phullips claims to have seen them and Cat. The show begins and the brothers perform “Big City” which is about all the things they plan on doing when the make it to the big city. Duke has come to show his support and joins them onstage. Afterward, the brothers reconcile and Duke gives them this blessing and tells them to go for their dreams. Next, Cat performs “Doin’ the Do” and everyone dances while she tells them the different dances and moves to perform. Her song ends and the party continues. The protestors get louder and the sheriff is heard offstage dispersing them. Loula and Sister Phullips get pushed into the club and pandemonium ensues. The club is raided and everyone goes downtown to jail.
Scene 4 Location: Ferguson Home. Time: Sunday Afternoon. Musical Numbers: “Grown” and “The Best for You”. The mood is somber. Loula calls for her sons to come downstairs. She confronts them about their actions. She has learned about their involvement with the riot at the movie-house and them performing at the club. She tells them they have totally embarrassed her and disgraced the family. She threatens to beat them, but is too heartbroken. They try to defend their actions by saying they did it for their dream. Duke tells them to shut up about their stupid dreams and they start to fight. Loula demands that they stop and they relent. She starts the song “Grown” telling them that they think they’re grown, but that she can still beat them if necessary. Sterling and Jesse sing verses that say they are grown and it’s time for them to be men and do what they want. Loula ends the song and is heartbroken. Sterling and Jesse tell her they didn’t want to hurt her, but that they did it because it’s their dream to be singers. They say they plan to leave and go up north to pursue their dream. Duke tells them to just shut up about their stupid dreams. They tell Duke that he’s the one that should shut up and that if he doesn’t want to be a man and live his dream, then he has no right to tell them not to live theirs. He announces that he has indeed made a decision and will be leaving soon himself to join the army. Loula is devastated and dismisses them. She prays and pleads for the Lord not to take away her babies. She sings the song “The Best for You” in which she says that everything she did – the good and the bad – it was to have the best for her children. She ends the song in tears, but resigned to be strong for them.
Scene 5 Location: Side of Road Near Home. Time: Sunday Late Afternoon. Musical Number: “What’s A Happy Ending?” Cat waits for the bus in the same place where she got off. Ludiwici enters and runs to her. She pleads for Cat not to go. Cat tells her that she has to go and that she has to stay with her mother, especially since her brothers are leaving. Ludiwici says that she doesn’t care about that and that she wants to go with Cat. Cat tells her that she has to stay with her mother as long as she can, because nothing lasts forever and that one day she’ll have to leave – so stay with her as long as she can. Cat starts the song telling her to forget about her fairytales because they aren’t real. Ludiwici sings that all she wants is for her to stay so they can have more fun and do more things. They end the song together singing verses of hope that a happy ending is just being together – right there. The bus arrives and Cat exists. Ludiwici waves and runs after the bus as it leaves. She says she will always remember her and wipes away tears. Loula calls for her offstage. She sobs, then answers and goes running to her mother.
