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Love Is Afoot!BOOK by - Michael LaFata and Perry Sachs; MUSIC by - Kevin Guillaume and Perry Sachs; LYRICS by - Perry SachsWebsite: https://www.loveisafoot.com Contact Email: mlafata1010@gmail.com |
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Set mostly in the 1940s, “Love is Afoot!” is a musical romantic comedy that explores the subject of discrimination from a unique perspective. At its core, the musical is about two love-struck sweethearts and their struggle to be together. It chronicles the life and times of Joseph Smoot-Nibley and his journey for acceptance and quest to find his “sole-mate.” Joe’s a hopeless romantic, in love with the girl of his dreams and more specifically… her feet! That girl is Rose Marie Pedals, and it was love at first sniff and tickle the moment they met at Joe’s shoeshine stand. Rose Marie is beautiful inside and out. She loves, adores, and understands Joe’s desires because she’s got a “thing” for feet herself. But because it’s labeled a forbidden love by society and due to their different socio-economic classes, they’re pulled apart again and again. Giving in to peer pressure, Rose Marie ends up unhappily married to the rich, popular jock, Buzz, leaving Joe to settle down with a crabby malcontent named, Millie, who treats Joe like dirt. Millie’s only redeeming quality is the extra toe she has on each of her oversized feet. But twelve toes aren’t enough to make up for the ten that got away. Joe takes a job at a sock-factory working for Millie’s abrasive father. Joe’s excited to be working with “digits” until he learns that the digits are just invoice numbers in accounting. Joe is miserable. It’s through sage love advice from a magical Italian shoe cobbler named Luigi, and through song and dance, that Joe and Rose Marie learn about the importance of acceptance, love and staying true to oneself.
Based on an award-winning film noir short, we initially set out to make “Love Is Afoot!” as a musical feature film. Just as we were finishing a 15-song soundtrack, the pandemic arrived. Covid forced us to re-evaluate our path forward. With the “big screen” shut down and our disinterest in streaming, we pivoted. Leaning on our soundtrack, in early 2021, we repurposed “Love Is Afoot!” for stage and began adapting the screenplay. During the pandemic, we went back to the studio and started perfecting the music bringing sound and vocal arranger, Tim Davis on board, a true master of Big Band. We dedicated themselves to the music knowing the songs had to exceed expectations because of the play’s “unusual” subject matter. The “Love Is Afoot!” soundtrack is broad and ambitious. Our songs are varied and unique with lyrics that take you from love to laughter. To date, we’ve been honored with 8 awards in both story and music. Four BEST SCORE awards for our torch song, “Special Someone,” and four BEST SCREENPLAY awards for the story itself. In August 2023, we produced the workshop production of “Love Is Afoot!” at the Miller Center for the Arts in Pennsylvania, which included a cast of 17, an orchestra pit of 6 and another 23 of crew and creatives. It was a smashing success with standing ovations and a thoroughly delighted audience. Now, fresh off the workshop with a new rewrite and a brand-new song that kicks off Act 2, we’re ready for a bigger audience and a bigger stage. We’re confident that “Love Is Afoot!” has all the ingredients to delight a diverse audience- young and old, gay and straight, urban and rural, and all of it swinging to a Big Band orchestra. More than ever, we believe it’s the perfect time for a musical that swims in silliness yet still finds a way to share an important message of love, equality and hope through comedy and music. Michael LaFata – For the last 3 decades, Michael has lived a wide ranging life. With a creative business background, as well as a life-long creative passion for comedy, somehow along the way, he’s been able to weave both disciplines, improbably, though successfully capitalizing on right brain/left brain harmony. From Improv (Bay Area Theatresports) in SF in his 20s to stand-up and sketch comedy clubs in Oakland (Toppers) and LA (LA Connection, ACME Comedy Theater, The Comedy Store, UCB) in his 30s, comedy was always his lodestar– writing or preforming. Coincidently, during this same period, he was a senior executive in multiple companies and start-ups. A decade vanished by the time he realized his funny bone was broken. In 2014, he officially retired the suit to produce, “fish-out-of-water” stories; an idiom he knows quite well. His current project, “Love Is Afoot!” exemplifies this “fish-out-of-water” theme perfectly.
Perry Sachs – From inspiration to creation and everything in-between, Perry has a working knowledge of just about every aspect of the entertainment industry. He can do it all but has focused most of his abilities in the world of comedy. After moving to Los Angeles from his hometown Washington DC, Perry honed his skills, writing and performing at such comedic institutions as The Groundlings, ACME Comedy Theater and the world-famous Comedy Store on Sunset Blvd. Perry has seized his opportunities to write, produce and direct for some of the funniest entities on the planet, including Saturday Night Live and The Jim Henson Company. Perry currently works for Adam Sandler at Happy Madison Productions and lives in North Hollywood with his wife Julia, their amazing daughter Marley and their ridiculous pets.
Kevin Guillaume – Kevin Guillaume was born into show business! As the son of two-time Emmy & Grammy winning actor Robert Guillaume, he was introduced to the business at an early age. His first job in the business was at 9 years old in “Porgy & Bess” in Israel. However, Kevin knew that his career path would not be acting, but music instead. After performing with various traditional and fusion jazz bands in the St. Louis area, Kevin furthered his musical education by attending The Dick Grove School of Music in Los Angeles where he majored in Jazz composition and theory. Over the last 30 + years he has written for, or performed with: Gladys Knight & The Pips; Earth, Wind, & Fire; David Foster; Deniece Williams; Carl Anderson; Johnny Gill and The Whispers, as well as composing for TV: Homeboys in Outer Space (UPN), Between Bros. (FOX), and Happily Ever After (HBO). |
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https://vimeo.com/867298229 |
Love Is Afoot!
BOOK by - Michael LaFata and Perry Sachs; MUSIC by - Kevin Guillaume and Perry Sachs; LYRICS by - Perry Sachs
Website: https://www.loveisafoot.com
Contact Email: mlafata1010@gmail.com
Set mostly in the 1940s, “Love is Afoot!” is a musical romantic comedy that explores the subject of discrimination from a unique perspective.
At its core, the musical is about two love-struck sweethearts and their struggle to be together. It chronicles the life and times of Joseph Smoot-Nibley and his journey for acceptance and quest to find his “sole-mate.” Joe’s a hopeless romantic, in love with the girl of his dreams and more specifically… her feet!
That girl is Rose Marie Pedals, and it was love at first sniff and tickle the moment they met at Joe’s shoeshine stand. Rose Marie is beautiful inside and out. She loves, adores, and understands Joe’s desires because she’s got a “thing” for feet herself. But because it’s labeled a forbidden love by society and due to their different socio-economic classes, they’re pulled apart again and again.
Giving in to peer pressure, Rose Marie ends up unhappily married to the rich, popular jock, Buzz, leaving Joe to settle down with a crabby malcontent named, Millie, who treats Joe like dirt. Millie’s only redeeming quality is the extra toe she has on each of her oversized feet. But twelve toes aren’t enough to make up for the ten that got away.
Joe takes a job at a sock-factory working for Millie’s abrasive father. Joe’s excited to be working with “digits” until he learns that the digits are just invoice numbers in accounting. Joe is miserable.
It’s through sage love advice from a magical Italian shoe cobbler named Luigi, and through song and dance, that Joe and Rose Marie learn about the importance of acceptance, love and staying true to oneself.
Based on an award-winning film noir short, we initially set out to make “Love Is Afoot!” as a musical feature film. Just as we were finishing a 15-song soundtrack, the pandemic arrived. Covid forced us to re-evaluate our path forward. With the “big screen” shut down and our disinterest in streaming, we pivoted.
Leaning on our soundtrack, in early 2021, we repurposed “Love Is Afoot!” for stage and began adapting the screenplay. During the pandemic, we went back to the studio and started perfecting the music bringing sound and vocal arranger, Tim Davis on board, a true master of Big Band. We dedicated themselves to the music knowing the songs had to exceed expectations because of the play’s “unusual” subject matter.
The “Love Is Afoot!” soundtrack is broad and ambitious. Our songs are varied and unique with lyrics that take you from love to laughter. To date, we’ve been honored with 8 awards in both story and music. Four BEST SCORE awards for our torch song, “Special Someone,” and four BEST SCREENPLAY awards for the story itself.
In August 2023, we produced the workshop production of “Love Is Afoot!” at the Miller Center for the Arts in Pennsylvania, which included a cast of 17, an orchestra pit of 6 and another 23 of crew and creatives. It was a smashing success with standing ovations and a thoroughly delighted audience.
Now, fresh off the workshop with a new rewrite and a brand-new song that kicks off Act 2, we’re ready for a bigger audience and a bigger stage. We’re confident that “Love Is Afoot!” has all the ingredients to delight a diverse audience- young and old, gay and straight, urban and rural, and all of it swinging to a Big Band orchestra.
More than ever, we believe it’s the perfect time for a musical that swims in silliness yet still finds a way to share an important message of love, equality and hope through comedy and music.
Michael LaFata – For the last 3 decades, Michael has lived a wide ranging life. With a creative business background, as well as a life-long creative passion for comedy, somehow along the way, he’s been able to weave both disciplines, improbably, though successfully capitalizing on right brain/left brain harmony. From Improv (Bay Area Theatresports) in SF in his 20s to stand-up and sketch comedy clubs in Oakland (Toppers) and LA (LA Connection, ACME Comedy Theater, The Comedy Store, UCB) in his 30s, comedy was always his lodestar– writing or preforming.
Coincidently, during this same period, he was a senior executive in multiple companies and start-ups. A decade vanished by the time he realized his funny bone was broken. In 2014, he officially retired the suit to produce, “fish-out-of-water” stories; an idiom he knows quite well. His current project, “Love Is Afoot!” exemplifies this “fish-out-of-water” theme perfectly.
Perry Sachs – From inspiration to creation and everything in-between, Perry has a working knowledge of just about every aspect of the entertainment industry. He can do it all but has focused most of his abilities in the world of comedy. After moving to Los Angeles from his hometown Washington DC, Perry honed his skills, writing and performing at such comedic institutions as The Groundlings, ACME Comedy Theater and the world-famous Comedy Store on Sunset Blvd.
Perry has seized his opportunities to write, produce and direct for some of the funniest entities on the planet, including Saturday Night Live and The Jim Henson Company. Perry currently works for Adam Sandler at Happy Madison Productions and lives in North Hollywood with his wife Julia, their amazing daughter Marley and their ridiculous pets.
Kevin Guillaume – Kevin Guillaume was born into show business! As the son of two-time Emmy & Grammy winning actor Robert Guillaume, he was introduced to the business at an early age. His first job in the business was at 9 years old in “Porgy & Bess” in Israel. However, Kevin knew that his career path would not be acting, but music instead.
After performing with various traditional and fusion jazz bands in the St. Louis area, Kevin furthered his musical education by attending The Dick Grove School of Music in Los Angeles where he majored in Jazz composition and theory. Over the last 30 + years he has written for, or performed with: Gladys Knight & The Pips; Earth, Wind, & Fire; David Foster; Deniece Williams; Carl Anderson; Johnny Gill and The Whispers, as well as composing for TV: Homeboys in Outer Space (UPN), Between Bros. (FOX), and Happily Ever After (HBO).
https://vimeo.com/867298229