Synopsis

Piecemeal the musical is an imaginative, dark and often funny prequel to Mary Shelly's Frankenstein that explores the question of where the body came from that was used to create the modern Prometheus.

Brought back to life by writer, composer, lyricist Howard Odentz, with orchestrations by Emmy Award winner Bruce Zimmerman, this wickedly twisted musical fantasy combines both the old and the new, retelling the strange series of events leading up to the creation of Frankenstein's monster by way of the back-story of the Hollywood-created icon, Igor.

Born the son of the morally bankrupt undertaker and his equally horrible wife, Igor's lot in life is to be ditch digger, though he secretly yearns to attend the University to become a doctor. Also on the path to an unwanted career is the privileged Victor Frankenstein, destined to follow in his family’s medical footsteps, but whose heart is set on a career in 19th century fashion.

During a chance meeting, Victor flippantly gives his paid-in-full school admission papers to Igor and sets off to conquer Europe with his fashion sense, leaving the hunchbacked youth on the path to fulfilling his Hippocratic dreams.

In the guise of Victor Frankenstein, Igor becomes a stellar student at the University, quickly earning an internship with Professor Krempe, who is studying galvanism -- the science of reanimation. With a pre-filled student bank account meant for the real Victor, Igor agrees to fund Krempe’s experiments proclaiming that he knows where to get all the fresh body parts he needs, then returns home and offers a University cadaver contract and pocketfuls of gold to his despicable parents.

Enter Elizabeth Lavenza, the real Victor Frankenstein's betrothed and self proclaimed future "Mrs. Dr. Frankenstein." In a series of letters sent to Victor at school and answered by Igor at the urging of his classmates, the poor hunchback falls in love with the shallow gold digger. But, Elizabeth is not fooled so easily. She immediately knows that her fey, fashion-oriented fiancé would never write such things and decides to pay a visit to the University.

Meanwhile, Victor, who is miserably failing at his fashion endeavors, also decides to return to college and fulfill what his parents have always meant for him.

Their ultimate meeting and the actions that follow result in the darkly amusing musical treat that is Piecemeal.



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