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cleaVageMusic and Lyrics by Ron Friedman, Book by Laura Goodenow and Ron FriedmanWebsite: CleavageTheMusical.com Contact Email: jinronf@gmail.com |
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cleaVage, the “real” story behind fake breasts, is a comedic musical inspired by the surgeons and patients who shaped the spectacular rise, equally spectacular fall, and rebound of silicone gel breast implants (which remains the #1 cosmetic surgery worldwide).
If you think this is a conventional story, consider that:
1. The first breast implant patient was a stray dog named Esmeralda. (No, we’re not kidding.) She is a recurring character in this musical (via barks) and even has her own song.
2. The first human patient was a penniless divorced mother of six who still lives near Houston and still has her original implants, which were placed in 1962!
3. Silicone gel implants were invented in Texas; saline implants, the competition, were invented in France. In Act 2, the American and French inventors have a “sword fight” for supremacy in the restroom of a French restaurant (Yes, that’s in the musical. No, it didn’t really happen.) Guess who has the longer baguette?
D (Dallas) Magazine featured cleaVage in a 10-page article:
cleaVage may be a comedy, but it has lots of heart. There is a tender romance between a plastic surgeon and the first breast cancer reconstruction patient (“The Perfect Match”), a powerful “my body, my choice” anthem (“It’s My Choice”), and an 11 o’clock inspirational song by our trans-woman narrator (“Just a Girl”).
We had two table readings in 2022 and a highly acclaimed staged reading in 2023. Texas Monthly titled their review, “Hamilton with Breasts”: texasmonthly.com/…/for-a-very-dallas-musical-experience-see-cleavage-hamilton-with-breasts We are hoping for a workshop or a full production, ideally in a community or regional theater. We can’t wait to show you our cleaVage! Ron Friedman, MD conceived of cleaVage, wrote the music and lyrics, and co-wrote the libretto. When not writing or performing music, Dr. Friedman is also a widely-published board-certified plastic surgeon who has been in private practice for 28 years. Fun fact: he does more male nipple reductions than any other surgeon in the nation. A songwriter since his teens, Dr. Friedman performed his original songs on television and for crowds as large as 15,000. The true story of silicone gel implants is remarkable, and he has an insider’s understanding of the intricacies. Of course, his friends are concerned; he places breast implants all day and then writes songs about them at night. Laura Goodenow is the co-librettist of cleaVage. Also a lyricist and producer, her other works include Exposed (lyricist/librettist), a musical about the controversies and struggles of immigration; Gold Jade Way (librettist), a sung-through operetta of ancient Chinese poetry translations; and Crost (librettist/lyricist), a musical based upon the lost love letters of 12th-century French lovers Heloise and Abelard. Her company, Real Women Make Waves, developed and produced the award-winning film Year by the Sea, then distributed it to more than 100 theaters nationwide. Before her career focused on theater and film, Laura was an award-winning print journalist and newspaper editor, as well as a corporate editor and pharmaceutical advisory board notetaker. She is a mother of two and a Butler University graduate who splits time between Indianapolis, IN, and Nashville, TN. |
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https://www.cleavagethemusical.com/buzz |
cleaVage
Music and Lyrics by Ron Friedman, Book by Laura Goodenow and Ron Friedman
Website: CleavageTheMusical.com
Contact Email: jinronf@gmail.com
We had two table readings in 2022 and a highly acclaimed staged reading in 2023. Texas Monthly titled their review, “Hamilton with Breasts”:
texasmonthly.com/…/for-a-very-dallas-musical-experience-see-cleavage-hamilton-with-breasts
We are hoping for a workshop or a full production, ideally in a community or regional theater. We can’t wait to show you our cleaVage!
Ron Friedman, MD conceived of cleaVage, wrote the music and lyrics, and co-wrote the libretto. When not writing or performing music, Dr. Friedman is also a widely-published board-certified plastic surgeon who has been in private practice for 28 years. Fun fact: he does more male nipple reductions than any other surgeon in the nation. A songwriter since his teens, Dr. Friedman performed his original songs on television and for crowds as large as 15,000. The true story of silicone gel implants is remarkable, and he has an insider’s understanding of the intricacies. Of course, his friends are concerned; he places breast implants all day and then writes songs about them at night.
Laura Goodenow is the co-librettist of cleaVage. Also a lyricist and producer, her other works include Exposed (lyricist/librettist), a musical about the controversies and struggles of immigration; Gold Jade Way (librettist), a sung-through operetta of ancient Chinese poetry translations; and Crost (librettist/lyricist), a musical based upon the lost love letters of 12th-century French lovers Heloise and Abelard. Her company, Real Women Make Waves, developed and produced the award-winning film Year by the Sea, then distributed it to more than 100 theaters nationwide. Before her career focused on theater and film, Laura was an award-winning print journalist and newspaper editor, as well as a corporate editor and pharmaceutical advisory board notetaker. She is a mother of two and a Butler University graduate who splits time between Indianapolis, IN, and Nashville, TN.
https://www.cleavagethemusical.com/buzz