Samantha Spade, Ace Detective

A CONCORD THEATRICALS TITLE

Samantha Spade, Ace Detective

Full-Length Musical, Comedy  /  11w, 10m

Book and Lyrics by Lisa Diana Shapiro
Music by Georgia Stitt

Samantha Spade, Ace Detective is a film-noir-detective-story-musical (in black and white).

Image: 2015 Pebblebrook High School Production (Courtesy of Frank Zimmerman)

Samantha Spade, Ace Detective

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    11w, 10m
  • Duration
    Duration
    75 Minutes
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Theatre for Young Audiences, Mystery/Thriller, Period
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Appropriate for All Audiences, Adult, Senior, Young Children (Age 2-5), Children (Age 6-10), Pre-Teen (Age 11-13), Teen (Age 14-18)
Samantha Spade, Ace Detective

Details

Summary

Samantha is a lonely, misfit 13-year-old. After getting bullied in camp, she retreats to the old detective movies she loves, entering a film noir fantasy world where she is Samantha Spade, Ace Detective, the go-to gumshoe who always solves the case—for $25 a day, plus Twizzlers.

Sam’s first case enters on the glamorous gams of Veronica Venus, star of stage, screen and the occasional circus. Veronica’s boyfriend, Senator John D. Rockababy, is missing. But something’s fishy, and Samantha’s investigation leads to the dames, palookas, grifters, chiselers, flatfoots and flim-flammers that populate this black and white world.

With a smart, catchy score and a feisty, inspirational and relatable female lead, this show is perfect for school-age kids to perform and appropriate for all audiences.

For further information about the National Youth Arts 2014 Winner of OUTSTANDING NEW MUSICAL, check out the show’s website, Instagram, extra videos and demos.

History
Samantha Spade, Ace Detective: The Case of the Matlball Falcon premiered at TADA! Youth Theater on April 26, 2014. The production was directed and choreographed by Joanna Greer. Subsequent productions took place at: Pebblebrook High School in Atlanta, GA in November 2015 (Director: Robert Adams); Notre Dame Junior/Senior High School in East Stroudsburg, PA in November 2015 (Director: Tim Naughton); Metropolitan Montessori School in New York, NY in February 2017 (Director: Philip Bettencourt); Concert Performance at 54 Below in New York City (Director/Choreographer: Marcia Milgrom Dodge); and French Woods Festival in Hancock, NY in July 2017 (Director: Jon Gellert).
  • Time Period Contemporary, Present Day, 1940s/WWII
  • Setting Summer camp and the B&W movie world of Samantha’s imagination.
  • Features Period Costumes
  • Additional Features No Intermission
  • Duration 75 Minutes

Media

“An engaging, fast-paced show that will appeal to all ages.… a near-perfect balance between kid-friendly action and high-end satire.” – The Huffington Post

“Writer Lisa Diana Shapiro and composer Georgia Stitt have crafted an engaging, fast-paced show that will appeal to all ages. Call it The Maltese Falcon meets Mean Girls, and give Shapiro and Stitt credit for striking a near-perfect balance between kid-friendly action and high-end satire.” – Josh Getlin, The Huffington Post

“Sam Spade, meet Samantha. She’s the heroine of this new musical from TADA! Youth Theater, which centers on the dreams of a lonely girl who would like to be as cool, savvy and important as one of those investigators in a noir novel. Written by Lisa Diana Shapiro, with music by Georgia Stitt, the production, inspired by The Maltese Falcon, proves that Samantha can solve cases with the best of them.” – Lauren Graeber, The New York Times

Other features:
Broadway World
Playbill

Videos

  • Marc Kudisch  youtube thumbnail

    Marc Kudisch

  • Samantha Spade, Ace Detective - "Slingin' the Slang" - Pebblebrook youtube thumbnail

    Samantha Spade, Ace Detective - "Slingin' the Slang" - Pebblebrook

  • Samantha Spade, Ace Detective - "Shaughnessy . . ." - TADA! youtube thumbnail

    Samantha Spade, Ace Detective - "Shaughnessy . . ." - TADA!

Photos

  • Samantha Spade, Ace Detective

    Image: 2014 TADA! Youth Theater Production (David Feldman)

  • Samantha Spade, Ace Detective

    Image: 2014 TADA! Youth Theater Production (David Feldman)

  • Samantha Spade, Ace Detective

    Image: 2015 Pebblebrook High School Production (Courtesy of Frank Zimmerman)

  • Samantha Spade, Ace Detective

    Image: 2015 Pebblebrook High School Production (Courtesy of Frank Zimmerman)

  • Samantha Spade, Ace Detective

    Image: 2015 Pebblebrook High School Production (Courtesy of Frank Zimmerman)

  • Samantha Spade, Ace Detective

    Image: 2015 Pebblebrook High School Production (Courtesy of Frank Zimmerman)

  • Samantha Spade, Ace Detective

    Image: 2015 Pebblebrook High School Production (Courtesy of Frank Zimmerman)

  • Samantha Spade, Ace Detective

    Image: 2015 Pebblebrook High School Production (Courtesy of Frank Zimmerman)

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Music

  • Musical Style Classic Broadway, Contemporary Broadway
  • Dance Requirements Moderate
  • Vocal DemandsModerate
  • Orchestra Size Small/Combo
  • Chorus Size Medium

Licensing & Materials

  • Licensing fees and rental materials quoted upon application.

Music Rentals

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Authors

Lisa Diana Shapiro

Lisa Diana Shapiro

Lisa Diana Shapiro is book and lyric writer of Samantha Spade, Ace Detective (music by Georgia Stitt) and Princess Phooey (music by Eric Rockwell) both commissioned and produced at TADA! Youth Theater in New York.

Samantha Spade, Ace Detective has also been produced regionally ...

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Georgia Stitt

Georgia Stitt

Georgia Stitt is a composer/lyricist, music director, pianist, and music producer. Her original musicals include Snow Child (commissioned by Arena Stage and directed by Molly Smith); Samantha Spade, Ace Detective (commissioned by TADA Youth Theater and written with Lisa Dian ...

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