They are: Tony, a showy Las Vegas lounge singer who was performing at the Sands Hotel when the blast hit; Jasmine, a cynical writer whose resume included jobs at The New Yorker and The Village Voice; Hattie, a stripper who was dancing at her burlesque club, The Ka-Boom Room, when the world ended; June, a perky musical-comedy performer who'd just wrapped up her 17th national tour of Oklahoma!
Most of the play's action revolves around the quintet's efforts to stage a group audition, though their first attempts fail, as the characters succumb to their old vices, such as pride and selfishness.
score,[7] written by Joe Ercole,[8] with lyrics by Bruce Kluger, was an eclectic collection of songs, ranging in style from jazz and pop to Broadway and gospel.
as a mixture of Godspell, Jesus Christ Superstar and Babes in Arms, while calling the characters "lightly sketched stereotypes" and the play itself "bogged down in the message of salvation" that the creators wanted to deliver.
[13] The original opening night cast included Ben Agresti (Avery/God), Judith Bro (Jasmine), John Hall (Tony), Ken Ward (Matthew), Valerie Williams (Hattie), and Andrea Wright (June).
)[13][14] The production and creative staff included Jim Payne (general manager), Maureen MacDonald (business manager), Herb Striesfeld (general press representative), Matthew Causey (stage manager), Curtis McKonly (assistant musical director), Margaret Rowan (lighting board operator/electrician), Roger Noonan (treasurer, theatre maintenance), Jean Morris (treasurer, assistant to Mr. Payne), James L'Ecuyer (dance captain), Duke Durfee (technical supervisor), Rob Taylor (production electrician), William Bair (theatre technical director), Arnold Herskovitz (ad representative), Barry Cole and Bruce Kluger (logo design), Ken Howard (photographer), R.A. Boyer (insurance), Lee Benedict (attorney; Gordon, Feinblatt, Rothman, Hoffberger, Hollander).