Who is Esther?

Steve and Keith...

It has been a lot of work to get to where we are: from surviving leukemia and a bone marrow transplant, to writing the musical at PMH, to the re-writes, marketing, studio work, video production, and in 2027, live on stage.  We have invested significantly in getting it to where it is, and we have made the decision to operate as a not-for-profit social enterprise, and that all proceeds from the production - and related activities - will flow to cancer research.

Given the investments we are making in the initiative, it struck us that a simple "fundraise from an event" model would undervalue the opportunity:  we are not doing an event, but are building a multifaceted, interconnected series of activities that will both improve the success of the production itself, but also, assuming PMCF is interested, drive donations and other PMCF benefits.

Regarding the production itself, it strikes me that there is so much congruence between the PMCF "Carry the Fire" messaging, and the Who Is Esther "We are Believers" messaging: that it's in the power of each of us to make a difference:  Whether it's participating directly in the Ride or Walk, buying a home lottery ticket, or making a donation.  If we do this, the only thing that's stopping us from a world free of the fear of cancer, is time.  

We appreciate the time talking about this multi-level partnership.  As promised, we've provided some resources:

Scroll down to find...

• Synopsis
• (Updated) presentation from our meeting
• 15 song sampler (6 minutes)
• Complete video of all songs (59 minutes)
• The unique backstory (Leukemia - yikes!)

Set in the present day, everything was going well for CEO Mr. Verious … until his female VP quits.  To recruit a replacement, he holds a singing contest.  Esther, a street-wise young woman from the ‘hood, is encouraged by her Uncle Mo to compete.  To the surprise of all (except her), she wins and is appointed as the new VP. 

Ham, Verious’ racist advisor, doesn’t like Esther or people like her, and slyly plots against them.  Esther finds the courage to speak truth to power: she turns the tables on Ham, and holds Mr. Verious to account.  Esther believes in change for the better, and by the end of the play, the audience realizes they do too.  

Principal characters:

• Esther:  30-year-old African American woman from the ‘hood who rises to be a VP. She’s educated, street-smart, and is just looking for her shot.
• Uncle Mo:  50-year-old African American man.  Esther’s uncle, mentor, confidante, and wise elder statesman who sees things as they are.
• Mr. Verious:  60-year-old CEO of a major corporation.  A caricature: caucasian, heavier build, not so smart, and easily influenced by others.
• Ham:  45-year-old self-important, self-serving caucasian man. He embodies entitlement, racism, and sexism, which lead to his downfall.

Who Is Esther shares the power of each person to make a difference.  The story itself is told through music and all dialogue is through song.  Given the issues explored in the piece, a diverse creative ensemble is essential; even the musical styles are diverse: Rap, swing, funk, latin, rock, and more.

Click the image below to download the updated presentation from our meeting:

A note from Randall:  In 2017 I was diagnosed with Leukemia. Shortly thereafter my doctors at Princess Margaret Cancer Center stopped the chemo, began looking for a bone marrow transplant donor, and told me there was only a slim chance of my survival. Not my best day, but it was also the day when Who is Esther was born.  It was my "Aha" moment -  I felt compelled to write it with the time I had left. Friends moved a piano into my hospital room, and I started to write the songs immediately. I was in the hospital for seven months.

As a teenager, I self-taught myself piano by playing several hours every day.  I never had the opportunity to study musical theater, and I'm not connected into the musical theater community, except from my seat in the audience.  (I am an author of 8 books, an executive coach, and Hall-of-Fame professional speaker.)  So when I wrote Who is Esther, I was not following the "usual" routes of development as I didn't know what they were. And as an outsider, there was no one I could turn to for mentorship. These are the unique beginnings of the play... and what distinguishes it from any other. It is also why this project is so exciting.

 - Randall

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Steve and Keith…

It was a pleasure meeting you yesterday at your office; we hope you are as excited about the possibilities as we are.  We look forward to continuing the conversation.  We’d love to hear your initial thoughts, and then regroup.