Happy Pleasant Valley
A Senior Sex Scandal Murder Mystery Musical
Book, Music & Lyrics by Min Kahng
A commission by TheatreWorks Silicon Valley
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Vlogger “Self-Made” Jade Park is in hot water for making ageist remarks on her channel. When she learns that her grandmother June is about to get kicked out of Happy Pleasant Valley Senior Apartments, Jade gladly comes to the rescue – in order to record and broadcast her heroine-ism, saving her reputation. What Jade doesn’t count on is the cause of June’s eviction threat: her “active-living” sex life, which seems to be killing the men she sleeps with. June swears that she and her libido are being framed, and enlists Jade’s help in tracking down the real murderer.
Happy Pleasant Valley seeks to explode the myth that the enjoyment of sex stops after a certain age, and will explore themes of generation gaps, ageism, and finding connection and relevance in the digital age – all with a little bit of good old-fashioned murder thrown in.
Happy Pleasant Valley is still very much in development. For updates on the next phase of progress for this project, please sign up for my monthly newsletter.
DEVELOPMENT HISTORY
Aug 2023, Staged Readings: TheatreWorks Silicon Valley New Works Festival, Palo Alto, CA
Dec 2022, Workshop: TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, Redwood City, CA
Sep 2022, Residency: MacDowell Fellowship, Peterborough, NH
May 2022, Residency: Willapa Bay AiR, Oysterville, WA
Nov 2020, Virtual Reading: TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, Zoom
Dec 2019, Workshop: TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, Redwood City, CA
Jan 2019, Writers Retreat: TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, Redwood City, CA
AWARDS & HONORS
2024, Semi-Finalist, O’Neill National Music Theater Conference
2019, NAMT Writers Residency Grant, National Fund for New Musicals