Line #13 Theatre/Bandstand


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bandstand_cover_new4.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:"And I stand here helpless, my arms extended, knowing full well, darling, your war's not ended."]]
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4	''Bandstand'' is an original musical about a group of veterans struggling with the return to normal life in the US following UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. It was composed by Richard Oberacker, with lyrics and book by Richard Oberacker and Robert Taylor.
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6	The musical focuses on Donny Novitski, a young singer/songwriter and pianist returning home from war. Although he is eager to return to his normal life, haunted by memories of war, he is unable to find success or fit back into civilian society. He then assembles a band composed entirely of veterans with the aim of winning a national radio contest in New York City. When he meets Julia, the widow of his best friend from the war, she joins the band as their vocalist, but their relationship forces Donny to confront some of the worst memories of the war.
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8	----
9	!!''Bandstand'' provides examples of:
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11	* TheAlcoholic: Davy, who liberated Dachau, "drinks a fifth of vodka in his kitchen every night."
12	* AmbiguouslyGay: Jimmy ignores the female ensemble while his band mates ogle the women in New York, has a considerable wardrobe of plaid pants, and has some delicate flair in his mannerisms. The [[https://www.broadwayworld.com/equity-audition/BANDSTANDA-MUSICAL-Broadway-Theatre-TBA-2016-14007 casting call]] and a cut scene reveal [[spoiler: he is unambiguously gay, starts out with a slight crush on Donny, and his boyfriend was a fellow Navy man who died when their ship blew up.]]
13	* AmbiguouslyJewish: Donny Novitski, whose Polish heritage is mentioned on and off.
14	* Main/AnguishedDeclarationOfLove: In "This Is Life (Reprise)," Donny declares his love for Julia right before they [[spoiler: deliberately throw the NBC contest.]]
15	-->'''Donny:''' And what I feel for you, Julia, that is true. No matter how tough it is, no matter how long it takes, I need to be with you.
16	* AnswerCut: The scene with the contest ends with "The Winner is..." The next scene is the band walking out of the movie theater after watching the movie with the winning band ([[spoiler: Illinois]]) and complaining about how terrible it is.
17	-->'''Wayne''': I thought we were the losers!
18	* ApatheticTeacher: Nick ''hates'' having to teach inept young musicians in order to pay the bills.
19	* ArmorPiercingQuestion/[[ArmorPiercingResponse Response]]: Donny drops this line when trying to convince Julia to sing for the band.
20	-->'''Julia''': I don't need rescuing!\
21	'''Donny''': What if I do?
22	* AwardBaitSong: In Universe, “Love Will Come and Find Me Again” is the Donny Nova bands original entry in the Tribute to the Troops. Donny chooses the song thanks to Julia’s lyrics which tell the story of how she lost her husband in battle, thinking it’s a sure fire win for the contest.
23	* AwfulTruth: [[spoiler: Michael died because of friendly fire -- caused by Donny]].
24	* Main/BandOfBrothers: The Donny Nova Band, a group of strangers and acquaintances, become "brothers" by the end through their shared trauma and healing.
25	* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Julia spends most of the show begging Donny to tell her how Michael died. When Donny finally bursts out with the AwfulTruth, Julia is begging him to stop.
26	* BerserkButton: For the whole band, people who didn't serve ignoring or dismissing veterans. For Donny in particularly, Creator/FrankSinatra.
27	* BlackComedy: Michael apparently had a sense of this ''before'' he went to war. Julia claims he made a joke about a girl stuffing her bra enough that, if she caught fire, she'd light up like the Hindenburg.
28	** The guys engage in this when responding to the announcement that they were responsible for paying their own way to the contest without a guarantee they'd be on the contest. "What's a little dysentery between friends?"
29	* Main/BreadAndCircuses: Averted. NBC plans to use the Donny Nova Band for this but the trope is inevitably averted when they sing the original version of Welcome Home in 'Welcome Home (Reprise)'.
30	* BuryYourGays: [[spoiler: Justified with Jimmy's lover, a fellow Navy man who died in a shipwreck]].
31	* ChekhovsSkill: Jimmy is in law school on the GI Bill and calls out various things in the show that are illegal. In the third act, he is the one who can ReadTheFinePrint to see that the contract they signed with NBC gave them the right to use their song without their permission and without compensation.
32	* DisappearedDad: [[spoiler: Julia's father abandoned her and her mother to be with his secretary. They live just a few blocks away too.]]
33	* DistressedDude: Played with. Donny isn't in physical danger but the trauma he endured in war has left his psyche rather fragile. See ArmorPiercingQuestion above.
34	* TheDitz: Johnny, as a result of injuries he sustained in the war. He keeps reminding people that the truck flipped three times.
35	* DontExplainTheJoke: Davy has to explain a couple dirty jokes to Johnny because of his TBI.
36	-->" See, giraffes are really tall..."
37	* DraftDodging: Davy asks the NBC producer if he fought in the war or used his profitable job as a way to avoid it.
38	* Main/DrowningMySorrows: Davy and Donny in particular, both of whom are seen drinking to try to forget the horrors they saw firsthand.
39	* EveryoneMeetsEveryone:"I Know A Guy" introduces all the members of the band aside from Julia.
40	* {{Fangirl}}: Three ambush the band near the end of the play.
41	* FeminineWomenCanCook: Julia was baking and covered in flour when she met Donny.
42	* HeterosexualLifePartners: Donny and Michael were brothers in arms and seemed to care for each other a lot. Michael wrote letters to Julia telling her about Donny, and he made Donny promise to check in on his wife if he didn't survive.
43	* Main/IWantSong: "Donny Novitski," doubles as an Main/IAmSong.
44	* Main/HeroicBSOD: Julia, after Donny tells her that [[spoiler:Michael died because of friendly fire from Donny]].
45	** Donny has one at the end of the first act. When a producer from NBC, after telling them NBC won't pay for their travel to the competition, which might not guarantee them appearing on TV, says that no one will believe them because "if nobody sees it, it didn't happen." While the other band members lash out, Donny collapses behind the piano.
46	** Julia also has a silent one in the opening number, when the choreography shows the soldier coming to inform her of Michael's death.
47	* {{Jerkass}}: Roger Cohen, the producer in charge of The Tribute to the Troops competition. He clearly has absolutely no interest in any of the bands competing, especially the Donny Nova Band, and acts extremely cold to all of the Vets in the Donny Nova Band.
48	* LethalChef: Downplayed. Mrs. Adams isn't a bad cook, but she is likely to make serious mistakes, like spilling tons of paprika on deviled eggs.
49	* TheLostLenore: Michael to Julia. Her song "Who I Was" talks a lot about how his death has defined her, and she even asks Donny for details about his death a year after they met.
50	* TheMaidenNameDebate: variation. Donny suggests that Julia use her maiden name (Adams) for the band instead of her married name, Trojan. Julia refuses because she doesn't want to lose her last link to her late husband.
51	* ManlyTears: Donny does this at least twice. Once when he's told that [[spoiler: the band has to pay for their own trip to New York]], and again when he tells Julia [[spoiler: what really happened the day Michael died]].
52	* NeverHeardThatOneBefore: Julia's married name is Trojan. Her husband's nickname in the army (and in high school) was "Rubber." (Donny's actually reluctant to tell her that he went by Rubber until she says that he was called that in high school). She tells the guys that she's heard all the jokes.
53	* NotEnoughToBury: [[spoiler: the AwfulTruth of what happened to Michael. Julia didn't know until Donny told her.]]
54	* PosthumousCharacter: Michael dies in the prologue but his death plays a large role in the way Donny and Julia interact with each other and influences the progress of their relationship.
55	* Main/ReadTheFinePrint: The Donny Nova Band's contract with NBC. They sign it without reading the fine print, but Jimmy discovers that the contract essentially signs away the rights to the winning song and doesn't even require the studio to give them anything more than background roles in the film.
56	* RefugeInAudacity: performing "Welcome Home" on live TV because they knew that if NBC was going to steal their song they would never be able to put a WarIsHell song in a movie.
57	* ScrewDestiny: Mrs. Adams' song "Everything Happens" is an ode to this mindset.
58	* SecondLove: Donny is Julia's second love, after her husband Michael's death in the war.
59	* Main/ShellShockedVeteran: All the guys of the band, emphasized both in dialogue and in the choreography.
60	* ShoutOutToShakespeare: Davy, several times. The casting call describes him as an "archetypal Falstaff."
61	* SirSwearsAlot: Davy, particularly when he hears bad news.
62	-->'''Davy''' We came, we saw, we said "Fuck it!"
63	* SmartPeopleWearGlasses: Jimmy Campbell.
64	* Main/SurvivorsGuilt: Donny Novitski "thinks it isn't fair how he made it out but left his buddy there." Especially because [[spoiler: it's his fault Michael didn't survive.]]
65	* ThisIsReality: The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gV9PTvT90sQ first version]] of "This Is Life," Donny and Julia's duet, notes that this would be the perfect moment for a GrandRomanticGesture if they were in a movie, but that their lives and relationship are considerably more complicated and messy.
66	* TheSmartGuy: Jimmy, who's using the G.I Bill to pursue a law degree and whose legal knowledge [[spoiler: catches the loophole in the NBC contract, saving the band from losing their song.]]
67	* Main/TorchSong: "Love Will Come And Find Me Again" can be considered this.
68	* Main/WarIsHell: A major theme throughout the musical, especially present in Welcome Home (Finale).

Context Theatre / Bandstand