John Clifton

Man with a Load of Mischief: Complete Script of the Musical John Clifton

MAN WITH A LOAD OF MISCHIEF was originally presented off-Broadway in 1966, receiving rave reviews and garnering such comments as: "A solid hit!" and "Perfectly charming!" (New York Times), "Remarkably appealing!" (New York Post), and "Sprightly and ingratiating!" (NY Daily News). Since then this delightful musical has become a classic, seen in many productions throughout the United States and countries across the world. The six-character show has seen four revivals in New York City. RECORD WORLD described the show in this encapsulation: "Set in a Regency England highway inn, it scrambles with surprising little condescension the affairs of a gentleman who isn't a gentleman, a lackey who isn't a lackey, a lady who isn't a lady and a maid who isn't a maiden with grand comic style. But the show's real strength-happily, in this musically stultifying integrated age-lies in its tunes. If anyone would fault the songs for not being integrated, it is because they stand out from the text, as a good song will, and can be recalled after the last bow." Unfortunately the published script and piano-vocal score had not been available for purchase until their recent publication (2011). This script represents the complete musical, containing all the dialog and lyrics, with notes by the show's creators Ben Tarver and John Clifton.