“JED” is a new family musical based upon the Coretta Scott King Award-winning book and Reading Rainbow favorite, “Uncle Jed’s Barbershop” (option secured), written by Margaree King Mitchell and illustrated by James Ransome.
Book by Cheryl Davis (click for more information)
Music and Lyrics by David Wohl
Margaree King Mitchell, Author of the underlying book, “Uncle Jed’s Barbershop”:
I absolutely loved it! Seeing the characters I created come to life is simply amazing. The songs draw you into the story from the very beginning. I laughed! I cried! If you loved the book, you must see the show! You will love the show even if you haven’t read the book!
Synopsis Development History Song Samples
SYNOPSIS
JED is a musical celebration of dreams that never grow old! After many years away in Detroit, Sarah Jean Carter returns to her childhood home in Arkansas to visit her beloved and elderly Uncle Jed, and wrestles with the question: Should she participate in finally putting to rest Jed’s undimmed personal ambitions, or should she, now a grown and worldly woman, try to “dream like a child again” and re-join Jed in the dreams they once shared. Love, redemption, and forgiveness across the generations reveal an unexpected and uplifting answer for both.
The year is 1962. Forty-something Sarah Jean Carter reluctantly leaves Detroit and the security of her dead-end job to return to her childhood home in Arkansas, as her beloved elderly Uncle Jed has fallen ill. Once there, she finds herself torn between her love for Jed and her determination to quickly escape back North, far away from Jed’s stubbornness and seemingly irrational dream— of over thirty years— of owning his own barbershop.
Jed and Sarah Jean’s story begins in 1928. Young Sarah Jean tags along with her ambitious and driven Uncle Jed, to build a better future. By 1962, however, the now college educated, professional Sarah Jean dismisses the importance of dreams. The disparity of life experiences and expectations has pushed their relationship to the breaking point, as each one stubbornly insists they know what is best for the other. Ultimately, Jed and Sarah Jean create a path forward together, that opens up new possibilities for their family and others in their community, and that brings new life to their old dreams.
Ebonie Ward: “You come to the realization that your dreams lie in someone else’s gifts and capabilities, so their dreams become your dreams.”
DEVELOPMENT HISTORY
2021 Rensing Center, writing residency
2020 Reading, New York, sponsored by The Farm
2019 Ragdale Writers Retreat, Finalist
2019 Rhinebeck Writers Retreat, Finalist
2018 Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, writing residency
Synopsis Song Samples
