The Teddy Bear: A Children's Musical for All Ages
Music, words and lyrics by Neal Learner (fall 2025)
Adapted from the children’s book, The Teddy Bear, by David McPhail
SYNOPSIS
This is a story about a little boy who loves his teddy bear. One night in a moment of confusion and sleepiness, the little boy leaves his bear behind at a restaurant. When the family returns to retrieve the bear, he is nowhere to be found. A careless busboy has accidentally thrown him away in a back-alley dumpster. The little boy and his family return home, distraught. The bear, however, is soon discovered by an old homeless man who takes him into his care. Months pass by until one day the homeless man sets his bear on a park bench as he goes off to look for food. At that very moment, the little boy and his family walk by and discover the bear sitting there. The little boy is overjoyed to see his old friend, and the family starts to walk out of the park with the bear. Just then, the homeless man returns to the bench and finds his companion gone. He begins wailing with sadness. The little boy sees this display and is deeply touched. This is a story about compassion and growing up.
CHARACTERS
LITTLE BOY (young boy, ~6)
FATHER (young adult male, 30s)
MOTHER (young adult female, 30s)
OLD MAN (homeless older man - 50s/60s)
WAITRESS/HOMLESS PERSON (any age female)
BUSBOY/HOMELESS PERSON (any age male)
NARRATOR (any age/sex)
SONGS
My Best Friend – LITTLE BOY/PARENTS
He Gets it from Your Side - PARENTS
Going to the Zoo – LITTLE BOY/PARENTS
Stuff Left Behind – WAITRESS/BUSBOY
Our Bear is Missing – ALL
Let Me Show You Around – OLD MAN/HOMELESS FRIENDS
Time Moves On – LITTLE BOY/OLD MAN/CAST
Where We Belong – FULL CAST
The Teddy Bear - Select Songs (DEMO)
French Cupcakes: A Musical
French Cupcakes: A New Musical
Book, music, and lyrics, by Neal Learner (2024)
Where dreams come true, just not the ones that you expect.
French Cupcakes is more than a legendary café-bakery in this Midwest college town: it’s a place of dreams. Café manager/grad student Tina dreams of becoming a diplomat. House musician Nick dreams of becoming a country music star. Second year MBA student Bridget dreams of becoming a Wall Street titan. Baristas dream of becoming Cancan dancers in Paris. And café owner Pierre dreams of selling his shop and retiring along the French Riviera. When Pierre puts his dream into action, the others scramble to adjust their own dreams. Dreams ruined, dreams deferred, dreams realized: French Cupcakes explores the twists and turns of our desires that fuel this thing called life.
French Cupcakes is light and airy with a dash of absurdity and a layer of truth.
