SYNOPSIS

THE RIGHT TO FABULOUSNESS is the story of a friendship between a white man, Joey, and a black man, Mel, in 1928 St. Paul, Minnesota. Joey obtains a job for Mel singing on a local radio station. When Mel's voice wins fans and personal appearances are demanded, Mel's color is concealed by having Joey front for him, lip synching his songs. When the men tire of the deception, Mel's woman-friend, Vyra, insisted they continue to pursue success because they have "The Right to Fabulousness." After a popular radio show and a hit movie, Mel quits the arrangement. However, he promises to teach Joey to sing for himself, a process that involves Joey not only finding his voice, but finding his courage.

PRINCIPAL AUTHOR'S BIOGRAPHY

Richard C. Kogl (Book and Lyrics, Music) Richard Kogl is a retired

psychiatrist whose second career is short story writing, playwriting and the writing of musical comedies. One of his short stories has been e-published. His one-act play, "The Guest," opens in the Catskills in New York in August. He also has co-authored another play, "Bridges," which opens at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival also in August. He learned the writing of musicals by applying the approach Oscar Hammerstein II told Stephen Sondheim: write a score to an already written play, then write a score and book for a work of fiction other than a play, third, write book and score for an original idea. Richard lives with his wife Dorothy in San Mateo, California.