''The Boy Detective Fails'' is the fourth novel by

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

author

Joe Meno Joe Meno (born 1974) is an American novelist, writer of short fiction, playwright, and music journalist based in Chicago. Biography After attending Columbia College Chicago, Meno spent time working as a flower delivery truck driver and art ther ...

, released by

Punk Planet ''Punk Planet'' was a 16,000 print run punk zine, based in Chicago, Illinois, that focused most of its energy on looking at punk subculture rather than punk as simply another genre of music to which teenagers listen. In addition to covering music ...

Books in 2006.

Plot summary

In the twilight of a childhood full of wonder, Billy Argo, Boy detective, is brokenhearted to find his young sister and crime-solving partner, Caroline, has committed suicide. Ten years later, Billy, age thirty, returns from an extended stay at Shady Glens Facility for Mental Competence to discover a world full of unimaginable strangeness: office buildings vanish without reason, small animals turn up without their heads, and cruel villains ride city buses to complete their evil schemes. Lost within this unwelcoming place, Billy finds the companionship of two lonely children, Effie and Gus Mumford—one a science fair genius, the other a charming, silent bully. With a nearly forgotten bravery, Billy confronts the monotony of his job in telephone sales, the awkward beauty of a desperate pickpocket named Penny Maple, and the seemingly impossible solution to the mystery of his sister's death. Along a path laden with hidden clues and codes that dare to be deciphered, the boy detective may learn the greatest secret of all: the necessity of the unknown.

Musical

Author Joe Meno collaborated with composer and lyricist

Adam Gwon Adam Gwon is an American composer and lyricist living in New York City. Personal life Gwon was born in Boston, and spent his childhood in Baltimore before attending New York University Tisch School of the Arts. While studying acting at NYU, Gwon ...

to adapt the novel into a musical of the same name, which premiered in August–October 2011 at the

Signature Theatre (Arlington, Virginia) Signature Theatre is a Tony Award winning regional theater company based in Arlington, Virginia. Overview Founded in 1989, Signature Theatre is known for its productions of contemporary musicals and plays, reinventions of classic musicals, an ...

. Nine years after the run at Signature Theatre, director/playwright

Aaron Posner Aaron Posner is an American playwright and theater director. He was co-founder of the Arden Theatre Company in Philadelphia and was the artistic director of Two River Theatre from 2006 to 2010. He has directed over 100 productions at major regiona ...

directed a new version of the musical at

American University The American University (AU or American) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Its main campus spans 90 acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, mostly in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Northwest D.C. AU was charte ...

's Greenberg Theatre for a four-show run from February 13–15, 2020. This new version was developed in workshop with

and

, and featured cuts, edits, new songs, and an adjusted plot/storyline.

Musical Characters

Note: These are characters that appear only in the musical version, and are listed as so from the Characters section of the script.

Character List

* Billy Argo * Caroline Argo * Fenton Mills * Professor Von Golum * Penny / Ensemble * Larry / Mr. Mammoth / Ensemble * Detective Brown / Ensemble * Dale Hardly / Ensemble * Violet Dew / Ensemble * Therapist / Ensemble (Female) * Nurse Eloise / Ensemble * Ensemble

Cast

Musical Numbers

Act 1 * "Prologue" – Company * "Billy Argo, Boy Detective" – Company * "Caroline" – Billy, Ensemble * "Amazing" – Larry, Billy, Ensemble * "Out of My Mind" – Von Golum, Billy, Ensemble * "Old Tree House" – Billy, Caroline, Fenton, Ensemble * "As Long As You Are Here" – Penny, Billy, Ensemble * "Evil" – Von Golum, Billy, Ensemble * "Haunted Mansion" – Billy, Caroline, Fenton, Ensemble * "I Like (The Secret Song)" – Billy, Penny * "After Secrets/Haunted" – Billy, Ensemble Act 2 * "Entr'act" – Company * "That's All" – Billy, Dale, Violet, Ensemble * "Little Mysteries" – Penny, Billy * "Amazing (Reprise)" – Larry, Billy, Ensemble * "Billy Argo, Boy Detective (Reprise)" – Ensemble * "Always" – Von Golum, Billy * "Let Me Save You" – Billy, Ensemble * "Finale" – Company

References

External links

Amazon.com
: Articles and reviews about 'The Boy Detective Fails'. 2006 American novels Novels by Joe Meno {{2000s-fantasy-novel-stub