Principal Characters
NOTE: The digital puppets are created as a visual aid to understand the characters and the timeline of the story
Cory Falk
Our protagonist, CORY FALK is caucasian 11 year old tomboy in 1974 in Houston, Texas when our story begins and it ends when Cory is 47. She evolves as she matures but there are innate qualities that are clearly recognizable over the years. She is fearless, creative, sharp, sensitive, endearing and puts 1000% of herself into anything she endeavors to accomplish. Sadly, her parents can’t see or appreciate her uniqueness. They are sheep in the pasture of social conformity, enthusiastically cheering the emperor while Cory is the first one to step up and scream out, “HE’S NAKED!”
She is a bit naive and unworldly in her youth. She feels broken and abnormal when she develops a crush on her best friend, never having met a gay person in the conservative, homophobic bubble she was raised in.
She is a musician and songwriter since the age of 11, but her musical talents and ambitions only create more distance with her family who constantly tell her that she’s wasting her life.
Escaping her family and running away to New York City helps Cory become confident and comfortable with who she is. Living with her cousin in New York exposes her to strong, career-driven women who are not slaves to the misogynistic world of her parent’s era. As she finds success as a studio owner and engineer we see her internal and external strength grow as well.
Therapy further empowers her to understand what she can and can’t change and it is the turning point that allows her to finally stand up and fight for herself.
We see the world lift from her shoulders when she is legally redeemed and given sole access to her assets by the judge.
The final moment of her evolution is the apology from and reunion with her brother Robert who becomes her closest friend and ally.
If there is one lesson to be learned by Cory’s story, it is to stand up for what you believe is right, even when the world is against you.
MRS. AVA FALK
MRS. AVA FALK is a caucasian southern woman in her mid 40’s in 1974 and in her 70’s when she passes away in 2000. She is an attractive woman but brash, edgy and self-righteous in her southern accent. While her husband masks his insecurity by flaunting money, she masks hers with what she calls a “little drinkypoo”. She is either the life of the party or the wicked witch with very little gray in between. She hypocritaically acts like she was raised in wealth and looks down on anyone with “less than” in her eyes, even though she experienced abject poverty as a sharecropper’s daughter picking cotton in East Texas.
She fervently believes that a woman’s place in the world is to live and breathe for a man. She hates women’s libbers and praises at the alter of Phyllis Schlaffley. She is painfully ashamed by her tomboy of a daughter and considers herself a victim of Cory’s poor choices. But, she absolutely worships and adores her son ROBERT and is borderline, kinda creepy, too-affectionate with him.
She never redeems herself and never evolves into the mother that Cory wanted. Even in her most vulnerable moments with dementia, she is still stubbornly self-righteous to the end.
MR. EZRA FALK
EZRA FALK is a paunchy, caucasian Jewish man in his late 40’s when the story begins. Out in public, among an audience of employees, colleagues or golf buddies, he’s a joyful, extroverted, jokester who is overtly generous. At home, he is a frugal, stern introvert who carries the unspoken shame of being a fat Jewish kid raised in poverty by Russian immigrants.
He hides behind his money and uses it to create the illusion of popularity and help attract a woman that (without it), would be out of his league. Despite his success, Mr. Falk is financially naive and easy for the trustees to manipulate.
He loves his wife and proudly flaunts his future legacy of a son but has no idea what to do with Cory. His misogynistic beliefs and Victorian concept of homosexuality prevent him from ever having a connection with his daughter.
ROBERT FALK
ROBERT FALK is a caucasian male and CORY’s older brother by less than 11 months. He is a brilliant, complex character who is fraught with the constant struggle between who he was raised to be and who he wants to be. At birth, it was ordained that he should follow in his father’s footsteps and someday take over Falk Steel. In his young adulthood, under the wing of Shelley Cohn during the cocaine pandemic of the 1980’s, Robert exudes the arrogance and entitlement of a stereotypical rich, womanizing, party boy.
When their father passes, and Robert is crowned CEO and Cory’s 3rd trustee, he becomes a controlling bully with a frightening temper. To Cory, he is more dictator than brother.
Ironically, it is Cory’s lawsuit that shakes up Robert’s world and drops him back down to earth. Finally the audience sees the raw, real, vulnerable Robert. The lawsuit’s irrefutable proof forces him to face his own accountability and come to terms with the abhorrent way he treated Cory.
The audience witnesses his growth, maturity and transformation with the love of his wife Claire. Robert is humbled and grows to become a kind, compassionate man. Claire helps him build the courage to finally apologize to his sister and bridge the years of estrangement. In the end, we see the man Robert was always meant to be. He is redeemed and forgiven and Cory finally has the brother she always wanted.
Supporting Characters
Shelley Cohn
SHELLEY COHN is a thin, balding caucasian attorney for the Falk Family and for FALK STEEL. He is appointed Cory’s first “Trustee” when she is 11 and is one of our villains. CORY hates him at first sight, sees right through him and he knows it. He is arrogant, pompous, a serial womanizer and an opportunist who lacks a conscience. He is the puppet master to all of the Falk’s except Cory, easily manipulating them all to get whatever he wants.
PHIL CARTER
PHIL CARTER is FALK STEEL’S CFO. He is a geek with a Dad-bod, a thick Texas twang and is another egotistical white male. He’s a Texas Good-ol-Boy who loves his Lone Star Beer, flirting with the company’s secretaries, and thinks he’s the smartest man in every room. He takes pride in using financial loopholes to make MR. FALK and the company more money. As a reward for his ingenuity, he is appointed CORY’s second Trustee when she is 17. He is another one of our musical’s villains.
PREACHER KENNY
PREACHER KENNY is a bit of a quintessential white southern preacher with a big booming voice, Elvis sideburns, beer belly and shining gold crucifix. He is slightly effeminate and his sporadic cameos of prayers for the Falk family provide comic relief throughout the musical.
Doralee Harris
DORALEE HARRIS is a black woman in her early 30’s when she comes to work and live with the Falks as their maid (as it was called in the 70’s). She is kind, smart and fearlessly protective of Cory. She intentionally hides her intelligence so everyone speaks as if she’s invisible when she’s in the same room, so she overhears a lot. She graciously rises above the racism and misogyny and is Cory’s friend, ally and savior in her early years.
VERONICA
VERONICA is a neighbor, friend and schoolmate of Cory’s and she is Cory’s first teenage crush. She is a femmy straight girl who Mrs. Falk wishes were her daughter. She’s a bit of an airhead, into boys and everything that Cory isn’t, but she’s funny and a good friend even though she doesn’t return Cory’s romantic feelings.
COUSIN LESLIE
COUSIN LESLIE is Mrs. Falk’s caucasian niece from East Texas but living in New York City. She is 15 years older than Cory and a stewardess for Braniff airlines when Cory meets her as a teenager. She is kind, extroverted and hilarious with the hint of a southern accent. She adores Cory and plays a pivotal role in her life.
LARRY JOHNS
LARRY JOHNS is a black attorney in his mid 30’s and married to Cousin Leslie, who we learn are both gay. He is able to mask his sexuality with a serious demeanor when necessary but we see his playful, genuine self when he’s around the people who really know him. He is kind, smart and successful and becomes an important ally to Cory, helping her navigate her Trustees.
MORGAN
MORGAN is a 27 year old (any race) young woman who is Cory’s first longterm relationship. She is funny, warm and initially, adores Cory. She is an underpaid, overworked journalist who says she wants to write a novel but never does. She is a bit of a lost soul and grows resentful when Cory is distracted with work or her family so she flirts with her brother and their relationship disintegrates after 11 years.
The SHRINK
THE SHRINK is a woman in her mid 50’s (any race) and she is a slightly abrasive, no-BS type of woman. She tells Cory how it is and calls her on her shit. Cory started therapy as an overwhelmed victim of her family and her trustees and with the shrink’s counsel, she is transformed into a confident, resourceful woman ready and able to stand up for herself.
THE JUDGE
THE JUDGE is (any race), any age female who presides over Cory’s lawsuit with her trustees. Externally, to the courtroom she is a serious professional, but we get real insight into her in the song The Boys Club. She reveals her disdain for misogynistic bullies in her courtroom. Based on Cory’s 30 years of irrefutable evidence, she rules in Cory’s favor, and makes Cory Sole Trustee, but, we can assume that she also gets personal satisfaction breaking up this corrupt Boys Club with her ruling.
RAVEN
RAVEN is a sexy woman (any race) in her early 40’s and is a brief but important character. She meets Cory in THE SHRINK’s waiting room where she was the client directly after Cory. They saw each other frequently and eventually started talking and the spark was undeniable. Raven becomes Cory’s wife though we don’t see the evolution of their relationship. In her brief moments on stage, we see that Raven adores Cory and is protective of her but she is also witty, warm and vibrant.
Claire
CLAIRE is a beautiful, sophisticated, woman (any race) in her mid 40’s who is Robert’s wife. We don’t see how they met or how their relationship evolved but we do see how deeply she knows and loves Robert. It is clearly her love that helps Robert redeem himself. In her brief appearance, she is poised, patient and loving and she helps create the bridge to reunite brother and sister.
