Calvin Berger is a musical

Musical theatre

Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...

 with book, lyrics, and music written by Barry Wyner. Its story is loosely based on Rostand's

Edmond Rostand

Edmond Eugène Alexis Rostand was a French poet and dramatist. He is associated with neo-romanticism, and is best known for his play Cyrano de Bergerac. Rostand's romantic plays provided an alternative to the naturalistic theatre popular during the late nineteenth century...

 Cyrano de Bergerac

Cyrano de Bergerac

Hercule-Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac was a French dramatist and duelist. He is now best remembered for the works of fiction which have been woven, often very loosely, around his life story, most notably the 1897 play by Edmond Rostand...

.

Plot

Calvin Berger, a high school senior, is smitten by Rosanna but because of his appearance, particularly the size of his nose, he feels insecure. Rosanna just treats him like a friend but is attracted to the handsome newcomer Matt, who would like to talk to her but is inhibited by being nervous and shy. Rosanna uses Calvin as a go-between to set up a date, and Calvin exploits this role to "date" Rosanna by using Matt as his physical stand-in feeding him the lines to entice her. Rosanna does not get along with Bret, another girl, who likes Calvin and realizes that he has a crush on Rosanna. When Matt gaines more confidence and thinks that he can communicate without Calvin's support, Rosanna discovers the deception. Matt has to regain Rosanna's trust and love, while Calvin realizes what he has done and that his preoccupation with his physical appearance led him astray. He discovers that Bret has been there for him all along and finds love.

Production history

The world premiere of the musical took place on August 31, 2006 to September 17, 2006 at the Gloucester Stage Company in Massachusetts.
In 2007, it was produced by the Barrington Stage Company

Barrington Stage Company

Barrington Stage Company is a regional theatre company in The Berkshires of Western Massachusetts. It was co-founded in 1995 by Artistic Director, Julianne Boyd, and Managing Director, Susan Sperber, in Sheffield, Massachusetts...

 at the Athanaeum in Pittsfield, Massachusetts

Pittsfield, Massachusetts

Pittsfield is the largest city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. Its area code is 413. Its ZIP code is 01201...

. Its third production took place at the George Street Playhouse

George Street Playhouse

George Street Playhouse is a theatre in New Brunswick, New Jersey, one of the state's preeminent professional theatres committed to the production of new and established plays....

 in New Brunswick, New Jersey

New Brunswick, New Jersey

New Brunswick is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, USA. It is the county seat and the home of Rutgers University. The city is located on the Northeast Corridor rail line, southwest of Manhattan, on the southern bank of the Raritan River. At the 2010 United States Census, the population of...

 in 2010 with Kathleen Marshall

Kathleen Marshall

Kathleen Marshall is an American choreographer, director, and creative consultant.-Life and career:Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Marshall graduated from Taylor Allderdice High School and Smith College. She worked in the Pittsburgh theatre scene when she was younger, performing with such...

as director.