STARBUCKS THE MUSICAL COMEDY
Biography of cast in order of importance to script.
Maria Bayonia (Barista) – Maria is an antagonist. She is a beautiful twenty five year old who works as a barista for Starbucks from six am to noon Monday through Friday. She attends NYU taking afternoon and evening classes working on her undergraduate degree in Business Administration. She is a devout Catholic whose parents emigrated from Cuba when she was a year old. Her effervescent personality is contagious, and with a warm loving smile and sultry brown eyes she has garnered a small army of male customers who come in every week day morning for a caffeine fix in various forms. Maria keeps her singing talent hidden, and unveils it at an opportune moment. She lives at home with her parents Josie and Dido and a younger sister Lupe who just graduated high school and is working as a beautician in Soho. She is quick witted and likes the banter with her clients and fellow workers.
Barry Feldman – Barry is the Protagonist. He is a shy thirty three year old CPA who works two blocks away from Starbucks in a Hedge Fund Company where he has been since graduating college. He is socially clumsy, unsure of whom he is and desperately needs a makeover. At six foot tall and adequate weight he needs to ditch the large black frame glasses for contact lenses, change his Brylcream matted down hair style, needs some exposure to the Sun to hide his sallow complexion. He also needs to give his wardrobe to Goodwill and shop for men’s clothing with someone who has an eye for fashion. He does not have a girl friend and has sworn off J Date which his mother gave him six months ago as a birthday present after several frightful experiences. He is infatuated with the barista, Maria, but realizes that her culture is much different than his orthodox Jewish upbringing, and more important, he knows he needs to shed his current persona in order to stand a chance with the girl of his dreams.
Joe Delany – A co-worker of Barry Feldman who is slightly older, and has everything going for him; impeccable dresser, good looks, charm, and a charismatic personality. Joe does not socialize with Barry, as he has his jock friends and his adult hockey buddies, not to mention an I Phone brimming with contact info of a sizeable stable of very attractive women from the Tri – State area. Early on in the play, Joe agrees to help Barry alter his image and style in an effort get the attention of the opposite sex. Joe’s character is much like the radio and TV personality; Shawn Hannity.
Marsha Fine – Starbucks store manager. At forty five she runs a tight ship, but can get frazzled when the morning line is out the door. While she likes Maria, she has become jealous of the attention she is receiving, especially from the new transformed Barry and attempts to sabotage their budding relationship. She can be a little rough around the edges but is fair to her employees and is hospitable to Starbucks clients. She is quick witted and amorous.
Tony Perone – An antagonist who is handsome, early thirty something who works for Con Edison repairing and maintain electrical lines under the streets of Manahttan. He is one of the Monday through Friday morning regulars who makes his daily pilgrimage to Starbucks for his morning jolt of a Grande Caffe Mocha and a chance to hit on Maria with a litany of sophomoric lines, most of which he mispronounces. While he is an attractive male, who works out several times a week, you will never see him on Jeopardy. He is just trying to add Maria to his stable of consenting women.
Lupe Bayonia – Marias’ younger sister who has just started learning the trade of being a beautician. She is the party girl looking for handsome guys to take her to fine restaurants and clubs in an exotic sports car. Her life’s goal is to find a husband, have five kids and own their own home in Northern New Jersey. Lupe was never an academian, but she was blessed with good looks and common sense which Maria calls upon from time to time, especially when it comes to men.
Craig Silver – A daily customer at Starbucks. Craig owns the Beauty Parlor where Lupe works and flits in and out of Starbucks during the day based on his stress level and need to gossip. Craig is in his mid forties and is attempting to recover from his live in boy friend Timmy who moved out last month. He always orders a Venti Latte made with skim milk. He is bright but affectacious, who will opine on a plethora of topics from fashion to politics, and is proud to be “out of the closet”
David Shapiro – An outgoing, somewhat over confident dull witted cashier at Starbucks who, out of laziness constantly writes down the wrong name of the customer on the coffee cup, causing Maria the barista to loose her cool with him from time to time. David is just shy of thirty chronologically, but acts ten years younger. While David is bright, he has no goals in life and attends as many Startreck conventions as possible during the year.
Joan Love – A very attractive and successful woman in her mid forty’s who use to live and work in lower Manhattan prior to starting her own company in a suburb of Cleveland. She was married for ten years and is now legally separated and is contemplating moving back to New York City in search for a new relationship while focusing on her career.