SHANGRI-LA-LA-LA™
SHANGRI-LA-LA-LA™ -- A theatrical comedy series created by Mike Meier
A devil wants honest work. Two tigers want a night off. A dead gangster would like a little respect—and he would prefer that you call him Ben.
Welcome to SHANGRI-LA-LA-LA™, a growing series of theatrical comedies about people—and other creatures—trying to escape the roles they have been assigned.
The series grows out of the world of SHANGRI-LA-LA, the musical by Mike Meier and Peter Giambalvo, with music by Meier. Inspired in part by Meier’s real-life experiences involving Siegfried & Roy, that world combines Las Vegas spectacle with backstage grievances, extravagant promises, and some very inconvenient truths.
Now its characters have unfinished business of their own.
Independent Short Plays
Each short play tells a complete story, with its own conflict and ending. Audiences can enjoy any of them without knowing the original musical.
BAD CHARACTERS
A ten-minute comedy | Four actors
Mephisto, Bugsy, Mantacore, and Freedom gather for book club. Their selection: a novel about a misunderstood Las Vegas visionary whose enemies eventually forgive him. The tigers have questions. Mephisto wants an orderly discussion. Bugsy seems unusually sensitive to criticism.
As the conversation turns personal, the club discovers that a happy ending can depend on who gets to write it—and whose words have been borrowed without permission.
NO TIGER, NO SHOW
A ten-minute musical comedy | Three actors
Minutes before their Las Vegas act, Mantacore and Freedom go on strike. Their demand is simple: one evening outside the cage, together.
Bugsy offers bigger billing, souvenir mugs, and a private pool. The tigers keep asking about the door. With an audience waiting and his bargaining power disappearing, the dead gangster faces a terrifying possibility: tonight, he may have to do the Funky Chicken himself.
A REFERENCE FROM HELL
A ten-minute musical comedy | Two actors
Exhausted by soul collection, Mephisto applies for honest work and asks Bugsy for a professional reference. Bugsy agrees to tell the truth.
Manipulation becomes “customer engagement.” Entrapment becomes “customer retention.” But when Bugsy finally writes an uncompromising account of Mephisto’s career, the casino considers it a glowing recommendation. A new job brings the devil an unwelcome encounter with his old self.
The Original Musical
SHANGRI-LA-LA follows the glittering rise of Siegfried & Roy into backstage conflict and a courtroom battle inspired by a real-life lawsuit. Original songs, theatrical absurdity, and a devil’s messenger accompany a story about fame, loyalty, and the cost of keeping an illusion alive.
The musical is available in a full-length two-hour version and an abbreviated one-hour festival version. A screenplay adaptation brings the story to the screen.
Explore these versions on FilmFreeway:
NO TIGER, NO SHOW:
https://filmfreeway.com/projects/4263507
A REFERENCE FROM HELL: https://filmfreeway.com/projects/4263505
BAD CHARACTERS:
