INMTBG The Musical – Toured from April, 2010 – April, 2012

It’s Not Mean to be Green the Musical

Jamie Kleman was having a normal day…
until she received an email that changed everything. Jamie learned the little book she had written to help children understand what it means to “go green” had the chance to come to life on stage. Things would never be the same…

TribeSound Studio was having a normal day…
until a conversation they had changed everything. In addition to their regular studio recording sessions and musical careers, Jamie Kleman asked them to sign on and develop and produce the music for It’s Not Mean to be Green the Musical. Hundreds of studio hours later, countless all-nighters, over thirty contributing vocalists and musicians, pots of coffee, love, fun and creativity are mixed into all of the songs in It’s Not Mean to be Green the Musical.

The Play’s the Way:
Like the book, The Musical traced the mental journey of young Michael McDurth from his first encounter with that odd phrase “going green”; through some very strange dreams; and finally to discovering the things that a child (and his parents) can do to keep Mother Earth from being “quite blue”. The sets for the play were even based directly on Tara Volpe’s colorful and simply whimsical illustrations for the book.

The musical format allowed Jamie and her gifted collaborators to emphasize the educational and entertainment values of the book in ways not possible for the print medium. Played by puppets in the musical version, the panoply of weird green beings in Michael’s dreams, for instance, got to have a little musical interlude to express their frustration at being misunderstood! The vampire, typically o-punionated, vows, “It’s enough to drive me batty!”

Hear some of the music below, or buy it here!