World Premiere (In Concert)

One Step Forward is a glorious new musical loosely based on Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. Set in 1945, right on the cusp of swing and bebop, this musical explores the ramifications of World War II in America, the ‘just war’ that was a catalyst for overwhelming social, sexual, racial, and political change. It also explores the new order of male-female relationships that came into being when our soldiers returned from World War II.

“This show is smarter and has a better score than at least 80 percent of the shows on Broadway in the last five years”
- Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune

“By all rights, Leslie Arden should be the toast of Broadway. Yet in this age of compulsive irony, fractured storytelling, jukebox scoring and a newborn enthusiasm for vaudeville shtick, Arden - a Canadian composer-lyricist of enormous sophistication and grace - might possess too much fervor and intelligence to find her place there”
- Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun-Times

Music and Lyrics By Leslie Arden

Book by Tim French
Conceived by Tim French

Additional Dialogue by Berni Stapleton