Book and Lyrics by Tom Jones
Music by Joseph Thalken

Based on the film by Colin Higgins

Based on the 1971 film, HAROLD & MAUDE is sub-titled “An Intimate Musical.” Though it has a large cast of characters, it employs only five actors: Harold, Maude, Harold’s mother Mrs. Chasen, and one man and one woman who play all the other roles. Written by Tom Jones (Book & Lyrics) and Joseph Thalken (Music) it was tried out first at the Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey where its intimate nature was substantially lost in the huge auditorium. Later, much rewritten and placed in a 500 seat theatre in Palo Alto, California, it was a great success with a sold-out and extended run. It should be pointed out that there are a number of changes from the film. Although the basic story is the same and the writers have kept a lot of the dark humor, this version attempts to dig deeper into the character of Maude and the impact of the love affair upon her as well as the young boy. They are, as she sings in one of the songs, “strolling along two sides of a river — a river known as Time.”