Books by Bill Russell

In modern-day Cape Cod, Joy, a baby boomer and proud hippie, is holding a memorial concert for the other half of her popular musical duo, Jump & Joy. When her tightly wound, conservative daughter and her sweet, rebellious granddaughter arrive from Oklahoma, sparks fly as one family seeks to find the common ground in their  different values, dreams, and goals. A heartfelt and hilarious story that celebrates diversity and acceptance, Unexpected Joy weaves folk-rock, pop, and blues in bringing together a family that hasn’t experienced true joy in decades.

.".. a raucous, irreverent and unfiltered new musical comedy. Enter an America where the government is in your kitchen, sniffing for outlawed cigarettes! The extreme anti-smoking laws test the sanity of one suburban family. Pam is having an impossible time trying to quit. Her husband Ernie retreats to the basement to relive the rock star dreams of his youth, while their teenage son Jimmy only turns away from his videogames to explore his gangster rapper persona. Adding to the dysfunctional dynamic is anti-smoking fanatic Phyllis, the neighbor who can't keep her nose out of everyone else's business. "--Page 4 of cover.

Judges selected from the audience actually vote and determine the winner who, therefore, may be different at each performance. The show takes its shots not by mocking the pageant from the outside, but by being one. The six contestants compete for the title of Miss Glamouresse (Glamouresse being a cosmetics company). Miss Deep South, Miss West Coast, Miss Great Plains, Miss Bible Belt, Miss Industrial Northeast. and Miss Texas and compete in evening gowns, talent, swim-wear and spokemodeling, plus the finalists answer actual calls from the Glamouresse Beauty Crisis Hotline.

Based on the true story of Siamese twins Violet and Daisy Hilton who became stars during the Depression, Side Show is a moving portrait of two women joined at the hip whose extraordinary bondage brings them fame but denies them love. Told almost entirely in song, the show follows their progression from England to America, around the vaudeville circuit, and to Hollywood on the eve of their appearance in the 1932 movie Freaks.With a completely reworked plot and n

Musical Book and Lyrics by Bill Russell. Music by Janet Hood. Characters: 20-25 males, 11-16 females (doubling or expanding possible.) Unit set A celebration of lives lost to AIDS told in free verse monologues with a blues, jazz and rock score, this piece is designed to include the community in a theatrical response to the AIDS crisis. It is often performed as a benefit for fund raising and consciousness raising. "Dramatic."---Spectator

A revised and expanded field guide providing descriptions and photographs of more than three hundred types of mushrooms, including details such as their scientific and common names, diagnostic features, size and color, edibility, primary habitats, similar species, and information from recent scientific studies.