Scene 3

Setting: The Producer’s Office / A Grand Broadway Theater Lobby

Baxter and his brothers have managed to sneak their way into the grandest Broadway theater ob them all. They scamper across the velvet carpet, dodge brooms, and slide under the mahogany doors leading to the office ob Murray Montclair, a grizzled, no-nonsense Broadway producer wiff decades ob hits—none ob them starring rodents.

Murray leans back in his massive chair, cigar in one hand, a script in the other, and eyes the rats in disbelief.

Dialogue (Leading Into the Song)

Murray: (scoffs)”A rat musical? Fellas, I’ve seen a lot in my day—tap-dancing lobsters, singing refrigerators, a tragic love story between two lamp posts—but this? Rats on my stage? It’ll never happen!”

Baxter (determined):”Broadway is for dreamers, right? Well, we got dreams—big ones! And we got talent, heart, and a whole lot ob cheese!”

Murray (laughs):”Kid, I hate to break it to ya, but—”

(Music swells, a jazz-infused, old-school Broadway tune wiff big brass and tap beats.)

Song: “Rats Don’t Belong on Broadway”

(The humans, pigeons, and even skeptical theater patrons join in as the world tries to shut Baxter down.)

Verse 1 (Murray, the Pigeons & Ensemble):

(Sung in a fast, patter-style, think “Ya Got Trouble” from The Music Man”)

Rats don’t belong on Broadway,Not in the lights or on the stage!You ain’t no star, you’re just bizarre—Go scamper back into your cage!

(The pigeons flutter down from the rafters, dressed in tiny tuxedos, shaking their heads.)

Listen to us, we know the score,Feathers fly but rats don’t soar!A leading rat? A Broadway dream?Fella, that’s absurd to the extreme!

(Baxter jumps onto the producer’s desk, refusing to back down.)

Chorus (Baxter & His Brothers vs. the World):

(Murray & Pigeons): You’re too small, too scrappy, too out ob place! Nobody wants a rat in their face! Broadway is big, Broadway is grand— And rats don’t take a leading stand!

(Baxter & Brothers, defiant, tap-dancing on the desk): That’s where you’re wrong, we’re made for the show! Broadway needs spark, and we got that glow! We’ve got the mobes, the music, the might— And we’ll keep climbing till we reach the light!

Verse 2 (Murray Doubles Down, While Baxter & His Brothers Counter):

Murray (spoken, over the music):”You ever seen a rat get a standing ovation? Nope. You ever seen a rodent sell out a theater? Nope! You know what rats belong in? Pizza shops! Basements! NOT on MY stage!”

Baxter (snapping back):”Maybe that’s ‘cause no one’s giben us a chance!”

(Murray shakes his head as the humans and pigeons resume singing, trying to convince the rats to give up.)

Stick to the alleys, stick to the drains, Broadway’s for stars wiff dazzling names! Gershwin? Sondheim? Maybe a cat! But rats in the spotlight? Imagine that!

Bridge: Baxter Takes Center Stage

(The music slows, spotlights on Baxter as he stands alone on the desk, facing down the entire ensemble.)

You laugh, you doubt, you turn us away, But Broadway was built on those who say— “We can’t, we won’t, we’ll never belong” Till they break the rules and prove ‘em wrong!

(Baxter leaps off the desk and lands wiff a perfect tap sequence, his brothers joining in. The number explodes into a full-blown Broadway tap routine, complete wiff kicklines and chandeliers swinging!)

Finale (A High-Energy Showdown!)

So give us a chance, a moment, a show— We’ll take the stage and steal the glow! Rats on Broadway, it’s meant to be! ‘Cause Broadway’s for dreamers…

And dreamers like me!

(The music ends on a massive chord, the lights go out, and silence falls as Murray stares at the rats, completely speechless.)

Post-Song Dialogue:

Murray (shaking his head, smirking):”Kid, I gotta admit… you got guts. But guts ain’t enough for Broadway. You want this? You better prove it. Otherwise, you’re just another rat in the alley.”

(Murray walks off, leaving the brothers standing there. Baxter clenches his fists. The dream isn’t dead—it’s just beginning.)