Show Synopisis:
Denizens of Brooklyn prepare for a Saturday night out, and Johnny finds out he?s been promoted to being a regular singing waiter at Heinie?s. Johnny begins to fall for his girl Hildy?s best friend Katie. Katie?s sister Cissy and her boyfriend Harry worry about how quickly her relationship escalates with Johnny, but Katie accepts Johnny?s marriage proposal. Johnny spends all his money drinking with his friends, and the next day at the furniture store, he can?t pay for the bed and dolls that he and Katie pick out, so Katie pays for everything instead of having a fancy wedding dress and veil. A year after the wedding, Mr. Moriarty tries to get late insurance policy payment fees out of Katie while she cares for month-old Francie, because Johnny has lose his job due to drinking. Cissy announces that she wants to take someone?s baby so that she can give Harry a child, and Hildy prepares to get married to Aloysius, though she?s still angry at Katie for seeing her guy. Cissy fakes labor so that Harry won?t know the baby isn?t is (since he doesn?t know much about pregnancy anyway) and Katie and Johnny help her ?deliver? the baby. Johnny gets a lead on a job singing in a motion picture, but Katie has lost hope in him. Twelve years later, Katie finds out from Hildy that Aloysius, president of the local Union, has dropped Johnny because of complaints about his drunkenness, but Johnny tells her he?s working at a club and it pays well. Cissy goes to Katie?s and tells Francie that she?s meeting a former beau at Katie?s house, and Johnny realizes that his little girl is growing up into a smart and beautiful young woman. Cissy tells Johnny that her first serious beau (who was also named Harry, and married) is now a widow and wants to see her. Cissy?s current Harry finds Harry Swanswine pushing himself on Cissy and gets angry, but Cissy realizes she has no feelings left for Harry Swanswine. Harry finds Johnny taking Francie out on the streets for Halloween and convinces him to go drinking. Johnny wins a drawing for a piano at the sleazy club Mae runs and is excited to give it to Francie, but is told he can?t enter because he works there. He tries to fight for it and is thrown out and walks the streets trying to avoid his demons. France wants things to be better and offers to start working and switching to night school, but Johnny tells his family he?s going away to help build a tunnel from Manhattan to New Jersey. Cissy and Harry reconcile and get ready to have another baby, for real this time. Hildy comes over a few months later and tells Katie that Johnny collapsed and died while working on the tunnel. The following year, Francie graduates eighth grade and Katie doesn?t go because she ashamed to see Francie without flowers like the other kids who can afford them. Francie and Cissy show up afterwards and show her the bouquet Johnny left Cissy money and a note for before taking the job on Manhattan. Francie gives Katie her diploma, since she believes it really belongs to her. The neighborhood celebrates Francie?s accomplishment at their big block party.	

Character:
Katie, an optimistic and slightly naïve nineteen-year-old girl.
Johnny Nolan, an singing waiter who does not quite know how to resist the lure of alcohol.

Song Context:
Katie and Johnny both want to escalate their relationship, because they?re quickly falling for each other Johnny has regular employment as a singing waiter. Katie believes she needs to put more effort into their relationship, but Johnny just needs a little more time to become the better man he desperately wants to become for Katie. 	

Fun Facts:
1. This musical is based on the bestselling book by Betty Smith. 
2. Shirley Booth played the role of Aunt Sissy when the musical made its debut on Broadway, and while it was in development, the musical largely lost the focus of the novel on Francie and her adolescence. Many people believe that this new direction accounted for the shows short life. 
3. This song was one of the stand-out songs in the original production, and was included when the musical was reworked and rewritten at Goodspeed Musicals in 2003.