"You Oughta Be in Musicals!" is the fortieth episode of Pepper Ann. It aired on September 11, 1999.
Synopsis[]
Pepper Ann auditions for a school musical in order to put some excitement in her life, but an accident knocks her unconscious and sends her to a world where every day is a musical.
Plot[]
Pepper Ann is bored of her mundane daily routines and wishes to have a more exciting life. She spots an audition post for Detention: The Musical and deduces that the lead role is perfect for her. As she attempts to audition, Pepper Ann attempts to do a knee slide and falls off the stage and hits her head. When she comes to, both Ms. Stark and Mr. Clapper feel that she is not right for the lead role and, somewhat forcefully, kick her out of theater. Nicky and Milo come to cheer her up and inadvertently go straight into a musical ("Heck of a Town").
Pepper Ann is confused by the sudden break into song, as everyone is seemingly involved, but when she brings it up, no one seems to remember singing or dancing. She heads home where Lydia and Moose have their own number about dinner ("Chicken"). Pepper Ann asks why they never do that every night, but Lydia tells her that they do. The next day, Pepper Ann becomes concerned and tries to get to school, but Milo and Nicky lead the town into another musical number ("Sorry, World") and at school, Mr. Carter's lecture becomes one ("Photosynthesis").
Pepper Ann tries to continue her day at school, but everyone keeps interrupting her with small musical incidentals. Even her reflection cannot help, but burst into song ("You Are a Pretty One (Reflection's song)"). Pepper Ann tries to get her friends to stop singing, but they think that she is being delusional and insist that she continue to join them in their choreographed new life. Pepper Ann rushes home to get help from her mother, but she and Moose are singing an alternate rendition of their earlier song ("Mac and Cheese {Interlude}").
Pepper Ann, finally fed up with her new musical life, realizes that in order to escape, she must come to grips with what she really wants ("Enough"). Pepper Ann falls back and awakens back at the theater. It turns out that the episode's entire event was a dream and happily embraces her non-musical life. However, she is informed by Ms. Stark and Mr. Clapper that she got the role and that she will be musically training, causing her to faint. Pink-Eye Pete, who learned that he was not in Pepper Ann's dream, voices his disappointment ("One Alone (Pink-Eye Pete's solo)")
Cast[]
- Kathleen Wilhoite as Pepper Ann Pearson
- Jeff Bennett as Dieter Liederhosen, Pink-Eye Pete, Additional voices
- Danny Cooksey as Milo Kamalani
- Clea Lewis as Nicky Little
- Pamela Adlon as Moose Pearson
- April Winchell as Lydia Pearson, Abriola Stark, Additional voices
- Jim Cummings as Roland Carter
- James Avery as Owen Clapper
- Jenna von Oÿ as Trinket St. Blair
- Tino Insana as JoJo Diggity
- Paddi Edwards as Vera Groober-Schwartz
- Ellen Cleghorne as Nurse Oomla
Songs[]
- "Heck of a Town"
- "Ode to Chicken"
- "The Sun Song"
- "Photosynthesis"
- "You Are a Pretty One (Alter Ego's song)"
- "Ode to Mac and Cheese {Interlude}"
- "Enough!"
- "One Alone (Pink-Eye Pete's solo)"
Desk Gag[]
"Ooh, five bucks!"
Trivia[]
- This episode features a unique font for the title, and is the first to be in a color other than white (which would become standard practice for the fourth season).
- Going by broadcast order, this is the first episode in which Nurse Oomla speaks.
- This entire episode is a musical, yet is the third episode to feature singing whatsoever.
