What's itAbout
“Love Is Afoot!” is a taboo-smashing, toe-tapping, Big Band musical romantic comedy set in the 1940s, that takes audiences on a hilarious yet poignant journey through the unpredictable world of love. We tell this story through the eyes of Joe Smoot-Nibley, a decent man struggling to find acceptance and his “sole-mate.”
The absurd story is married to an award-winning original 16-song jazz-infused score that revives the rhythm, romance, and razzle-dazzle of classic Broadway. Ultimately proving that when the air stinks of romance, love is afoot!
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December 2025
Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, Waterford, CT
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November 2025
New Musicals, Inc. (NMI), Los Angeles, CA
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December 2024
Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, Waterford, CT
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(When the project was film focused)
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(When the project was film focused)
Set primarily in the 1940s, “Love Is Afoot!” is an outlandish, romantic musical comedy about love, acceptance, and staying true to oneself. Joe Smoot-Nibley is a hopeless romantic searching for his “sole-mate”—the girl of his dreams, Rose Marie Pedals.
She loves and understands Joe’s desires because she has a “thing” for feet herself. But because it’s labeled a forbidden love by society, they’re pulled apart again and again.
With guidance from a wise, magical Italian shoe cobbler, Joe and Rose Marie embark on a journey of self-discovery, learning that love—no matter how unconventional—is always worth fighting for.
“Love Is Afoot!” delivers a fresh, bold, and uniquely entertaining experience. Using foot and shoe fetishism as metaphors, the musical explores themes of feeling different and facing discrimination—all through a clever, silly, unexpected, and lighthearted hilarious lens, setting its own algorithm.
Set against the backdrop of the squeaky-clean 1940s, the story heightens the tension of forbidden love while embracing the charm and wit of the era. The time period also provides the perfect stage for the musical’s dynamic score—featuring the exhilarating sounds of Big Band, Swing, and hot Jazz.
Paying homage to the Golden Age of musicals, “Love Is Afoot!” boasts an original, high-energy score that captures the pulse of the 1940s/50s. The music spans a variety of styles-romantic and syrupy love ballads to big ensemble numbers. The roaring Big Band orchestrations make the score both thrilling and unforgettable.
Rather than following an operatic, pop, or “dialog over an underscore” style, each song in the “Love Is Afoot!” soundtrack is distinct, vibrant, and filled with clever, fun and poignant lyrics. The result is an engaging musical experience driven by the raw power of blaring horns, pounding drums, and unrelenting Big Band energy!
Right now, society is debating censorship, exclusion, and the definition of “normal,” the show delivers a timely, thought-provoking message. The musical explores themes of self-doubt, prejudice, and the subjectivity of morality, inviting audiences to question societal norms in an entertaining and heartfelt way.
The musical champions self-acceptance and tolerance—ideas that resonate deeply with today’s cultural conversations. With its uplifting message of “love is love,” the show reminds us that true freedom lies in embracing who we are and accepting others for who they are.
On Saturday, September 26, 2026, The Love Is Afoot! Musical Cabaret comes to The Velvet Whip Speakeasy in Philadelphia for an evening of laughter, romance, and unforgettable music.
Featuring seven songs from the award-winning original musical, the cabaret celebrates the show’s soaring Big Band-inspired score with performances by some of Philadelphia’s finest musical theatre artists.
Love Is Afoot! is a NMI (New Musicals Inc.) 2025 Search for New Musicals Award Winner and a two-time Semifinalist for the prestigious Eugene O’Neill National Music Theater Conference, earning recognition for its fresh storytelling, memorable characters, and timeless Broadway sound.
Whether you’re discovering the show for the first time or have followed its journey, this one-night-only Philadelphia Fringe Festival event is your chance to experience the heart, humor, and music that audiences have fallen in love with.
AUGUST 2023
Kevin Guillaume and Perry Sachs working on “Up My Alley”
“While our irreverent comedy may be the yoke that steers “Love Is Afoot!,” music is the engine that makes it fly!”
-Perry Sachs
Missy Hale (“Special Someone”), Tim Davis, Perry Sachs, Kevin Guillaume, Princess
(In order of appearance)
“As comedy writers who embrace the obscure and absurd, we wanted to explore bigotry and discrimination from a fresh and unconventional perspective.”
-Michael LaFata
Michael LaFata is a writer/producer with a background in business, blending creativity with strategy in an improbable yet successful fusion. From making his first short film at 12 to performing improv, sketch, and stand-up comedy in San Francisco, Oakland and Los Angeles. READ MORE
Perry came to Los Angeles from Washington D.C. in 1994. With his razor-sharp wit, gregarious personality and penchant for off-color subjects, he found his home away from home at the Groundling Theater and Acme Comedy Theater. While in the midst of his comedic training, Perry, and three of his closest friends, founded the sketch group The Joke Pimps. READ MORE
Interested in hearing Tim Davis? Chances are, you already have. Tim Davis has worked on over 100 feature films and television shows, including The Lion King, Beauty and The Beast, Indiana Jones, the entire 6 seasons on Fox’s hit series Glee, The Goldbergs, American Horror Story, American Idol, The Oscars, and more. In fact, it’s hard to escape Davis’s musical mark. READ MORE
Kevin Guillaume was born into show business! As the son of two-time Emmy & Grammy winning actor Robert Guillaume, he was introduced to the business at an early age. His first job in the business was at 9 years old in “Porgy & Bess” in Israel. It was one of those old State Dept. Tours. They visited Tel Aviv, Haifa, Jerusalem, Jafa… and it was MAGICAL!!!!! READ MORE
The SpongeBob Musical is a comin’ with an assist from David Bowie!! Musicals Rule! Check it out- https://www.yahoo.com/music/david-bowie-aerosmith-flaming-lips-pen-songs-for-128045731771.html
With Missi Hale vocalist batting Special Someone out. Tim Davis, Perry and Kevin
James Levine is the brains behind Action Casting and we are thrilled to have him assist Love Is Afoot! with our talent reach out. James knows comedy! Check him out – HERE
Can you guess who’s foot this is?
Yes, that OC… http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/27/the-oc-musical_n_7678780.html
I’m partial to the flats…. just yum.
This guy is the bomb!
More musicals are in the works… Musical Pitch For Josh Gad, Jeremy Garelick Gets Toes Tapping Around Town
can you guess who’s they are?
Told you…. http://www.blouinartinfo.com/news/story/1093302/the-success-of-into-the-woods-heartens-the-movie-musical
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