The year is 1996, and we are at the Great Lake Bayshore Terrace View Mall (Opening/ The Mall).  The worrisome General Manager, Dennis, has recently become aware of the internet and the potential power and addiction of online shopping.  He consults the dry humored Joseph and sarcastic and quick-witted Sylvia at the Master and Madame store who assure him that nothing would replace traditional customer service (Old Fashioned Store).  Meanwhile; Stephy, the bubbly cosmetics girl, has fallen in love with Blake, an airheaded hunk who has worked almost every job in the mall and dreams of becoming the GM one day (Full Time Love).  Unknown to Stephy; Laura, the logical but lacking common sense, bookstore manager, also has developed feelings for Blake (Personal Ad).   Pat, the optimistic chocolatier is not worried about the trend of online shopping; afterall, you can’t sample chocolate online (Choc’late).  In a hope to ease his mind, Paul the roughneck Hot Dog vendor shows Dennis just exactly what online shopping is all about (Everything is Online).  At the same time, Stephy has sought the advice of the eccentric and flamboyant Flavio on how to get Blake to notice her (Apathy).   Stephy invites Blake to have lunch with her, and he agrees, sending her reeling.  Dennis freaks out on what the future may hold for the mall and expresses his concerns to Joseph and Sylvia.  At lunch, Blake tells Stephy of his ambitions (King of the Mall), but Stephy doubts him and she ends up hurting his feelings and he storms away upset.  Dennis emerges from his office to give an ultimatum to Pat and Flavio regarding their sales.  Whatever store does not meet its numbers for the day, will have to close.  Flavio and Pat frantically try to hustle the customers to buy something (Buy Something).  Blake, still upset from lunch, encounters the most feared of all customers, Karen.  During this encounter, Laura is called who has no choice but to fire Blake for upsetting the customer.  Blake storms off and commiserates his experience with the other mall employees (Karen).  Laura and Stephy fear they may never see Blake regularly again as he may have to take a job in the Boot Basement (He Must Be Blind).   The act ends with Stephy being optimistic for the future, Pat and Flavio scrambling to meet their daily sales goals, Joseph, Sylvia, and Dennis terrified of what the future holds (Waiting).  Ultimately, Pat does not meet their goals, and the Chocolatier is closed.

 

Act Two begins with the busiest shopping time of the year, Christmas (Christmas Time At The Mall). But the numbers do not pan out well for anyone and even Joseph and Sylvia are worried (A Change is Coming).  Stephy goes to console Flavio who is scared that his fate may match Pat’s.  He informs Stephy of the need of the mall for people like him and Pat (Safe Spaces).  Stephy meets up with Laura, Blake, and Paul who are brainstorming on how to save the mall (I Have An Idea).  Ultimately they go with Stephy’s idea to put on a fashion show.  They find Dennis sulking at the amount of people who only use the mall as a track (Ballad of the Mall Walker).  Dennis gives up to their pressure and allows them to put on the fashion show (In Fashion).  During the fashion show, the tension between Stephy and Laura explodes and the show is ruined and turned into a laughing stock.  Stephy realizes that she will never be who she so desperately wanted to be, but a former customer reminds her of the impact she can have as a cosmetics girl (Regional Celebrity).  In the end, Stephy reconciles with Blake who presents his idea to Dennis and transforms the mall and its spaces into new and exciting business ventures that bring back the entire cast in new positions, and saves the mall (Finale/ The Mall Reprise).