Bungalow Terrace
“A richly textured, entertaining tale of musicians struggling with their demons.” – Kirkus Reviews
Beginning in the 1950s, four best friends from a working class street called Bungalow Terrace are inadvertently turned into a singing group by the only light that exists in a very dark and damaging Catholic school experience. Originally called the Sapphires, the group is catapulted to fame by a dictatorial record producer and, under the unlikely name of Bungalow Terrace, becomes one of the most iconic rock and roll bands of the twentieth century.
The line-up includes Vince, the unofficial leader of the group, who succumbs to the expansive promise of “Mary Jane” and LSD and, in an effort to elude the scars inflicted by an abusive, alcoholic father, becomes addicted to methedrine and prescription pills.
Kevin, the heart of the group, desperately tries to conceal his sexuality at a time when being gay was not only considered degenerate and immoral but was also illegal. The unwitting victim of a blackmail plot, he is subjected to the “Lyndhurst Cure,” a tortuous and barbaric form of conversion therapy guaranteed to cure him of his homosexuality.
David, the group’s proverbial Jiminy Cricket, ecstatically marries his unrequited childhood fixation, Shelia Somers, only to discover an insidious secret that sheds light on the brutal, accidental death of their five-year-old daughter, Melissa.
Finally, there is Steve, the charismatic breakout star of the group, who battles the stigma of his illegitimate birth with indiscriminate one-night stands and meaningless sex. A serial philanderer and womanizer, he is finally forced to confront his feelings of inadequacy when an unexpected house guest reveals the truth behind a long-forgotten incident from his past.
A tale of discovery and awakening, Bungalow Terrace explores the insurmountable questions behind who we are and why we’re here. Delving into the contradictory concepts of power and how the universe works, Bungalow Terrace is ultimately a story of redemption, transformation, and forgiveness.
Robert Monroe
Robert Monroe graduated with a B.A. in Theater Arts from the State University of New York/Oswego. For twelve years, he worked as a New York casting director and talent executive. His credits include projects with the Walt Disney Company, the John Houseman Theater, the Annual MDA Telethon, and the now-defunct United Paramount Network. At the beginning of the millennium, he moved to Portland, Maine, to pursue a career as a photographer. His exhibitions include the Biennial at the Portland Museum of Art, Photographing Maine: Ten Years Later at the Center for Maine Contemporary Art, and Return to Peyton Place: Photographs by Robert Monroe at the Mohawk Valley Center for the Arts. He is a founding member of the Bakery Photographic Collective.