Prologue: Charlie Cox's death hits the newspapers. Chorus sings and dances to a slow, somber version of, "No Other Mayor's As Talked About As Me" which reflect Charlie's sordid, intense life. The narrator appears - a young woman in 50s attire, begins the story at the close of the opening number.
Act 1: Charlie's birth, youth, and work in Alberta culminating in his move to Port Arthur, Ontario. The musical number is ten minutes long, has four movements, and is titled, "Port Arthur Bound!" The main vocals are provided by the musical's narrator and Charlie in his various incarnations. Supporting vocals are provided by Charlie's mother, father, siblings, and fellow employees.
Act 2: Charlie earns notoriety for his sports abilities and tap dancing. Act begins with Charlie on stage singing and tapping to, "No Other Man's As Talked About As Me!" (a slightly altered rendition of his bigger number, "No Other Mayor's As Talked About As Me!"). The Act ends with Cox borrowing money to buy horses and work with timber in the song, "Getting Off the Stage."
Act 3: Charlie now owns a timber business and has married Johanna Bengston. During this act, Charlie and Johanna get into a fierce argument about his work, and together they sing the duet, "This'll Be the End of Us." After they reconcile, Charlie receives word that he has been elected mayor of Port Arthur. When he takes to the streets as mayor, his wife and neighbours join him in a thrilling rendition of, "No Other Mayor's as Talked About As Me!"
Act 4: Cox is in his office, leaning down with the phone at his ear. . Eileen Flanagan, a young schoolteacher, appears in the doorway looking very distraught. There are tears in her eyes. (Song: The Man With Two Faces).
Eileen: Mr. Mayor, Mr. Mayor,
I don't want to interfere,
But Mr. Mayor, Mr. Mayor,
You've taken my fair share.
It isn't that I want to tell the board just how to act,
Or that I feel that my politics are better than that.
But Mr. Mayor, Mr. Mayor,
I'm a woman, don't you care?
Mr. Mayor, Mr. Mayor,
How could you even...dare?
Charlie: (to the person on the phone) Just a minute. (He puts his hand over the receiver.) I'm sorry, I don't know you, but you'll have to come back some other time.
Eileen: I don't have another moment...
Charlie: Well, you just can't take up mine.
Please go out the way you came,
Shut the door, leave you name,
And I'll get back to you.
Eileen: Oh, no, you won't.
Charlie: Who are you?
Eileen (spoken): I'm a school teacher.
Charlie: (to the person on the line) I'll call you back. (He hangs up.) Oh, I see...
Ms. Teacher, Ms. Teacher,
Your salary has gotten meeker,
And you're eager to confront the man you think made it so meager.
But Ms. Teacher, Ms. Teacher,
Hate to make the outcome bleaker,
But you can't just seek your salary from one man alone!
It was the council and the board!
That saw fit to cause discord.
You'll need to pass a motion,
File a form, and wait your turn!
Eileen: But this is my livelihood!
Charlie: And this, Ms. Teacher, is mine!
Eileen: Mr. Mayor, Mr. Mayor!
You can't do this! It's not fair!
I do every bit as much work as you.
Charlie: And like me, you have to follow bureaucratic procedure.
(Spoken) The forms are on your way out, Ms. Teacher.
(He walks back to his desk and picks up the phone again. Eileen stands in the door, trying her best not to cry.)
Eileen: (Mournful) You're so...charming.
Charlie (drops the phone): What was that?
Eileen: You're so charming! You're so sweet!
You've got all the world at your feet.
But of course, we're all the fools:
'Cuz you're a liar and a crook who takes money from our schools!
Charlie: GET OUT OF HERE BEFORE I CALL THE POLICE!
(Eileen storms out of the office. She can be heard singing off-stage, ruffling through items in her purse.)
Eileen: There's two sides to you, Mr. Mayor - the one we see and the one you hide,
And I wonder if even your wife knows the monster that's inside you.
If there's one thing that will give me some closure from this occasion,
It's making that monster known that will bring me some gratification!
(Eileen marches back into the office. There is a jar in her hand. She throws the contents of the jar - a clear liquid - into Charlie's face. He recoils and screams in pain.)
Eileen: You're a man with two faces!
You've got one side that the world can see,
And that's the side you pretend to be.
But now you'll always wear that other half,
Now that's the side that the world will see.
You're a man with two faces, Mr. Mayor,
And I just set the monster face free.
(Eileen leaves Charlie wallowing in pain on stage. The lights dim.)
Act Six: The narrator informs everyone that Charlie's disfigurement didn't hurt his popularity, but that he actually went on to several political successes. Charlie is the liberal candidate in this act. He is debating with his opponent, Howe, with the song, "You're Nothing but an Understatement." Cox finally recognizes that he can't win and he withdraws his nomination.
Act Seven: The narrator provides some information about Cox's decline in popularity and health in the coming years. She also notes that his wife died in 1958. The final act shows the narrator walking down the street. She is humming the melody of, "No Other Mayor's as Talked About as Me!" Charlie can be seen walking down the steps of a building to the basement. He can be heard banging on a furnace, and then suddenly the banging stops. The narrator stops by the street corner and sings a final reprise of Charlie's song.
Curtains fall.
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