Our Holiday Show by Melissa Pilgrim
NOTE:
This play offers a flexible cast size with a minimum of 10 characters
and then up to as many non-speaking characters as desired can be added
to the CHORUS to accommodate your group/class size (characters will
sing at the end only as part of the full cast). There are 10 speaking
roles: 5 females, 4 males, and 1-the lead-for either female or male.
10 SPEAKING ROLES:
Mother &Mrs. Claus (same actress)
Child 1 &Elf (same actress)
Child 2 &Elf (same actor)
Easter Bunny (female)
April Fool (female or male)
Cupid (female)
Santa (male)
Uncle Sam (male)
Halloween Witch (female)
Old Man Time (male)
CHORUS (NON-SPEAKING ROLES):
If desired, as many characters as needed can be added to the CHORUS to
accommodate your group/class size. No extra characters can be added
to the CHORUS if desired as well. Examples of characters that can be
added are ones representing all other holidays including: Hanukkah,
Kwanza, Rudolph, 8 other Reindeer, more Elves, a Leprechaun, a
Groundhog, Pilgrims &Indians, Ghosts &Monsters, or any other holiday
characters/people you'd like to have represented from holidays
throughout the year.
Time:
Any Day in December, Present Day
Place:
Scene 1 (In Front of Curtain): Living Room of a Family's Home
Scene 2 (Behind Curtain): A Function Room of Santa's Castle, North
Pole
Scene 3 (Behind Curtain): Holiday Concert (In same Function Room as
Scene 2)
OUR HOLIDAY SHOW!
Scene 1
A small chair sits DR in front of a closed curtain of a proscenium
stage. A Mother and her two young children, Child 1 (6-years-old,
female) and Child 2 (4-years-old, male), enter DR. They all get
settled in with Mother sitting on the chair as her two children sit in
front of her, already dressed in their pajamas for bed. Child 1 holds
a book entitled A Visit from St. Nickolas By Clement Clarke Moore.
Lights come up on them on stage as CHILD 1 says (excitedly): Mommy,
Mommy! Read us this story Grammy sent us!
Child 1 hands Mother the book.
CHILD 2 (excited): Yeah Mommy, please read it to us!
MOTHER: Okay, okay, now just settle down then (opens book,
reads) "'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the
house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse" (Mother
makes a "shhh-" sound with her finger to her lips to stress how
quiet they were).
CHILD 1: Mom! You can't hear mice anyway!
CHILD 2: And what are they stirring?
CHILD 1: Nothing, mice don't even use spoons.
CHILD 2: Then why-
MOTHER: THIS mouse is unusually loud AND he stirs his hot chocolate
with a very small spoon made special, just for mice okay? Now,
settle down and listen please (reads) "The stockings were
hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nickolas soon would
be there-"
CHILD 2: Who's St. Nickolas?
MOTHER: Santa Claus.
CHILD 1: Then why don't they just say Santa Claus? Why St.
Nickolas?
CHILD 2: Yeah-don't they know kids don't know who St. Nickolas
is?
MOTHER: Because if they said 'Santa Claus' it wouldn't
rhyme-this is a poem, so they're trying to make the words rhyme
like in the Mother Goose stories we read-now, be quiet and just
listen so I can finish the first page! (reads) "The children were
nestled all snug in their beds-"
CHILD 2: No we're not, we're here with you!
MOTHER: That's it. (closes book) Story's over and it's off to
bed for you two just like the story says!
CHILD 1: But Mom-you said you'd read us a story!
CHILD 2: Yeah!
MOTHER: I tried to!
CHILD 1: Well, we really didn't want that one tonight tell us
another one.
CHILD 2: Yeah, one with all kinds of holiday people in it!
CHILD 1: Yeah-like Cupid and the April Fool and Santa Claus!
CHILD 2: Yeah-oh, and the Easter Bunny!
CHILD 1: Yeah!
MOTHER: And you'd both really listen to a story like that-without
interrupting and asking all kinds of questions?
CHILD 2: Yes!
CHILD 1: We promise to be really, really quiet!
CHILD 2 (nodding): Just like mice!
MOTHER: Okay then, I think I know just the story you want to hear
Now go upstairs to your room I'll tell it to you once you're
both snug in your beds.
The children run off stage right, excited.
MOTHER (stands up, picking up the chair with her as she shakes her
head and exits stage right, mumbling): And it's still how many days
'till Christmas?
Lights fade from DR as we hear the three characters off stage setting
up for their "bedtime story" as they run in place and then stop.
MOTHER (off stage): Okay, all settled in?
CHILDREN (off stage, together): Yes, Mommy!
MOTHER: (off stage): Okay, now, once upon a time
Scene 2
Curtain opens. The lights slowly come up, showing the full stage.
The setting is a community-styled function room decorated for a
holiday party at Santa's castle in the North Pole. Santa's Throne
is CR. On the wall (or on a self-standing chalkboard) UC is an
official-looking and big "World's Daily Calendar" that displays
all 12 months with the days written out by numbers under each
month's name. Holidays throughout the year (see prop sheet for full
list) are indicated by the Holiday's Typical Icon Symbol/Picture
covering up the date. A big Red Arrow with "Today's Date"
written on it points to today's (meaning the show's) actual date
in December with a "Holiday Party" Icon Picture over it. A long
table decorated with a holiday tablecloth and bowls for treats is
positioned diagonally along UL.
Hear an ALARM CLOCK RING off stage. Lights shine fully on stage as
the alarm stops.
Beat.
Easter Bunny enters DL excitedly with a full basket of plastic eggs
(which are all unknowingly glued shut), talking non-stop.
EASTER BUNNY (excited): It's Easter! YIPPEE! Here comes the Easter
Bunny kids, right down Easter Lane! (She hops/runs around the stage
hiding eggs, then skips down into the audience and gives one to a kid
in the front row. She then goes towards the back exit, giving out a
couple of eggs along the way as she continues talking happily)
I've got an egg for all you kids and maybe even a toy or two! Happy
Easter, Happy Easter! It's such a wonderful holiday! Look around
kids and see what you find-because the Easter Bunny came this WARM
SPRING DAY!
On the last word the Easter Bunny hops out the exit doorway in the
back of the house happily.
Beat.
Hear LAUGHTER off stage.
April Fool enters DL, laughing hysterically at him/herself until
he/she gains control and is CS.
APRIL FOOL (to audience): That dumb rabbit! She thinks it's Easter
morning! Ha-ha-ha! I wonder if it has something to do with the fact
that I set her alarm to go off early this year? (Points to the spring
date of Easter on the big World's Daily Calendar a long ways off and
then at today's date in December) Ha-ha! That's one of my
best jokes EVER!
April Fool goes DC and looks out at the kid in the front row of the
audience with the egg.
APRIL FOOL (to kid): Oh yeah, and be very careful with that egg when
you try to open it-in fact, I bet you can't because it's glued
shut! (Laughs loudly) HA-HA-HA!
A rubber foam-pointed arrow suddenly comes from off stage, hitting
April Fool in the back.
APRIL FOOL (jumps): OUCH!
Cupid enters CR, looking mad as she goes up to April Fool.
CUPID: Exactly! That's exactly what everyone I hit with these real
rubber arrows say to the person beside them. Not, "Oh, I think
it's love at first sight!" or "Wow! Where have you been all my
life?" but "OUCH!" And you don't even want to know how many
innocent victims have been slapped back instead of kissed!
APRIL FOOL: Ah, come on! Switching your magic love arrows for these
real rubber ones was a great gag!
April Fool laughs as he/she picks up the arrow and tries to put it
back into Cupid's arrow bag, but Cupid stops him/her.
CUPID: You wouldn't think so if your one chance of finding true love
was ruined because of some stupid gag! There are millions of people
to match up and I don't have time to keep rescheduling their
encounters-sometimes rescheduling is even impossible and that means
on my special holiday people are sad instead of happy and in love like
they should be!
Cupid folds her arms and turns away from April Fool angrily.
April Fool pretends to look sad as he/she turns away and quickly takes
out a piece of paper and tape from his/her own "Gag Bag" sack.
He/she places the tape on the paper, hiding what he/she is doing from
both Cupid and the audience as he/she talks.
APRIL FOOL: You're right flying woman. It was a terrible trick and
I promise I won't do it ever again. Okay? Are we friends again
now? Afterall it is the 'forgiving' season
He/she puts his/her hand on Cupid's back between Cupid's wings,
rubbing it like a friend comforting another friend-but he/she is
really just sealing the paper onto Cupid's back securely.
CUPID (reluctantly): Well okay, since it is that kind of season
but I'll hold you to that promise, Fool!
April Fool removes his/her hand from Cupid's back and holds up
crossed fingers behind his/her back as he/she speaks (which both Cupid
and the audience don't see).
APRIL FOOL: Go ahead, you can trust me! Afterall, I know you're no
fool!
Cupid turns to exit CR, turning her back completely towards the
audience with a "KICK ME" Sign in full view between her wings as
she leaves the stage. (She's unaware of the Sign.) April Fool
tries hard to hold in his/her laughter until Cupid is gone. Once she
is, April Fool bursts out laughing as he/she holds his/her arm
straight up into the air, showing everyone in the audience his/her
crossed fingers.
APRIL FOOL (proudly): But I am!
April Fool falls to the floor CS, laughing hysterically.
Santa enters CL. He walks over and looks down at April Fool, who's
still laughing so hard he/she doesn't even notice Santa
[end of extract]