LAND OF MYRTLE, THE GLOOM
THREE ACT MUSICAL
STAGE or SCREEN PLAY
APPROXIMATE LENGTH OF TIME: 90 MINUTES
FOR CHILDREN
AND THE
CHILD IN ALL OF US
Apple Core Publishing
1332 Old Polk City Road
Lakeland, FL 33809
Found at RightChoiceKids.com
(a)
CREDITS
Written by: Dotti J. Holmberg-Waddell
Music by: Dotti J. Holmberg-Waddell
Lyrics by: Dotti J. Holmberg-Waddell
and "Dreams" also written by:
William F. Waddell
SPECIAL THANKS:
To many good people for giving me inspiration to
finish my script. Also to my husband, Bill Waddell,
for helping me write "Dreams", to my brother, Gary
Holmberg, who helped me tape my music so it could
be written out, and to Robert Selman for sharing
his musical talents on all the piano arrangements,
with the exception of "I Won't Be A Wilted Rose",
which was arranged by Patricia J. Conner.
(b)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page Number
INTRODUCTION: “WHERE DID HE GET THAT HAT?” 1
ACT I 5
ACT II12
ACT III51
FINALE55
CHAPTERS: (These are chapter headings that would be used if in book version)
I "GARDEN INVASION" 6
II "THE UNWELCOME MAT" 13
III "THE CHALLENGE" 19
IV "ADVENTURES IN MYRTLE'S LAND" 23
V "SETTING A TRAP" 32
VI "THE TRIAL" 40
VII "SPELLBOUND" 44
VIII "STRANGEST DREAM?" 52
LYRICS OF SONGS:
Hat of Knowledge 2
Theme Song 3, 4
Our March Has Begun 8
Our Power 9
The Unwelcome Song 14, 15
Victims 17, 18
Paint A Smile 19
Victory Song 21
Pink Plunk's Song 26
Smile A Mile 27
Reflection 33
Shaa room 40
TABLE OF CONTENTS – Continued
Page Number
I Come to Haunt Your Mind 40
Your Own Example 42, 43
Something Just Happened 44
Yellow Fellow 46
I Won't Be A Wilted Rose 47
Fight, Fight, Fight 48
Good Morning 48
I Might Want To Try 49
Chorus From Theme Song 50
Dreams 53
(c)
CAST OF CHARACTERS
NARRATOR Male voice who can sound like a great storyteller.
CURT Boy between the ages of 9 to 13. Poetic minded; creates
poetry off the top of his head and spontaneously says loud as he's captivated by life all around.
MANDY Girl between the ages of 9 to 13. Scientific minded;
carries a magnifying glass in her pocket, anxiously
wanting to see into things. She also has a pocket that
she carries a handkerchief in (See page 30) that she uses
to wipe off the mirror of the cactus with.
PROFESSOR FROG Male voice; teenager or adult with a
distinguishing voice. Professor Frog walks upright
with a slight hop and is somewhat paunch. His Hat of
Knowledge holds a storage house of information he often
taps which will come from the inside of his hat in the
form of a message on a piece of paper. He sometimes
gets so caught up in "knowledge", he forgets to watch
out for the negative forces. With his hat, he tries
to make good logic out of everything to aid the
the children and himself in Myrtle's land.
MYRTLE Adult female. Rude and snappy queen of land in cloud.
She must be able to laugh like a wicked witch. All
her reasoning comes back to being negative. She's
a tall, decaying tree dressed in a ragged, torn, brown
outfit. She sits in a throne, which should look like
cracked rock and wears a non distinguishing beat up
crown on her head. Her arms (top branches) also have
tattered and torn brown long sleeves. She carries a
long stick made out of wood, which is her wand that
swirled into the air creates negative vibrations.
MASTER MOSS Male character; teenager or adult. Dressed in a
mossy looking outfit, but moss looks very stringy and
disassembled. He is master of the decaying world of
Myrtle and acts like a skilled artist in making sure
"nothing goes hand in hand". He walks hunched over with
his arms slightly dangling and wears a feather in his
hat and has a devilish look on his face. He often
confuses the children with his mischief.
CAST OF CHARACTERS – Continued
WHISTLE WEED Male character; A child. A thin, male character
who wears a pale brown outfit. He stands at a constant
lean and can't talk without high whistles in between words and on all of his "s"es. He follows Master Moss as if he is his shadow; he can't think for himself, often echoing Master Moss's negative statements.
WITCH GRASS BROOMS Group of 8; males or females, wearing black
witch hats and black robes and from their knees down
to their feet hang broom bristles. Their faces are
painted a white ghost color and they have unkind
expressions. At the end of the story when they act as
a jury, they wear white tory wigs instead of the witch
hats. The judge of the jury wears wire-framed glasses
that hang slightly over his/her nose and carries a paper
rolled up in scroll form.
WILTED ROSE Female; child through adult age. Brown stem with
burgundy tone petals or rose dropping and wilted.
Petals frame face of actress to better express her
attitude.
PINK PLUNK Female or male; child through adult age. Large
pink brontosaurus. This character displays no enthusiasm
and is embarrassed when spoken to and appears to have
lost identity.
ANGRY STICKERS Males/Females; children. Divided into two teams:
could be 3 on each side. The costumes should be designed
so only the upper part of their legs are free.
SYMPATHETIC CACTUS Female; Child through adult age. Tall,
prickly looking cactus with a heart made out of a mirror
in the shape of a heart. Sympathetic character who
breaks through her own sad spell and creates a flaw
in Myrtle's plan.
WILTED PLANT WORLD Dressed in black cloaks with ghostly looking
faces in the beginning of the story when they sing
the "Theme Song". In the story, there's a group of about
a dozen of them; combination of males and females. They
will look like wilted plants in Myrtle's land and they
enhance Myrtle's negative moods. They also sing
"Shaa room" and "I Come to Haunt Your Mind" on page 39.
MOTHER A female voice at the end of story.
(d)
SPECIAL MUSICAL AND PERCUSSION REFERENCES
Page Number
Wind Sound by Wilted Plant World (“ooh, ooh”) 1
Dreams Instrumentals 6, 53 & 55
Myrtle's Moods noted by ** 13, 15(twice),
(Note piano arrangement for 24, 28, 30, 44
Myrtle's Moods is on Pg. 17
of the Musical Handbook)
Percussion Sounds for tapping Professor 2, 7, 14, 17,
Frog's Hat of Knowledge (With *one exception, 21, 25, 27,
on pg. 28, there will be only one tap.) 29 (one tap)
Tapping sounds noted by *** 32, 38, 50, 54
Cracks of Thunder in beginning of ACT II 13
Percussion Sound made to sound like 44
glass breaking when Sympathetic Cactus breaks
her mirrored heart
Magical Tingling Sound (Tinker Bell Sound) – 44, 45, 46,
occurs when transformation is made to positive 49 (3+ times)
Balloon Pop Noise of land exploding 50
"WHERE DID HE GET THAT HAT?"
Curtains are closed. Spotlight shines on front of curtains depicting dawn slowly slipping toward the day. When Narrator speaks, all you can hear is his voice, which will resonate like that of a great storyteller.
NARRATOR:Night has bid us farewell once again and day is trying
to peek through the haze and clouds to make its grand
entrance.
NARRATOR:Sometimes when we awaken from a night's sleep, we are
still in a dream state, and our imagination overtakes
us, and is entertaining....as if we are watching a
movie....
NARRATOR:What is this I see? It looks like a huge frog! And
he's standing up like you and me...dressed in coat tails
and a tall silk hat with a monocle?
NARRATOR: My imagination must be playing tricks on me.
Imagination, what are you up to?? Well, it's not going
away and the frog has piqued my curiosity. He looks like
he's looking for somebody. Well, maybe we should check
this out together, ok? Are you ready? Take my hand,
cause here we go!.....Whee!!!!!......
NARRATOR: A loud whirling, wispy sound grabs us up (wind sound
created by Wilted Plant World: “ooh, ooh”), and somehow we are
right there... Right before us stands...as big as life...this frog.
Spotlight moves to Professor Frog who is standing down below stage (UL). He abruptly jumps back realizing we can see him, and lets out a big loud "croak".
PROFESSOR FROG:Hi, I've been waiting for you...to tell my
story. Now I shall begin....My name is
Professor Frog. Why? Because I wear a hat of
knowledge.
And he begins to sing:
"Hat of Knowledge"
A hat of knowledge is what I have on
I hope to wear it as a king wears his crown
If I give my hat three taps ("tap, tap, tap" sound)***
Some words of wisdom appear in my hat.
PROFESSOR FROG:(He takes his hat off and looks inside)
What do I have stored in here for us today?
Professor Frog takes out a piece of paper, pulls his monocle, attached to a chain, up to his left eye, and reads it slowly as if wanting to digest every word:
PROFESSOR FROG: Our minds are curious and imaginative and take
us many places...to places of happiness and to
places of sadness.
He puts his hat back on and puts the paper in his pocket, as if to tuck away this knowledge for another time. He ponders with his right forefinger on his chin.
PROFESSOR FROG: Hmm, I once remember having traveled with my
two friends, Curt and Mandy, to the Land of
Myrtle, the Gloom....Yes, it was a cloudy
day...Listen, the story went something like
this.....(EXITS UL)
Spotlight shines on Wilted Plant World (who are already positioned in front of stage in orchestra pit area) wearing black cloaks with ghost like faces. Music beings. They wave their arms and move their bodies as if in slow motion, acting out the words of an adventure we are about to embark on. The cloaked figures begin to sing:
"Theme Song"
Verse 1: Land of dying vines and trees
No smiles, but frowns
A gray cloud inside and out
It's so easy to let yourself drown. (oo, oo)
Verse 2: Wilted plants cover the hills
Stickers echo pains of anger
A dinosaur ageless and lost
A cactus whose spell's a danger. (oo, oo)
Bridge 1: Butterflies won't live here
For it's too airtight
Like a glass jar
Sealed up for the night. (Ba Bah, Ba Bah, Ba Bah)
Verse 3: To wallow in sadness
Is the way time is spent
The attitude is negative
And there's no love to lend.
Chorus: But love can abide here
It can sit by your side
And mend your heart
If you want a new start..
It can turn you around
So you're not upside down
And take you home
Spinning golden memories
Upon to live, so let us give
Some love.
Bridge 2: (oo, oo, oo, oo)
All was dark in this land
Till two children and a frog were led here
To be tested by the queen, Myrtle,
Master Moss and Whistle Weed
With all the cheerless sounds
Of Myrtle in a cloud,
Gloomy Myrtle in a cloud.
Verse 4: A cloud that's zipped up
And in it you'll find
Frustrations that hurt
Where the sun never shines. (oo, oo)
Verse 5: Myrtle's negative thoughts
Hover around
Her gloomy presence is felt
Even when she makes no sound. (oo, oo)
Theme Song – Continued
Bridge 1: Everything seems so quiet
Except the crying in pain
Everything seems so involved
As if there is only shame. (Ba Bah, Ba Bah, Ba Bah)
Verse 6: Myrtle reigns over her land
She's a ruthless, sad queen
Possessed with a bad attitude
Watch out or she'll control you and me,
She wants to control you and me.
When song is finished, all The Wilted Plants crawl slowly up on stage and under the closed curtain.
ACT I
PROPERTY PLOT
STAGE LEFT: Bedroom with two beds which will be removed after
ACT I and be put back on stage for ACT III. This is Curt and Mandy’s bedroom. Above Mandy’s bed is a portrait of Einstein and above Curt’s bed is a portrait of Shakespeare. There’s a dresser between the two beds. There’s a window behind the beds and dresser that the Curt and Mandy will use in ACT III.
There’s an exit door in the bedroom DR.
CENTER STAGE:Puffy big cloud with a giant zipper (which can be made out of transparent plastic material, etc., zipper can be painted on) rests on stage. Cloud will be removed after ACT I.
STAGE RIGHT:Garden sight of Mr. Waldorf where Master Moss and Whistle Weed appear in frozen stance as part of the garden. Other decaying plants (handmade, etc.) can also be in this garden for atmosphere.
OPENING SCENE
Professor Frog is in a frozen stance on top of Curt and Mandy’s dresser between their two beds.
Curtains open. Stage lights are dimmed to gray to depict early morning and a cloudy day. Two verses of “Dreams” instrumental is played.
With stage lights still dimmed, a spotlight shines on Curt and Mandy who are beginning to awaken from a night’s sleep.
1
CHAPTER I
"GARDEN INVASION"
Curtains open. “Dreams” Instrumental plays in the background while Narrator speaks.
NARRATOR (voice to be heard only):It all started with Curt and
Mandy, who are brother and sister, and just typical kids
longing to have some fun and adventure one summer day.
Professor Frog, their giant stuffed toy, is in a squatting position on their dresser. The children do not know that he's much more than a toy and hears all that goes on in their room.
Upon awakening from their night's slumber, Curt and Mandy stretch
and yawn, making all the typical wakeup noises. Curt and Mandy get
up and get dressed in their play clothes. Mandy puts on blue
coveralls and a short sleeved white blouse. She puts her magnifying glass in one pocket of her coveralls and a handkerchief in the other pocket. Curt puts on a colorful short sleeved shirt and matching jams with a belt.
MANDY (says mischievously to Curt)
Do you have the same idea I do?
CURT (responds mischievously to Mandy)
It would be nice to have some fun outside before
everybody gets up.
The kids exit the bedroom DR quietly, careful not to awaken their mother and father. Professor Frog hops off the dresser and ponders.....
PROFESSOR FROG (walks upstage and says to audience as if in a loud whisper)
Why should I (pointing to himself) let them have all
the fun? I'll just follow far enough behind so they
don't see me and find out what they are up to. Little do
Curt and Mandy know I’m much more than a toy!
Professor Frog winks and hops out of the bedroom DR and goes outside to see what the children are up to.
It's a cloudy day with one gigantic cloud hanging low. The stage lights will become lighter but will remain slightly gray to portray a cloudy day up until the end of Act II. A spotlight may be used to follow action and patter of characters.
The children walk to center stage with Professor Frog keeping his distance from them, but curiously observing. The children point to the giant cloud, but decide the uncertain weather is not going to discourage them from having some fun.
MANDY (enthusiastically to Curt)
How about sampling a couple of raw, sweet carrots
this morning from Mr. Waldorf's garden?
CURT (to Mandy, recites a poem from off the top of his head)
A green garden is a lovely sight
A raw, sweet carrot sounds delicious
Let's make haste and not waste time
Or Mr. Waldorf might get suspicious.
The children walk over to the garden site with Professor Frog
following, but still keeping his distance.
MANDY (surprised)
What happened to his garden?
The children stare in astonishment at the distorted weed patch.
Professor Frog taps his hat three times (tap, tap, tap) He ***
takes off his hat, looks inside, and pulls out a piece of paper.
Still holding his hat in his hand, with an air of suspicion in his
voice, he reads it aloud.
PROFESSOR FROG Troublesome plants invade like ants...Hmm.
While putting his hat back on, tucking paper in his pocket, he once
again observes children.
CURT (sympathetically)
It looks as if Mr. Waldorf doesn't care about his garden
anymore. How sad to not care.
Mandy takes the magnifying glass out of her pocket, and with it carefully observes one tall thin, brown leaning plant and then one monstrous mossy looking, gray plant.
MANDY How very interesting. I wonder what kind of plants
these are?
Curt tries to pull first at the tall, thin plant and then the mossy
one.
CURT Maybe, (tugging harder on the Moss plant) if.. (exerting
more effort) if we pull them, we can find some carrots.
The mossy plant pulls away from Curt's grasp. The children jump back in awe when Master Moss animates and speaks.
MASTER MOSS No, no, no, no, naughty no. Why, we're here for a
purpose.
Whistle Weed gives two short, high whistles.
WHISTLE WEED Naughty no, our very own purpose.
MASTER MOSS (authoritatively to children)
You see, a shan't makes a can't. A don't makes a won't.