SCRIPT For scene changes throughout the musical, please select the required amount of music from the scene-change music track (CD track 27).

Transcription

1 SCRIPT For scene changes throughout the musical, please select the required amount of music from the scene-change music track (CD track 27). SCENE 1 THE HOME OF AUGUSTUS Caesar is seated on a throne at the front of the stage. To one side of him is a small table with a bowl of grapes on it. Caesar s servant stands behind him, fanning him. Throughout the scene s/he makes faces, reacting to Caesar but unseen by him. There is a map placed to one side of the stage. The servant walks to the front of the stage, bows and addresses the audience. Welcome to the home of Caesar Augustus. The servant goes and stands behind Caesar. (To the servant) Peel me a grape! Certainly, Your Majesty. The servant fetches the grape, raises his/her eyes to heaven and then moves towards Caesar with a fake smile. Julia runs on, crying. Oh daddykins! (Jumping up) What is it my little sugarplum? Whatever s wrong? I just met Livia in the marketplace and she has a much longer string of pearls than I have and I thought you were the richest, most important man in the world! I am, my dear, I am! Don t worry, you will soon have a string of the most precious pearls and it will be the longest one ever! Oh thank you, daddykins. Love ya! Julia exits, blowing Caesar a kiss. (Blowing a kiss) Right back at ya! The servant makes a being sick gesture. Caesar opens his wallet. The only problem is, what am I going to use to pay for it? He paces for a while and then has an idea. He points down to the map, which he is standing next to. (To servant) Bring me that map! The servant walks over, looks from Caesar down to the map, makes a he s mad face, picks it up and hands it to him. Then s/he goes back into position. Caesar studies the map for a moment. 10

2 Hmm, yes yes, I think a a census would be in order! Let s see how much tax we can wring out of this Jewish nation. I ll decree a census to be taken everywhere from Jazzy Jerusalem to (consulting map) the boring backwater of Bethlehem! Soon I will be rich again. Caesar exits, holding up the map. Bethlehem? Never heard of it. Doubt that ll go down in the history books! The servant exits with props. SCENE 2 BETHLEHEM The throne and table are removed. As this happens, a bowl and open guitar case with a notice inside saying Bethlehem Ben please give generously are brought on and positioned at the side of the stage. During the introduction to the following song, Ben enters, miming playing his guitar, and stands by the guitar case. During his song, more people begin to gather, both residents of Bethlehem and visitors, looking slightly bemused, carrying baggage. These people should include the guide, Residents 1-3, the bread seller, the tea-towel seller (TT Seller), Mum 1, Dad 1, Child 1, Dan, Gran and Visitors 1-3. If applicable, the leader and group should come on stage too. Ben will need to mime playing his instruments, perhaps actually playing during the instrumental. Some people gather to listen and throw coins into the bowl during the instrumental. Others ignore him. Song 1. BETHLEHEM, BETHLEHEM CD track 1/14 (YOU RE IN THE STORY!) Dialogue during the introduction of Bethlehem, Bethlehem (You re In The Story!): RESIDENT 1 RESIDENT 2 Sounding good, Ben! Flippin racket! We re obviously in Bethlehem, but where are we supposed to go? Can you play Bohemian Rhapsody? At the end of the song, Ben sits at the side of the stage observing. Visitors mill about, miming chatting, looking around and looking worried. Residents 1-3 stand and watch them, their arms folded, looking unwelcoming. The bread seller with a tray of goods steps forward (perhaps with a Use Your Loaf sign stuck on to the front of his tray). BREAD SELLER (To audience) So, the ball s well and truly rolling now! Bet you never thought you d see so much action in a little town like ours. Bethlehem. Some say the name means House of Bread ; some say House of Meat. Whatever, I m gonna make sure everyone can be well fed. Get your stuffed flatbreads here. New recipe, optional olives. Get your stuffed flatbreads here! Residents 1, 2 and 3 walk over and buy from the seller. 11

3 Optional dialogue to include some of the younger ones. LEADER GROUP (Holding up a coloured flag on a stick) Yoo-hoo! Everyone from Gath gather round please. Just follow me. As I had the foresight to pre-book, we ve all got somewhere to stay. Hooray! They exit. Mum 1, Dad 1 and Child 1 walk to the front of the stage, carrying bags. MUM 1 I need the toilet! You ll just have to wait until we can find somewhere to stay. But I m desperate! I told you you should have gone before we set off. I did, but that was two days ago! They exit. TT SELLER GRAN DAN GRAN Get your tea towels here! Authentic Bethlehem tea towels! 100% cotton. 10% polyester! (To Dan) Let s see if we can find a perfume shop. I want to smell my best in case I meet a nice man. I fancy a little holiday romance. This isn t a holiday, Gran. We re here because of the Romans. That doesn t mean we can t enjoy ourselves. I intend to. There s life in the old gran yet! Mum 2 and Dad 2 enter with Child 2 and Child 3. CHILD 2 CHILD 3 BEN MUM 2 CHILD 3 BEN Dad, you said this was going to be an adventure, but it s sooo boring! I m tired and I m really thirsty! (Holding up a flask) Would you like some water? (Looking suspiciously at Ben) No thank you. (Pulling away) Yes please. (Taking water) Thank you. No problem. Busker Ben at your service! (Pointing offstage) You ll find that most of the inns are over that way. I d hurry if I were you they re already getting quite full. DAD 2 Thank you. Come on you lot, nearly there now. They exit. Sight-seeing tours of Bethlehem! Come and see all the highlights. hlights. Carts leaving every fifteen minutes. 12

4 RESIDENT 3 And they re back in ten! Not exactly a lot of sights to see round here. The posh man and posh lady enter and approach the guide. The posh lady is carrying her dog. POSH LADY RESIDENT 1 RESIDENT 2 RESIDENT 3 Excuse me, can you tell me where we might get a taxi cart? My poor little Pooksie can t walk another step. Sorry, there s only Heimi s self-drive donkey hire in the next street. Oh dear, and no air conditioning! There s a Man with a fan hire shop round the corner. This is ridiculous! Typical of the authorities to decree a census but not think about how we re supposed to cope with all the extra people! You re right. It ll be a haven for pickpockets and thieves. I feel like just shutting my doors and hiding away for a few days! Fancy a drink down The Spittin Camel? Best place to go if you ve got the hump! The guide starts laughing and others look pityingly at him as the laughter peters out. They all exit. SCENE 3 EXTERIOR INNS Various innkeepers/shopkeepers enter (including Caleb, Abel, Jacob and Isaac Finkel) and begin to hang signs, including Vacancy and No Vacancy. There could be pre-prepared places for the signs to be hung or the innkeepers could have them around their necks. Some of the characters could be sweeping up, miming cleaning windows etc. One shopkeeper (Abel) is changing his sign, adding Inn to the end of his Candlemaker sign. The bread seller re-enters and starts speaking as the inn signs are being set up. BREAD SELLER Get your flatbreads here! Stuffed flatbreads. Best in all Bethlehem. (To audience, shrugging) Don t think I ll do much business here. They re all much too busy to stop and eat. Funny how the appetite for making money can take away your appetite for anything else. The bread seller exits. CALEB ABEL JACOB What are you doing, Abel? You re not an innkeeper. I am now. It s a pop-up inn! I ve put a load of bedding in and I m sure I can rustle up some breakfasts. Can t be that hard if you lot can do it! I could make a good few shekels out of this. What are you charging? Abel hands him a price list. JACOB That s way over the going rate. 13

5 ABEL ISAAC FINKEL If they re desperate enough, they ll pay. You should take advantage and put your prices up a bit. Anyway, they re getting a unique experience staying here very romantic, candlelit dinners. They get that everywhere! And I don t think many people will have romance on their minds they ll be too busy worrying about the Romans! Visitors 1-3 filter on looking confused and weary, along with Mum 1 & 2, Dad 1 & 2 and Child 1, 2 & 3. VISITOR 1 VISITOR 2 MUM 1 VISITOR 3 Finally! There seem to be plenty of inns here. Looks like it s going to be Squeeze you Inn for us! I d be happy to find a We ll let you Inn! Never mind the talking, push to the front and let s Get Inn! There are lots more people coming. Better be quick! More non-speaking visitors could arrive, along with the posh man and posh lady and they all jostle to be the first in the queue. Some more non-speaking innkeepers could enter at this point to join in the song, otherwise the tradespeople from the following scene can come on to supplement numbers. POSH LADY Knock, knock, service please! Chop, chop! Money s no object! Knock, knock! At the start of the following song there could be a row of visitors at the front and a row of innkeepers/ tradespeople behind them, slightly staggered so that they can be seen through the gaps. When the innkeepers sing they move forward and vice versa, with each group adding relevant actions. Song 2. KNOCK AT THE DOOR CD track 2/15 At the end of the song they all exit, with the visitors following after the innkeepers, randomly calling out: VISITORS Can t you fit one more in? / How much? / We can t afford that! / I ll pay anything! The signs could be left in place at this point, but turned around. SCENE 4 INTERIOR MEETING ROOM Marcel, the bakers, the tea-towel seller, Jacob, Caleb, Isaac Finkel, Martha, Anna, the two residents ents children, the chairperson and residents 4-11 enter. They carry a few chairs and a small table for the chairperson, who stands behind the table upstage. They form into groups, miming talking animatedly with heated gesturing. As the scene is being set, the following dialogue takes place. COBBLER (Hurrying on, addressing dressing audience) Oh I m worn out, but not as worn out as the travellers shoes! I ve never mended so many holey soles! I m glad I m not too late for the meeting. The Townsfolk Guild committee thinks something needs to be done about this situation before it gets out of hand. It could be good for our businesses, but it s a bit of a nuisance. 14