Rock! Original Script by John Jacobson and Kirby Shaw Script adapted and expanded by Scott Walter for Sugartown Elementary School, February 2012 (overly dramatic) In the beginning, there was a rock. In fact, there were a LOT of rocks. And these rocks had to be moved. Song 1-We Put the Rock (with speaking parts in song) Welcome to our show. Tonight, we will be traveling through time. However, we won t travel back in time we ll travel forward in time. That s right, we ll travel to THE FUTURE! Yay! Awesome! (etc) Now hold on. Don t get too excited. I should clarify. WE won t travel forward in time from the present. Instead, we will join our cave people as they travel forward from tens of thousands of years ago. We ll see how that one massive boulder they were trying to move became synonymous with one of our most popular styles of music! (now understanding) Ohhhhh. OK! In fact, I better get out of here, because here come those Nea-an-der-iffic people right now! Cave Person 1: (looking confused) Oh ma chuk ah, ooh ma chuk ah. wha.what happened? Where am I?
Cave Person 2: Me not know. One minute me playing with brand new meat-cooking rock and new thing called fire, and now.me confused. Cave Person 1: Me see lots of people with strange clothing. And wait what in WORLD is THAT? (Elvis enters). Cave Person 2: Hair look so dark and greasy. Him must use extra strength wooly mammoth oil for that. Him also have long hair, like me cave people friends. Oh ma chuk ah! Elvis: (Elvis accent) How ya all doin? Looks like ya all came to see ma show. Thank you.thank ya very much! Ooh! Cave Person 3: Me so scared. He talk funny. Me see strange colors and lights. Elvis: Thank you thank you very much. Cave Person 4: Uh.what going on here? Me not understand. First me see boulder rolling around, then me hear strange sounds. Now me see weird guy in white suit with something called sideburns Elvis: Well, gotta go. Time for ma show! Thank you.thank you very much! Helloooooo teens and teenyboppers, boys and bobby soxers! Welcome to R-O-C-K Rock, Rock, Rock and Roll Radio! Here we play the hits from Berry to Jerry, from Chubby to Buddy, from Elvis to Pelvis.MMMMPHH! Ladies and Gentlemen, up next from Memphis, with love, the ONE, the ONLY, the KING of Rock and Roll!!!! (Cheers wildly)
Song 2: I m The King So, it seems our cave people have learned about a whole new kind of Rock. That was Elvis Presley and his hound dog rock sound. Elvis was the king of all rock. From his early, hip-swinging hits of the 1950s and early 1960s, to his flashy style of the 70s, Elvis is still considered the king to this day. Cave Person 5: Me thinks this sound is cool. Me want to hear more! Cave Person 6: Me too. Me notice that we are on something called the beach. What you think, cave people? Cave Person 7: Oo ma chuk ah, oo ma chuk ah, oo ma chuk ah!!! Oo ma chuk ah, oo ma chuk. Sorry folks. Cave Person #7 hasn t developed language skills yet. Be patient. Cave Person 5: Cave Person 6: Annette: Frankie: Annette: Frankie: Me can interpret. Cave Person #7 wants to know what the party and bonfire is all about. Him (or her) wants to know if (him/her) can cook delicious Wooly Mammoth on that thing! And also, why people wearing clothes? (everyone looks and him/her, very confused) I can answer that well, the part about the music, not the clothes and cooking of ancient beasts of burden. Ahem. This next song is in the style of Surf Rock. In the 1950s and 60s, bands like The Beach Boys made it very popular. Here come two teenagers right now who know the score! Oh, Frankie, remember the night we first met? Sure, Annette. We were at the beach listening to King of Rock N Roll! (dreamily) Gee Frankie, let s go back to that beach and rekindle that feeling! Sure, Annette. Let s get my surf board, load up the woody, and hit the BEACH!
Annette: Frankie: Oh, Frankie! You re the best! (arrogantly) I know! Song 3: Hot Summer Nights/Let s Surf Cave Person 8: Ed Sullivan: Cave Person 9: Cave Person 8: Cave Person 9: Paul M. John L. Ladies and gentlemen, live from New York, it s the ED SULLIVAN show! <cheers, applause> Me wonder what is. Ed Sullivan show. Good evening ladies and gentlemen. Tonight we will have a really big show for you. This is what we have all be waiting for! Making their first-ever appearance on American Television.direct from England, please welcome.the BEATLES! <explodes with applause> Beatles? Beatles cause cave people BIG problem. Me HATE beatles. And spiders. No, Mr. (or Miss) Cave Person. The ROCK group The Beatles. Oooh ma chuk a! Me want more Rock N Roll. That s right. OUR Beatles arrived on the scene in the 1960s, complete with new, upbeat sound and shaggy haircuts. People just couldn t get enough. In fact, even today the Beatles are considered one of the best and most popular rock bands of all time! <slamming beatles with club> Me kill all beatles! Beatles BAD! ARRRRGGGGG! Uhhh.OK then! Paul and John, let s just get started. Maybe our cave people friends will understand. (British accent) Good. Let s give it go then, shall we? (British accent) Right! Let s do one then! Well, at LAST here you are ladies and gentlemen. The BEATLES!!!! <explodes with cheers again> Song 4: We Never Cut Our Hair
And now, we find our cave people in a slightly more familiar place a farmer s field in New York. The time is the late 1960s. Cave Person 10: Oh ma chuk ah! This looks more like home of cave people. There are open fields and crops growing. Also, lots of mud. Me like mud. Cave Person 11: Yes, but who are those people? They have long hair like cave people, but are wearing funny symbols and speaking in odd language. Hippie 1: Whoa dude! Like, peace and love, bro! Hippie 2: Like, we all love each other, man! I m gonna, like, pass out these flowers to everyone! Cave Person 10: Me see more people. They look.different. Wilma: (Scandinavian accent) Norman, Norman! Look over there. That one s got hair down to down to his knees! Norman: Yah, he does! Wilma, is it a boy or a girl! Wilma: Yah, well I can t really tell. Must be a hippie. Yah, that s right a hippie. Norman: Yah, or worse! Wilma: Yah. Norman. Maybe he s one of those flower children I ve been reading about in the paper! Norman: Yah! Or a radical! I think he s probably a radical!
Wilma: A radical? Together: Yah! Song 5: I m Calling My Mother (speaking parts in song) Cave Person 12: Wow. Me not even know what to say. Me speechless. Cave Person 13: Duh! You were speechless until like 500 years ago. <chorus laughs> Cave Person 14: Me like all the colors and flowers, though. This 60s and 70s rock is pretty awesome. Much better than boring, heavy boulder. Hippie 1: It s like totally cool, man. I wanna sing a song with everyone! Hippie 2: Me too. Let s show these cave people what the 1960s and early 1970s were all about: Peace, love and Rock and Roll! Song 6: Together (with parts in song) If you think our cave people are confused, wait until they see our NEXT kind of rock! We re going to travel to Detroit and Harlem New York to see two great American rock styles...motown and SOUL! Cave Person 3: What is Detroit and New York City? In fact, what is thing called city? Cave Person 4: All me see is concrete trees with fire burning in windows, and yellow things riding on new invention called wheel. Me think that round thing will never work. Also, modern cave people wear strange looking outfits not made of animal skins.
No, no my cave friends. Those are buildings, with electric lights, and cars! We ve made a lot of progress since your day. And in music, we ve progressed from American Pop Rock, to Elvis, to Surf Rock, to the peaceful sounds of the 60s and 70s. Now it s time for one of the most groovin sounds of all. Here, just listen. I think you ll feel good (air quotes) about it. Ladies and gentlemen, coming to you LIVE from the Apollo Theater in Harlem, NY the one the only Godfather of Soul! <cheers> Godfather of Soul: (running in, waving, cheering). Huh! I feel gooood! Tell us, how does it feel to be on the same stage as some of the great Motown and Soul performers of all time, like The Spinners, The Persuasions, and The Supremes? Godfather: (pauses, looks around). Huh! I feel good! <laughs> And how does it feel to be one of the leading figures in the development of Soul music in this country? Godfather: <pause> Huh! I feel good! Cave Person 5: Me like this guy. He speak me language. Me feel good! Ooh! Ma! Chuk! Ah! Tell us, how does it feel to be performing live at the Apollo Theater in New York City?
Godfather: <pauses, looks around>. New York City? <pauses, smiles> Huh! I FEEL GOOD! Song 7: It s in My Soul Cave Person 6: Ooh ma chuk ah! Me like that soul music! It have steady pulse, like cave people music! It have drums! Me can t wait for drums not to be made of logs! Future so exciting! Cave Person 7: Ooh! Muh! Chuk! Ah! Ooh! Ma! Chuk! Ah! Me inspired to SPEEEAAK! Rock, Rock, where art thou, rock? WHHHAT? Cave Person 8: Me can t wait to hear and see more rock music! Me can t believe that moving rock could be more than just pushing boulders all day. Boulders boring. Boulders heavy. Boulders crush cave person s toes frequently. Ooh. Ma. Chuk. (in pain) AHHHHHHHH! (limps off) Eeesh. That s going to leave a mark. <pause> But, don t worry folks he ll (or she ll) be fine. And we re not finished yet. We re about to hear and see some of the most uncave person-like music ever! Cave Person 9: You mean like Easy Listening? <laughs> Cave Person 10: Or Baroque Piano Sonata? Chorus <laughs>
Cave Person 11: Ooooooh! Yes! Me love to ba-roke things! Ooh ma chuk ah! (karate chop) No, no, No! We re not talking about baroque music, or classical music, or romantic or modern period music. We re not talking about jazz, or easy listening either. We re talking about ROCK music and all its forms. And this one is one of the most exciting. It s the late 1970s. All around the country, dance clubs are springing up with a new kind of music, flashing lights and crazy fashions. It s called DISCO and it became a huge success. Cave Person 12: Lights! Beat! Rhythm! This sound like me style! Boogie Woogie! <looks at him/her> WHHHAAATT? Looks like our cave people friends have learned a few things! Now, let s listen in. <music starts> Dancer 1: What s that sound? Dancer 2: What? Dancer 1: I said, what s that sound? Is there a marching band rehearsing in there? Dancer 2: No, it s just a disco! Dancer 1: A what? Dancer 2: A DISCO!
Dancer 1: A what? A D-I-S-C-O!!!! Song 8: D-I-S-C-O! Cave person 13: Cave Person 14: Heavy Metal Kid: Cave Person 1: Rapper: Cave Person 2: Pop Star: Country Star: R&B Kid: Grunge Kid: Cave Person 3: Cave Person 4: Cave Person 5: Cave Person 6: Cave Person 7: Cave Person: 8: What was all that sound? And who where all those people? Those were our future selves, and that was Rock N Roll! Whoa dudes love your threads? Did you dig our heavy metal? Metal? Or is Rap music more your style? Rap? How about Retro-Pop? Country Rock? How about Rhythm and Blues? Or Grunge? Ugh! I m more of a Rolling Stones fan myself. Get it? Rolling Stones? GET IT? ARRRGGGGGG. Make it stop! Me see now there so many kinds of rock music. That s right. From its roots in that early 1950s, to Pop, Metal, Grunge, Punk to British rock. There are so many great kinds of rock music to listen to. So my cave people friends, have you enjoyed learning about all different kinds of rock? Ooh! Ma! Chuk! Ah! I ll take that as a yes! Hey everybody, what do you say we do one more song for our cave friends before they have to leave? How about it?
Punk Rocker (shouts out from crowd) Party on! Long live Rock n Roll! LONG LIVE ROCK AND ROLL! Reprise: We Put the Rock!