The Big \puppet/ Powerhouse Christmas Extravaganza SYNOPSIS By Timothy Sheridan (c) 2010 215-242-8340 info@theubie.com 4 Pgs, Re:96 pages +6 songs LOGLINE: A theater group is evicted by a wrecking ball and books a much larger venue for a night of Christmas entertainment amid a snowstorm, but as the show progresses, the cast dinner is ruined and one character must go into the magical Christmas eve to buy more. OPENING ACT SYNOPSIS OPEN PLATE with Obsequious Announcer: "The Big! \Puppet/! Powerhouse! Christmas Extravaganza" EXT. AN OLD THEATER A fourth floor walk-up with a large theater marquee. Theater players practice on stage. Upstairs some of them assemble to choose a Christmas show. The accountant reveals they are behind on their lease and must exit by today. They have enough money for ice cream --but only one scoop. A wrecking ball appears at the window. Some of them think its a Christmas decoration. Others argue whether it was a "Klunk or a Thump". Some suggest it "could be decorated". Then they realize it's a wrecking ball and call the lease company. The critters discover their theater is going to become a 'bulk food mega store'. They are heartened to see the wrecking ball leaving. But it promptly returns and they retaliate by launching stage props, office furniture and other harmless effects from the balcony/fire exit. One critter jumps on the crane biting it. Other players, practicing on stage, topple the Christmas tree and push it out the back into a truck. One critter is alone cleaning up as the plaster begins to fall. The ball swings in through the wrecked office window and swings back out carrying a clump of clinging critters who drop to the street below. The crane-biter lands threateningly on the windshield of the crane. In front of the theater, the battle rages as critters swing brooms and cones at workmen. The crazed biter jumps on a jack-hammer and rides it like a pogo stick, Left, right, chasing workmen, through caution tape, bumping into the crane, over a see-saw/saw-horse, through a sand pile (with muffled sound) and over the power cords causing an explosion of fireworks. The lead critter runs into the building to get the forgotten cigar box containing the last of the ice cream money. The critters are successful at thwarting the crane operator who flees the puppet attack. But the crane spins slowly out of control dragging the ball through the roof of the building and collapsing it as the critters all watch from the street. From the cloud of debris comes the leader with the last few dollars for ice cream. Fade The players sit alone in front of the tall rubble pile, cleaning themselves, darning and de-linting. --end opening scene-- FULL SYNOPSIS OPEN A struggling theater group plans their Christmas show but is interrupted by a wrecking ball and their behind-rent venue is destroyed.. They are on the street with only enough money for ice-cream. They go for the ice-cream but are heckled as they walk the streets tattered and unemployed. They quickly discover the source of their troubles, a giant super cinema 24 just around the corner. The critters decide to join forces with the establishment. But the local movie theater won't rent space to them. So the dejected players overextend and book Lincoln Center. The only catch, they must do their own food service. (What could go wrong?) So they call the trucks and rescue a small plush-toy (fuzzy bunny) from atop the rubble pile. They leave a sign on the door directing people to the new location. The weather turns snowy as the players leave in two trucks. But the crazy driver follows signs to a ski party and makes a detour down the ski slope. They swerve side to side, roll sideways, roll end-over-end and escape the icy lake at the bottom. They survive unscathed. But later the truck with the Christmas tree is lost in a snow bank on the turnpike. The players arrive at the theater and unpack with teamwork and gags. The night begins. There is a duet and floor-show. And their cook begins a cast dinner in a kitchen under the stage. But as the headliner acts begin, one helpful character interrupts the cook and flubs the cast dinner. Slips and falls ensue. The dejected sad-sack blames himself and is consoled by the hostess. Then he volunteers to go into the night to buy more food where he is assisted by a spirit of Christmas lady and buys more food. But he soon becomes exhausted from carrying the large sack of food and is rescued by Santa and waylaid to the north pole. They travel past the statue of liberty, Eiffel tower and Great pyramids. As they fly down the ice silo, the little critter discovers the non-stop- singing-happy-elfen-culture. ("..in the crystal snowy, magic frosty, happy crunchy, Winter wonder land..") The critter is laden with toys, treats and garlands. But as he sits in his golden chair overlooking the endless fun, he realizes that the people he loves are more important than all the toys, joys and candy in the world. So he returns with the help of Santa (Santa does 2 runs these days). We see the eleborate and high tech launch preparations for the sleighride. They fly past the Pyramids, the Eiffel tower and the Statue of Liberty, landing on the roof of the theater. Santa offers a small gift and departs with bounding cheer. The critter tumbles down through a roof vent and through the building landing on the table in the kitchen under the stage. The little critter delivers the sack of food. But the cast dinner is impossible, because it's only a bag of bread. Then, magically, a small girl finds a danish stuck to the bottom of the bag. The chef has an epiphany. He can make the Dinner! The Chef orders the construction of a large hi-voltage cyclotron to create Christmas dinner, from bread alone (plus the squashed danish). The contraption looks like four giant aluminum donuts stacked in the shape of a Christmas tree, sitting on a box with two doors and a tiny faucet. There is a light bulb near the top which also emits arcs of electricity when the whirring, hummming and grinding reach crescendo. As the big act approaches, the janitor appears, (He is a self-styled matador/gaucho named "El Mopo" (guitar twang)). He insists that the mythical "Doce Dias" (12 Days of Christmas operetta) is an impossible legend and far too dangerous for the female lead. However, he agrees to allow the act if he can open with his own motorcycle juggling. (we see only shadows and stunned faces of the audience during El mopo's intro.) The crowded '12 Days of Christmas' act is a big success with dancing milkmaids, cows, calling birds, leaping, turtledoves, chickens, ballet, pipes and drums, the partrage in a pear tree. And a kaboom (under the stage) as the dinner nears completion. There is a minor miracle when one critter, who was asked to "make ice-cubes", is found outside shivering and must go on as baby Jesus while another critter who is rummaging in the attic for tree decorations accidentally opens the trapdoor above the stage, flooding it with light (angelic chorus). The two briefly exchange quiet hello's. Then as the finale draws near, the improvised Christmas tree is not ready. And the orchestra fixes the tree by generously decorating it with their instruments, and performing the prelude on kazoos. The small gift from Santa is opened and it's an electric cord which electrifies lasers and a disco ball above the stage for the closing rock number. Its a miracle. The evening is a success. The curtain closes. Back stage, they pay the band in ones. ("one.. two .. three..") And the players assemble for the Christmas dinner. But the high-tech lid (covering the turkey dinner) is tightly stuck. Several players attempt to free it with tug of war, rockets and dynamite, but are unsuccessful until the mysterious janitor-gaucho, 'El Mopo'(guitar riff) appears and frees it with a flick of his trusty mop. The troop leader offers thanks and the cast dinner commences. And, far away, Santa rides through the night. The next day, the players hang a large neon sign on their newly rebuilt theater. The EndHere's the ScriptScene Outline: OPEN Christmas meeting Wrecking ball battle, Panhandling performers, Movie theater rejection, Saving fuzzy bunny, Truck ride and ski-slope detour, Theater setup, Opening monologue ('The Christmas song' with ‘Most wonderful' floor show) Helping the chef (country song: 'White Christmas' (alt 'Better not shout') Back stage banter (gag: comic chorus) Kitchen disaster (kid song: "i'm not a snowman") Consoling the klutz (comic song: "silver bells") Into the night, food run, trip to north pole. ( gag: comic elf chorus) Kitchen miracles (extra song: snow princess Vegas show solo) 'El Mopo' and 'The 12 Days of Christmas' super act ("The Doce Dias") Nativity miracle and Improvised Tree Closing Number: ‘Wonderful Christmas' and encore song called 'Coming up'.) Cast dinner, stuck turkey lid, (End Bit Rebuilding the theater) END Major Songs: 25 min "Christmas Song", with "Most wonderful time of the year" floor show "White Christmas" (country) ith Santa clause is coming to town. Madrigal comic doo-wap of "Jesus joy of mans desire" later "ring in the bells" Comic "Silver bells" (variety act) 'I'm not a snow man" (original for very young person or very tall bird) Vegas snow aria: "Joy to the world" or "do you hear what i hear" '12 days of Christmas' opereta stage-show McCartney's "Wonderful Christmas" and "coming up" ! SHORT-Gag songs - 1.5 min total (international styles) Silent night (bag pipes) Rocking around the Christmas tree (plate twirler) Fa la la la la (unicycles, penny whistles, juggler) Oh holy night (flamenco) We wish you a merry Christmas (slap dancers) Jingle bells (snake charmer with sitar) Hark the herald angels sing (didgeridoo, jaw harp, soda bottle) The nutcracker suite 13 --excerpt (there's a short act for this) Handle's Messiah (chorus) North Pole Elf Song: (this is a fast children's chorus) "We make the toys for girls and boys, and all the things with lots of noise, we work and sing and dance and play...In the happy snowy, frosty sparkle, merry crispy, magic wonder land..." (various hyperverbal variations) North pole "Elf-Anthym": (the anthym is a slow solemn ode inside the elf song) The man in the beard, might seem weird, but he pays us all the pudding we can eat. His red and furry suit, might seem quite a hoot, but not when he's out in-the-cold, bringing back the smorgasbord. (resume hyper-kenetic elf song) There's more in the script. The weird James bond style office of the cinema 24 manager. Two truck drivers who only mumble. The Christmas tree pokes through the cab of the lost truck in the snowbank, filling it with Christmas ornaments. One Truck must slide to a halt to avoid an old lady crossing the street. Critters tumbling out of the other truck when the players unpack. Sawing the top of the doorway to fit the really tall character. A small horse named 'peaches'. Some sword fighting. A pipe organ is connected to the giant video curtain. One really large brooding player uses the loading dock as his dressing room. One critter must climb the high voltage dinner rig to change a light bulb. The horse discovers a better improvised Christmas tree. (a pirate rope ladder with adornments) Story, song, gags, colorful, visceral, fun. Its packed. Timothy Sheridan info@theubie.com Discussion: This is a fun play with a gripping series of colorful situations, turns and debacles. Characters strive for acceptance and explore their autonomy. Its lighthearted holiday entertainment with familiar Christmas songs performed by headliner acts and many gag music bits in nternational styles. (likesilent night on bagpipes or fa la la la la on sitar). The show is full of kinetic action like a wrecking ball, riding a jack hammer, a truck sliding down a ski slope, making ice-cubes, slipping on goulash, tumbling, climbing, falling, trap doors, heavy objects, Gag choral singers who make funny sounds, or the mythical "Doce Dias" (The 12 Days of Christmas operetta) with leaping chickens, dancing cows and milkmaids.. There are a few minor miracles and a visit to the north pole. In the end, the troop succeeds against all odds in doing their show -and having a holiday dinner together. Every holiday product would be an ideal sponsor. Everything from Jello, to stuffing to, floor wax. Hope you can find the cash. We need endorsements!