 A POCKETFUL OF RHYMES
Music by Jeanne Bargy and Jim Eiler: Book and lyrics by Jim Eiler.
Based on Mother Goose rhymes
Synopsis
This is another delightful Prince Street Players show
and is based on the traditional Mother Goose rhymes. This is a wacky
revue mixing well-loved folk songs with a crazy collection of melody
and fun.
Mother Goose introduces the next generation to her “greatest
hits” in this energetic musical revue. Classic nursery rhymes
are set to a catchy contemporary score that covers the range of 20th
century music. Enormously popular, the original production – staged
with only a chair and six blocks – played limited engagements
on Broadway and even inspired a CBS television series.
Story
A rocking chair sits on stage. On it are a bell and a book of Mother
Goose rhymes. Suddenly, we are greeted by seven lively boys and girls,
welcoming us to the hootenanny that is the swingin’ Mother
Goose’s “Pocketful of Rhymes.” Of course, they
tell us, “Nobody Really Knows” who Mother Goose was.
They present several theories, but the real point is the rhymes,
which come from all over the world. It doesn’t matter who Mother
Goose really was – especially once she joins the cast on stage.
Mother Goose rings the bell, calling the Pocketful of Rhymes to order.
She takes roll call, introducing the cast. Then, through “Games,
Riddles, and Rhymes,” she explains all the different kinds of
nursery rhymes there are: lullabies, prayers, love songs, wise sayings,
riddles, tongue twisters, teaching rhymes, and games. The boys and
girls play tag, bounce balls, ride a see-saw and hobby horses, all
to Mother Goose rhymes.
The cast begs Mother Goose to sing them a lullaby, and she sets the
scene of a farm house at nightfall, with “Little Boy Blue” falling
asleep. With the help of the boys and girls, Mother Goose explains
the origins of some of her most famous rhymes: “Sing a Song of
Sixpence,” and “Yankee Doodle.” While she’s
in a patriotic mood, Mother Goose wonders aloud if Betsy Ross, sewing
the American flag, might have sung “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.”
The cast then dramatizes the tale of “The Spider and the Fly,” about
a wicked spider who lures a naïve fly into its web with false
flattery. They perform “Hickory Dickory Dock” as the
mechanical figures of a musical clock, playing on percussion instruments
and whistles.
Mother Goose announces 'a very unusual musical extravaganza,' called “Civilization
And The Nursery Rhyme!” With the help of the boys and girls,
she imagines cavemen paying homage to “Old King Cole,” the
cat-worshipping Egyptians looking for “Pussy Cat” and “Jack
and Jill” in ancient Greece climbing the Acropolis. She travels
around the world: “Mary Had A Little Lamb” takes on a Far
Eastern flavour, and “There Was An Old Woman” becomes a
hora. Travelling around Europe, “Little Bo Peep” and “Simple
Simon” become characters in a Louis XIV-era music box; “Jack
Be Nimble” dances a flamenco; “Little Jack Horner” does
a tarantella; the English make fun of “The Butcher, The Baker,
The Candlestick Maker”; “Tom The Piper’s Son” plays
the Scottish bagpipes; Russian boatmen dance to “Hi Diddle Diddle”;
and Austrians waltz to “Jack Sprat.” Coming back home to
America, Mother Goose and company charge through the ages: “Little
Miss Muffet” is a flapper, “Humpty Dumpty” swings,
and Elvis croons the “Little Girl Blues.” Here Civilization
comes to a rousing, dancing, rapping, aerobic fin-de-siècle
finale.
Finally, Mother Goose offers a new rhyme for her collection: a vision
of the world as “One Big Happy Family.” All the boys and
girls agree and join in.
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Cast:
4 female (including Mother Goose),
4 male. The cast may be expanded.
Note: Children in cast. The number of girls and boys
used in production can easily be enlarged, which can enhance the overall
production values. The girls and boys use their own first names throughout.
They are good hearted and enthusiastic with good voices and good dancing
abilities. Mother Goose always plays that character.
Girls: Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano and Alto
Boys: Tenor, Baritone and Bass
- MOTHER GOOSE - Kindly, maternal, mature but not elderly. Good voice,
good dancing ability and great vitality to move and maintain pace
of show.
Soprano with belt
- 1st GIRL - Plays a Dutch clogger, an Asian girl, and Little Bo Peep.
- 2nd GIRL - Plays Jill
- 3rd GIRL - Plays the fly, an Egyptian cat, and Asian girl.
- 1st BOY - Plays George Washington, the Spider, Old King Cole, the
Butcher and Jack Sprat.
- 2nd BOY - Sings "Song of Sixpence" and plays a Sphinx,
Simple Simon and the Baker.
- 3rd BOY - Plays a Dutch clogger, Jack, Little Jack Horner, the Candlestick
Maker and Elvis.
- 4th BOY - Plays Little Boy Blue, a Sphinx, Jack-Be-Nimble and Tome
the Piper's Son.
Musical Numbers
- A Pocketful Of Rhymes - All, Mother Goose
- Nobody Really Knows - All, Mother Goose
- A Pocketful Of Rhymes (Part II) - All, Mother Goose
- Games Medley - All, Mother Goose
- Little Boy Blue - All, Mother Goose
- Song Of Sixpence - All, Mother Goose
- Yankee Doodle - All, Mother Goose
- Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star - All, Mother Goose
- Spider & The Fly - All, Mother Goose
- Hickery Dickery Dock - All, Mother Goose
- Old King Cole - All, Mother Goose
- Pussycat - All, Mother Goose
- Jack And Jill - All, Mother Goose
- Mary Had A Little Lamb - All, Mother Goose
- Simple Simon & Bo Peep - 1st Girl, 2nd Boy
- Jack Be Nimble - All, Mother Goose
- Little Jack Horner - 3rd Boy, All
- Butcher, Baker, Candlestickmaker - Boys
- Tom The Piper's Son - All, Mother Goose
- Hi Diddle Diddle - All, Mother Goose
- Jack Sprat - All, Mother Goose
- Little Miss Muffet - Girls
- Humpty Dumpty - All, Mother Goose
- Little Girl Blues - 3rd Boy
- Civilization Finale - All, Mother Goose
- One Big Happy Family - All, Mother Goose
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