A Musical Based on the Novel by Kenneth Grahame Cast of Characters: Toad Rat Mole ~ Rabbit. .......Also plays:Judge/Jailer's Daughter ~ Weasel... .... Also plays:Policeman Stoat ..........Also plays:Frenchwoman \? PROP LIST WIND IN THE WILLOWS Broom (for Mole) Picnic Basket Notebook and Pencil (for Rat) Folded paper (for Toad) Serving Tray with 3 cider cups tambourine Broken Gypsy wagon parts automobile steering wheeVother parts(?) car keys lantern giant carrot ball and chain (for Mole) dinner tray with food (for jail) handcuffs dinner bell book and pencil (for Policeman) watering can tankard manacles (for Toad) books (for Mole) For "Moving Up" scene: cigar 2 turkey legs 4large spoons large i~am bucket 2 folding flowers (wired) in skinny vases WIND IN THE WILLOWS Music:Prologue A MEADOW IN SPRING. THERE IS A GREAT CRASH OF THUNDER AND THE SOUND OF RAIN. IT IS THE FIRST RAINSTORM OF SPRING AND THE ANIMALS ARE SCURRYING ABOUT. SOME OF THE ANIMALS ARE JUST WAKING UP FROM THEIR WINTER SLEEP. THE STORM PASSES AND THE SUN COMES OUT. MOLE -A SMALL COMP ACf FIGURE WITH lllGH ENERGY WHO THROWS HERSELF INTO ANY ENDEAVOR WITH GREAT INTENSITY - IS SWEEPING HER DOORSTEP. SHE WEARS SPEerACLES WinCH HAVE BECOME NECESSARY BECAUSE OF HER PASSION FOR READING / Jt1 pw v1' ulf.ttittV. MOLE Oh, enough spring cleaning. The world is waking up and I want to explore. Oh, I know... rm a mole. And moles are supposed to be happy underground, but..up here.. well, just look. 1 __.. _ ~AN THOSE BE ROSES r SEE GENTLY SWAYING? :AN IT BE THAT THEY'RE SAYING ?HE WORLD IS WAITING FOR ME? t.LL OF MY LIFE ' 'VE BEEN DEEP IN THE GROUND HERE, 'OW AS I LOOK AROUND HERE, WORLD IS WAITING FOR ME! I'VE BEEN DIGGING ALL THOSE HOLES I MADE DIGGING WHILE I PLAYED AND READING AS IF BOOKS CAN FADE THESE SPECS ARE WRECKS! I'VE LIVED FOR YEARS WITH ALL MY FAMILY THINGS BUT UP HERE THE AIR SINGS A WORLD THAT'S WAITING FOR ME, AND A WORLD I WANT TO SEE! IF I LEAVE HOME AND BE GONE FOR A WEEK WOULD EACH FAVORITE THING BE ALL RIGHT? WHO WOULD LOOK AT MY FAVORITE BOOK, AND MAKE SURE THAT IT'S ALRIGHT? NEXT TO MY CHAIR IS A PICTURE BOOK WHERE I LOVING LOOK EVERYDAY. MY BOOKS I KNOW WILL FILL WITH DREAD TO THINK THEY ARE UNREAD WHILE I'M AWAY! SO MANY BOOKS THAT I SPECIALLY CARE FOR MUST HAVE HELPED ME PREPARE FOR THIS WORLD THAT'S WAITING FOR ME! Ca~PTER BOOKS THEY ARE SECOND TO NONE! AND GOOSEBUMPS I READ EVERY ONE, BUT OUT HERE, HERE IN THE SUN THE SUN IS HERE! LAST WEEK I READ ABOUT FAR AWAY PLACES IN FAR AWAY PLACES THE WORLD IS WAITING FOR ME! SO IT'S GOODBYE TO THE UNDERGROUND, AND HELLO TO THE SUN I FOUND, THIS IS WHERE I WANT TO BE! (A Wll..LOW TREE HANGS OVER WHAT LOOKS LIKE THE CORNER OF A SMALL HOUSE. NEXT TO IT IS A ROWBOAT TIED OFF TO A DOCK RAT COMES OUT OF HIS HOUSE ON TO THE DOCK. HE IS A DOWN HOME SORT OF FELLOW. VERY CONTENT WITH HIS RIVER. EVERYONE LIKES TO BE COUNTED AS A FRIEND OF RAT EVEN THO HIS BAD POETRY CAN SOMETIMES BE A TRIAL .. HE IS EVEN NOW SEARCIDNG FOR THE PERFECT RiriME.) MOLE And you're a water rat. RAT We don't often see moles around these parts. MOLE J,/, 1M. ,. .. ; ~~~ . Q/~a~~ We;;, rm going to change that state of affairs. Qvt?/fl / lJ. '#~J)Jt-l/ ,&ttlhl'-f)l-lrt-fj, ·11 L L (Ral has picked up a picnic basket and is heading for his boat.) What's that? lf'~ii/J"AJAAAJJ!JilUI Ill ' ~ /Vr -- ~t/l'llY RAT . (He has never met anyone who doesn't know what a picnic basket is) A picnic basket! MOLE Really? What's in it? RAT (speaks to music) Just cold chicken, cold tongue, cold ham, cold beef, pickled gherkins, salad greens, french rolls, watercress sandwiches, potted meat, ginger beer, lemonade and soda water. MOLE All that for one person? RAT Well. fd be happy to share it with you. MOLE Oh,my! RAT I love picnics. I wrote a poem about it once. MOLE You're a writer? RAT _,,_,: to think so. MOLE (She can't believe her luck) Oh , my! And I love to read. It's my favorite thing . .. next to digging tunnels, of course . Where do you get your inspiration? RAT Well, from the world . MOLE You must have travelled a lot . RAT Yes , I have. MOLE Where have you been? RAT Up and down the river. MOLE So, that's ... a river. RAT Haven't you seen a river before? MOLE No. we moles are brought up to avoid rivers. When you're underground, you don't know you've hit one until it's too late . RAT Well, I envy you seeing a river for the first time. And from the right side up, especially this time of year. I like to see the river just messing about in my boat. MOLE Is that a boat? RAT (In disbelief) Of course, it is. You don't know what a boat is!? ! MOLE No ... is that a boat? (laughs) Oh, dear . Forgive me. It's just when I read about boats in my books, I got the impression that boats were quite a lot ... bigger. (Remembering herself and with a bit of connivance.) Not that your boat isn't the perfect size for two . RAT I spent all morning cleaning her. R.1,T E\ "ERYO~E FEELS A STlR AT THE CO~UNG OF SPRD\G. BUT FOR THE SAJLOR THERE"S SO!v1Enil}.;G MORE. HE DRAGS HIS BOAT TO THE 1\cAREST SHORE Al\'D POLISHES EVERY RUDDER. RAIL MTI RING FOR MESSING ABOUT IN BOATS IS THE THING. \v"HEN I PUSH OFF MY DOCK FOR TilE VERY FIRST TIME­ tvfY BOATS BEEN IDLE FOR ~tA.'N WEEKS - I CHECK THE BOTIOM FOR A...-...."Y LEAKS THEN PULL THE OARS At'\1"0 KNOW rM IN MY PRIME. OH.. MESS~G .A.BOli'T IN BOATS IS St.i"BLTh.fE! IN THE MIDDLE OR NEAR THE BANK. IT RE.A.LL Y DOES;--rT M.t.. TIER. JtJST THE CH..A.R..'\.1 OF BEING THERE. !'0 l'\"EED TO TR..A. \t"EL .A.!';YWHERE. ROWING ALONG OR DRIFTING ALONG. EVEN WHE'l RAINDROPS SPATTER ITS A WO>-TIERFUL WAY TO PASS THE DAY / / . A..'l) WHEN ITS Ov"ER YOU GET TO SAY. ~../-.,AlA ~ . -rvE BEP.J BUSY BUT NOnnNG"S BEEN DONE.. - l/U..(.-V'7 A..''D I 00~1 JO..l()W WHEN 1-vE HAD SUCH RJNf' ~tOLE HAS A'YJ'O>-"E EVER ASKED TO BE PART OF YOL'R CREW? R~T \\"OULD YOU LIKE TO TAKE A RIDE? ~tOLE Ycs. please. RAT tHEN STEP INSIDE! YOU"LL SEE 1HAT EVERY1l!ING I"VE SAID IS TRUE. At'ID MESSING ABOUT IN BOATS IS FOR YOU! (Th~ mu. .<ic continW!S as .VOLE silS tfco.m in 1M boat. £,·~r th~ romantic. ·sh~ 's , · i•rMditU/y transpon~d b_v visions of1M ~ 5M 'S ~od about. Pictures of squar~ · riggqs Moding ~from IM m_vstmou:s East Ioden down l<ith pr~dous spi~s grip hu soul. Hu ~nthusiasm htO\f"S no bounds.) MOLEfo~rtt!e-. I Keepin· a sharp look out. The salty tang of sea spcay.11~ A norwester a 'blowing o~ sowester. RAT ~t" s not quite "h.:lt I ... Mole Anchors aweigh at break of day! Haul the bowline, the bowline haul. Around the Cape Hom through ice and snow. All the way to Tokyo! RAT Just hold on, there. That's not my cup of tea at all. Why. rm just another lazy riverbank dreamer. HALF-WAY AROUND THE WORLD IS A LONG WAY FROM SHORE OH. I'VE NO NEED FOR THE OPEN SEA THE RIVER'S MORE THAN ENOUGH FOR ME AND WHO COULD REACH THE ORIENT WITH AN OAR! BUT. MESSING ABOUT IN BOATS MOLE JUST IN A BOAT THAT FLOATS RAT MESSING ABOUTS THE LIFE I ADORE. MOLE ME TOO. (Mole is transflXed as she looks about at the sights along the riverbank) MOLE Oh, what's that? Rat. That's Toad Hall. The fmest house on the river. Although we'd never tell Toad that. of COJ,li'Se. MOLE Ob. .. of cowse. Wbat's over there? Be!Und Toad Hall. }A tJ5 ~ Thatsthe Wild Wood. We don~o there very mu~. ~!! ~J%/i~ , MOLE Why not? (Rat isn't very forthcoming) Aren't the animals very nice? fl;pl}~ RAT Well, some of themare all right But then- there's the weasels and the stoats. MOLE Yu.lc. Say no more. RAT It's just their nature, of course, and everyone knows what to expect. But things have got worse since the new Chief Weasel's come into power. He's got ideas about upsetting the natural balance of things and taking over where he doesn't belong. MOLE Oh, that would be terrible. (SUDDENLY, OUT OF NOWHERE TOAD WlllZZES ALONG THE BANK BESIDE THEM. HE'S NATTILY DRESSED WITH AN OBVIOUS FONDNESS FOR STRONG COLORS) / ~ ,I ~ ;;_TOAD (See at an e) ! Do come for lunch at Toad Hall. And bring your friend. There's something I want to show you. (No sooner is he seen that he's gone.) MOLE Goodness.