King John’s Christmas  Click here for full image
 Click here for video slide show

 

SYNOPSIS OF SCENES:

SCENE 1: The Castle Courtyard
SCENE 2: The Folly in the Woods
SCENE 3:  Sherwood Forest
SCENE 4:  Another part of the Forest
SCENE 5: The North Pole
SCENE 6:  Robin Hood’s Camp
SCENE 7: The Great Hall


MUSICAL NUMBERS:

Prologue:  I Promise to love you forever…………….………..….Robin Hood
Olde Ho Humme Christmas……………………………….…..…Princess Polly
Maid Brandy, What a Nice Surprise………………………Huff & Maid Brandy
King John’s Lament……………………………………..……………….King John
He Promised to Love Me Forever…………………..….Maid Marian & Bunny
The Chase…………………………..Princess Polly, Maid Brandy, Max & Huff
Christmas Time…………………….…..……..Angel, Elf, Rudolph, Mrs. Claus
Toy March……………………………………………..………Toys & Mrs. Claus
Olde Ho Humme Christmas…………………….….…Friar Tuck & Little John
Olde Ho Humme Christmas…………………..….…………..………….Chorus
Finale……………………………………………………..…………….Ensemble


VIDEO SLIDE SHOW ARTISTS:

In Days of Yore:
Brian Leonard
I Promise to Love You Forever:
Dwayne Campbell
Maid Brandy, What a Nice Surprise:
Mike Scannell, Elizabeth Elwood
He Promised to Love me Forever:
Elizabeth Elwood
Toy March:
Isabel Mendenhall & Chorus
North Pole Dialogue:
Dwayne Campbell, Mike Scannell, Isabel Mendenhall
Sherwood Forest Dialogue:
Dwayne Campbell, Elizabeth Elwood, Mike Scannell
Finale:
Dwayne Campbell, Elizabeth Elwood


THE STORY:
 King John hates the Holiday Season.  To add to his aggravation, Robin Hood keeps serenading Maid Marian under the castle walls, and Princess Polly is organizing a Christmas party for the village children.  In a fit of temper, the King decides to ruin Christmas for everyone.  His pet dragon, Huff, has the power to breathe on people and turn them into trees, so John orders Huff to breathe on Santa Claus during the Christmas party.   Princess Polly’s dog, Brandy, discovers the plot and tells Sir Max, the Ho Hum Husky, to run to the North Pole to warn Santa.  Huff chases Max through the forest, but Max escapes when Huff gets stuck in a tree.  Max reaches the North Pole and tells Santa to stay away from King John’s Castle, but Santa refuses to take the warning seriously as he doesn’t want to disappoint the village children.  He appoints Max his bodyguard and they return together to the castle.  Huff, in the meantime, manages to get free.  He causes havoc in Robin Hood’s camp, then heads back to the castle to complete his villainous mission.  Robin sends a warning to Max and Brandy for he knows that Sir Max, the Ho Hum Husky is now the only one who can foil the King’s wicked plot.  And sure enough, Sir Max saves the day, the party is a success, and even King John finds that Christmas is a time for rejoicing.

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DIRECTOR’S NOTE:  As a girl, I loved the A.A. Milne poem, KING JOHN’S CHRISTMAS.  The idea that John’s villainy was fuelled by despair because Father Christmas didn’t bring him a ‘big red india-rubber ball’ seemed so much more fun than all the versions in the history books.  I took great delight in reading the poem to our daughters when they were young, and there is no doubt that our puppet musical was inspired by the Milne poem. In our version, the longed-for gift is a ‘little wooden soldier’, but the principle is still the same.  So with fond memories and much affection for A.A. Milne, we hope you enjoy our rendition of KING JOHN’S CHRISTMAS.


VOICES:

King John…………………………………………………….……Brian Leonard
Robin Hood……………………………………………….….Dwayne Campbell
Princess Polly…………………………………………………Elizabeth Elwood
Maid Brandy…………………………………………….…….Elizabeth Elwood
Huff…………………………………………………………………Mike Scannell
Sir Max, the Ho Hum………………………………….…….Dwayne Campbell
Bunny……………………………………………………………….Bethan Lewis
Maid Marian……………………………………………….…..Elizabeth Elwood
Angel………………………………………………….…………….Bethan Lewis
Elf…………………………………………………………….….….Deborah Tom
Rudolph……………………………………………………………Brian Leonard
Mrs. Claus………………………………………………..…..Isabel Mendenhall
Santa………………………………………………………………..Mike Scannell
Friar Tuck…………………………………………………………..Brian Leonard
Little John…………………………………………………….……..Mike Scannell
Wooden Soldier…………………………………………………….Katie Elwood
Chorus………………………….………..Elizabeth Elwood, Dwayne Campbell