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Costume Note: Ideally, the cast will wear their own clothing. However, the fantasy scenes may be played with or without partial costumes/accessories. Mother will need 2 costumes {her work-out clothes and an evening gown}. The Cheerleaders should wear matching cheerleading uniforms. Set Note: The set may be as complex or as simplistic as desired. You may choose to build an entire luxury playground or use theatre boxes, scaffolding or even a bare stage. Cast of Characters ALEX: A teenage girl with a vivid imagination. NICK: Alex's best ever best friend. A nice guy. No luck with the ladies. JILLIAN: A gum chewing, wise cracking New Yorker. Brooklyn accent. SUZIE: The ultimate brat and Alex's little sister. MOTHER: Alex and Suzie's Mother. Super Mom - always on the go. She wears full spandex work-out gear and totes a cellular phone on her hip like a gun. The Mother must be played very broadly lest she appear mean or uncaring. She is the mother of Alex's imagination. SOPHIE: A gentrified Southern belle. CHAD: The school stud. Handsome, arrogant and shallow. BUSTER: Chad's sidekick - a big, dumb, happy bully. RILEY: A geeky, awkward boy. Excitable, always moving. CHEERLEADERS: Vivacious bundles of energy. They act as Greek chorus and musical narrators, commenting on and moving the action along: BUFFY, BARBI, BE-BE, BETTY, BONNIE, and BUNNY. COMPANY - Playground can easily accommodate a cast of thousands. If you would like to add to the cast, areas marked COMPANY are an ideal place to begin. MUSICAL NUMBERS
{At rise we see a multi-level, wooden jungle gym. a picnic table down left and a park bench down right. The stage is empty. As the lights slowly fade up, we hear children offstage sweetly singing bits and pieces of childhood songs. Any combination of songs may be used. Sung a capella} ALEX: Twinkle, twinkle little star... COMPANY: Play, play, playmate ALEX: ... How I wonder where you are... COMPANY: This old man, he played one. ALEX: ...Up above the sky so high... COMPANY: Ring around the rosie ALEX: ...Like a diamond in the sky... COMPANY: Patty cake patty cake, ALEX: ...Twinkle, twinkle, little star... COMPANY: Miss Suzie had a steamboat ALEX: ...How I wonder where you are. {The school bell rings} COMPANY {offstage}: RECESS!!!! {ENTER COMPANY running. They laugh, scream, turn cartwheels, and play catch, jump rope, hopscotch, etc.} COMPANY: Time for fun, time to play. ALEX: To be in love COMPANY: TIME! RILEY: For truth or dare. COMPANY: TIME! NICK: To be with friends. CAST: TIME! CHAD: To do my hair. COMPANY: Old fashioned, a hundred percent, BUSTER: To count my zits. COMPANY: TIME! JILLIAN: For this and that. COMPANY: TIME! SOPHIE: To watch my soaps. COMPANY: TIME! SUZIE: To be a brat! COMPANY: Gold-plated, unperturbed, multi-media break from the herd! FUN! ALEX {She speaks to the AUDIENCE as if they were her diary}: Dear diary... he KISSED ME! What was it like? Well, it was kinda like riding a roller coaster. I felt dizzy and alive... and then I felt like I was gonna throw up. They never tell you that part in the romance novels - the woofing your cookies part. It's been a couple days since I wrote, so I'll have to fill you in. You're not gonna believe everything that's happened! {ENTER JILLIAN and NICK. They sit downstage on the floor and stare intently out into the audience} Jillian, this year's best friend, and Nick, who's my best ever best friend, but who is also a boy, so, can't be counted on a technicality -- were in home-ec learning how to become good wives. {NICK gives her an annoyed look}Or something like that. {ALEX sits and stares out at the audience along with her friends. Beat} What are you guys doing? NICK {brightly, like the commercial}: I'm cleaning my oven! ALEX: Come on. JILLIAN: We threw butter on the wall. ALEX {The sane addressing the insane}: O.K. JILLIAN: Like, we're waiting to see how long it will take. ALEX: For what? JILLIAN: To slide down the wall. ALEX: Oh. Why didn't I think of that? JILLIAN: You're an underachiever. ALEX: That must be it. NICK: It's a time continuum experiment in metaphysics. JILLIAN: To-tally! NICK {Gesturing to the audience}: This is our control group. JILLIAN: Like, on the right, butter. On the left, I Can't Believe it's Not Butter. ALEX: I can't believe it either. NICK: HEY! There goes the margarine! Man your post. {JILLIAN looks at her watch} Going, going, GONE! JILLIAN: Nine minutes and forty-eight seconds. JILLIAN & NICK: Awesome! {JILLIAN AND NICK high five} ALEX: You guys have been watching butter for 10 minutes?! NICK: No. We haven't been watching butter for ten minutes. JILLIAN: What do you think, we're stupid or something? ALEX: Or something. NICK: We've been watching butter for... {He looks to JILLIAN} JILLIAN: Nine minutes and forty-eight seconds. NICK: Right. NICK & JILLIAN: GEEZ! {NICK, JILLIAN AND ALEX look at the wall/audience again. Beat} ALEX: Where is everyone? NICK: Field trip. ALEX: Why aren't you with them? JILLIAN: Detention. ALEX: For what? NICK & JILLIAN: Throwing butter the wall! {They ALL laugh, then turn back to audience and stare - long beat} NICK: I don't think the butter is coming down. ALEX: The home-ec teacher just left you here? NICK: We're supposed to be cleaning the ovens. JILLIAN: I can't stand her. ALEX: She's not that bad. JILLIAN: Pu-leeze! She eats our homework! |
