Category: Fables With A Moral

They Couldn't Help Themselves

6/29/2025

The premiere performance of my new children's theater musical "No Time for Monkey Business" happened yesterday. I count it a success when the audience goes home singing the songs. As well-wishers came up to me after the performance, that was practically all they would say, or sing rather. "What a beautiful day...the sun is shining..." or they'd say, "Those songs were so catchy!" Many literally said that they couldn't help themselves, they just kept singing the songs. They were stuck in their heads.

We tried to construct a jungle set with craft paper vines and tissue paper flowers made by the kids.

We were lucky. We only had one minor disaster during the show. Partway through the first big number a blast of wind came up and blew down the drapes in the back. They didn't fall far, fortunately, and my daughter jumped into action along with another tall friend to fix the problem. Apparently, they were so discreet that many in the audience were unaware of the situation. Another of my daughters who was the Stage Manager on that side of the stage found herself too busy calling cues and handing out props to do anything about the set problem. She was thankful that other people swiftly acted. So was I!

The flats were painted by Tiffany Lee and her two daughters Indie and London.

When you consider that the set was held together mainly by masking tape, cotton string, and safety pins, it is amazing that it held together at all. To think that a set built of styrofoam, bed sheets and construction paper had the hope of lasting through a day of wind, heat, and sun on an outdoor patio is actually pretty presumptuous, I admit. We knew we couldn't risk setting anything up the day before and leaving it over night, so we got up at the crack of dawn to build the stage with great hope that it could last until noon when the show would be over. And most of it did just fine.

These are the drapes that blew off the pipe that was holding them up.

With the real possibility that many things could go wrong, I am just glad that so many things went right and that the audience seemed to enjoy the show. They told me that the show was delightful and the songs were so catchy. They said that they appreciated how it had such a great message of learning to take responsibility. They were happy that the children would have such a wonderful memory to take with them through their lives.

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Fluff and Hollow Promises

5/31/2025

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During a part of my new show, "No Time for Monkey Business," several animals self-promote themselves to be the new ruler. The Zebra, the Fancy Bird, the Rhino, and the Hyena each sing songs that essentially say "Vote for Me" but they don't really explain their platforms or plans for ruling a kingdom. They just offer themselves because they want to fill the void left when the Old Lion King dies.

In the sequence, the animals of the audience get caught up in the excitement of these songs and dances. Basically, they are persuaded by how these candidates look and how well they dance and sing. Only the Fox is suspicious and wants to know more than just the fluff that is promised.

The Zebra is a comic. The Fancy Bird is beautiful. The Rhino is pushy. And the Hyena is into having dance parties. Each of their songs I wanted to be unique. The Zebra's song is a patter song modeled after a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta. The Fancy Bird's song is very swirly and balletic. The Rhino's song plays up his strength and pushiness. But the Hyena's song is more like an island calypso.

This is a mythical jungle where all the animals live together amicably. It is all played for fun, except the poor Fox who has to keep the moral standards for everyone. Aesop's fable really states the obvious --- that a ruler should be able to manage himself before he can manage a kingdom.

According to the Fox, none of these candidates are suitable to be chosen to fill the shoes of the wise Old Lion King. However, their songs and showmanship are fun to listen to and watch. That's the whole point of having these numbers in the show. And then, the Monkey comes along and upstages all of them.

It should be fun watching these young actors create these characters with their entertaining songs.

Hyena       With a vote for me you'll find yourself dancin',
                  Singin' and a-laughin' all the day long.
                  With a vote for me you'll find your heart prancin'.
                  With a vote for me how could you go wrong?

Dance Break

All             With a vote for me you'll find yourself dancin',
                  Singin' and a-laughin' all the day long.
                  With a vote for me you'll find your heart prancin'.
                  With a vote for me how could you go wrong?

Hyena        (spoken over musical postlude) Remember! Vote for me and we'll have dance parties every day!

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Creating a Catchy Title

3/8/2025

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Some authors I admire are so good with words! They have a knack for coming up with memorable phrases or pithy puns. I especially admire the power of catchy Titles. Take for instance the Disney movie "Tangled" that is the story of Rapunzel. Now the girl's name is the normal title of the fairy tale, but "Tangled" gives it an added comedic flair. Those of us who have daughters that we try to keep their hair managed know immediately how descriptive the title "Tangled" is. We all have our own memories of fighting with our daughters over the fuss of combing out the tangled knots of "bed head" hair in the mornings.

(Straightening out granddaughter CJ's hair in the mornings is not usually a smiling, happy affair!)

"The Monkey and the Fox" is a very short Aesop Fable that I am attempting to fill out to become a new show for this year's Summer Theater Camp. My first inclination is to use "Monkey Business" somewhere in the title. Truly, there are a lot of silly shenanigans with the Monkey and his pals in the script. However, the Monkey is not the hero of the Tale. In fact, the moral of the story is that "someone who cannot control himself should not be the one leading a kingdom."

The real hero of this Fable is the Fox who displays wisdom and selfless leadership skills. Near the beginning of the story, the old Lion King dies, and because the Monkey parades himself around draped in the royal robes of the old King, the jungle animals mistakenly view him as kingly, and elect him their King. Then, as the story plays out, the Fox thinks it is his duty to watch out for and even save the silly Monkey from his un-kingly ways.

The Fox continually warns the Monkey that he should take better care of himself. Finally, even the Fox gets tired of always rescuing the Monkey. Eventually, he lets the headstrong, unthinking, silly Monkey fall into the trap set by the trio of Tricky Trappers.

The last the jungle animals see of their King is when the Trappers haul off the Monkey from their trap. Only then do the animals realize that the Fox should be their ruler. They have a quick meeting and soon crown the Fox as the rightful King of the Jungle.

So, do I use "Monkey Business" in the title or keep searching for something that honors the wisdom of the Fox?

It's a problem.

In the meantime, I am finding fun costume ideas.

* * * * * * * * * * *

This just in --- My daughter Cami suggested a title: "No Time for Monkey Business." I think that's just right. I'm going with that.

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Mini Musicals with a Moral

2/6/2024

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One of the ELA (English Language Arts) objectives for 1st-3rd grades is to retell a story or fable with a moral. What better way to meet this objective than to present a class play?

In the Mini-Musical "The Tale of the Musicians of Bremen," the moral has to do with Age and Change. Children may not recognize how difficult it is for people to grow old and feel useless. Older people often stubbornly resist change. The old farmer and his wife in the story have to face Age and Change in themselves and for their animals. This story shows the animals taking a proactive step to avoid their certain fate (death). The animals are likable and do silly things, but also allow for a discussion about important life lessons, particularly Age and Change.

In the story of the City Mouse and the Country Mouse they each discover that both of their homes have pros and cons. The Country Mouse visits the city with her cousin and is terrified at the noise and hustle-bustle, and all of the hidden dangers there. She decides that the "cons" far outweigh the "pros" to life in the city. She races home to the Country where she already knows what to expect. For the class, "The Tale of the City Mouse and the Country Mouse" musical begins a discussion about Comparisons such as Likes and Dislikes. Through explorations in acting and singing, the students can draw examples from the story and their own experiences to become better at determining their own preferences.

And if the songs reinforce the concepts of the moral plus other Language Arts ideas, that is all for the better. For example, the opening song in "The Tale of the Three Billy Goats Gruff," contains an idiom that is introduced along with many other puzzlements, "Why is Grass Always Greener on the Other Side?"

This song is a good jumping off point for a discussion about asking questions to get information using the words "who, what, where, when and why."

Retelling a story or fable with a moral is what these Mini-Musicals are all about. According to the advice of my teacher friends, I have included ideas and worksheets to help meet some of the Common Core Objectives for ELA. The best accolade I ever got from mounting one of these shows came from two little boys. The confided to their dad that they did not know why I kept telling them how proud I was of their hard work. They did not feel like it was work at all. They were having so much fun!

Who says learning can't be fun?

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They Couldn't Help Themselves

Fluff and Hollow Promises

Creating a Catchy Title

Mini Musicals with a Moral

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