Musical Play: “Story Elements & Genres”

The Show

We want you to know what you're getting, so the cast list and first third of the script are available here! Bad Wolf shows are written for flexibility and can be edited however you like to meet the needs of your actors, school, curriculum, parents, astrological chart, latest whim, etc. If you have questions about the portions of the script not shown, please contact us.

Casting

Flexible casting from 11-40 students. Use as many Librarians, Beauties, etc. in each scene as desired. Actors can easily play several roles, or a single role can be divided between multiple actors. All parts can be played by any gender.

CHARACTERS:
Journalists
Prince Dinkle ("Beast")
Princess Abercrombie ("Beauty")
Librarians
Medusa
Moby Dick
Nessie
Magic Mirrors
Beauties
Fairy and Friends
Billy Goats Gruff
Little Pigs
Dad
Sisters

and a CHORUS composed of all actors who are not playing roles on stage at the time.

Script

This is the first one-third of the script.

(CLASS enters. PRINCESS ABERCROMBIE (aka BEAUTY) and PRINCE DINKLE (aka BEAST) are at a podium. They have called a press conference to announce that they are writing their exciting life story. A few JOURNALISTS gather around the podium with microphones or other journalistic gear. JOURNALISTS #1 and 2 turn to face the AUDIENCE.)

JOURNALIST #1: This is amazing! I've gotta get this in today's paper.

JOURNALIST #2 (talking on a cell phone): Stop the presses! We've got news! The Beauty and the Beast are gonna write their life story!

Song 1

JOURNALISTS:
The prince and the princess just told us the news—
They'll write down their secrets for us to peruse.
I know it will be a bestseller for ages.
I can't wait to start turning those juicy pages!

ABERCROMBIE/DINKLE:
We're gonna tell our story
The struggle and the glory
We'll write down all the bits that we recall.

This part is rather vital
So we'll reveal the title:

Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast
Tell all.

JOURNALISTS (excited):
I know once I start that I won't want to stop.
I'll bite all my nails and read till I drop.
So give us the details for which we're all itchin'!
What genre? What format? All true, or with fiction?

A factual history, packed full of charts?
A romantic story that wrings all our hearts?
A persuasive essay that gently coerces?
Written in prose, or composed all in verses?

ABERCROMBIE/DINKLE (looking at each other in dismay, because they have no idea):

These matters are essential...
They're also confidential.
We have to keep some secrets while we scrawl.

Your questions are all vital.
But we'll just give the title:

Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast
Tell all.
Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast
Tell all.

(JOURNALISTS exit.)

ABERCROMBIE: What on earth were they talking about? Genres? Verse? Prose?

DINKLE: I have NO idea. We'd better get home and ask the castle librarians.

(LIBRARIANS enter.)

LIBRARIAN #1: Look, the Beauty and the Beast are back!

LIBRARIAN #2: We're supposed to call them Prince Dinkle and Princess Abercrombie now.

LIBRARIAN #1: Oh, right. How was the press conference?

DINKLE: Confusing.

ABERCROMBIE: They asked SO MANY questions about our project.

LIBRARIAN #3: And you didn't know the answers?

DINKLE: Not even a little bit! So we had to put on our poker faces.

(Facing the audience, DINKLE and ABERCROMBIE strike a pose with serious faces. This can be Zoolander-esque or anything similarly amusing. LIBRARIANS stifle their laughter.)

LIBRARIAN #3 (deadpan): That must have really fooled them.

DINKLE: Well yeah. But now what do we do?

LIBRARIAN #2: Maybe it would help to learn about different types of writing.

ABERCROMBIE: Oh yes, it would! Can you teach us?

LIBRARIAN #1 (clapping hands excitedly): We'd love to!

LIBRARIAN #3: We'd better start at the beginning.

Song 2

Here you see
A library
So many books inside.
A vast array
But there's one main way
That texts are classified...

It's either fiction or it's not
Just take a look at what you've got
Is it a story that was made up by an author?
Does it have characters and plot?

It's either fiction or it's not
Just take a look at what you've got
Is it a story that was made up by an author?
Does it have characters and plot?

If it's something else
That's what we call nonfiction text, yessiree
If you browse the shelves
So many types to see; it's a
Broader category

LIBRARIANS and CHORUS:
It's either fiction or it's not
Just take a look at what you've got
Is it a story that was made up by an author?
Does it have characters and plot?

(LIBRARIANS exit.)

DINKLE: I knew they would give us great advice. Let's write fiction!

ABERCROMBIE: Fiction? No! We're writing our TRUE story. That's NONfiction.

DINKLE (making a face): No way! Nonfiction is dry and boring! Our story is good, but it could be better. Maybe I could fly or be invisible. Superhero stuff really sells!

ABERCROMBIE (aghast): We're telling our story. We can't just make things up!

DINKLE: What's the big deal? We'll just say it's "based on a true story." (HE winks repeatedly and conspicuously.)

ABERCROMBIE: I think we should find out more about fiction and nonfiction before we decide.

DINKLE: Okay, fine. Let's split up and meet back here later.

(ABERCROMBIE exits. MOBY DICK, MEDUSA, and NESSIE enter. One should carry a sign reading "Beast Support Group.")

MEDUSA: Hey hey! If it isn't the former Beast! Long time no see.

DINKLE: Medusa! You've done something new with your hair!

MEDUSA (running her fingers through the snakes): I'm growing out my snakes. Do you like it?

DINKLE: It's so YOU. (HE turns to NESSIE and MOBY DICK.) Moby Dick! Nessie! Wait—is it okay if I hang out with you guys, even though I'm not a beast anymore?

MOBY DICK: Of course! Friends forever, bro.

DINKLE: Thanks, man. So how are things going for you literary beasts?

MEDUSA: Oh, the usual. Vendettas. Pitchforks. Heroes trying to cut off your head.

MOBY DICK: ...fanatical ship captains thinking you're the embodiment of evil. Same chase, different day.

NESSIE: Well at least they notice you!

MEDUSA (to DINKLE): Nessie is still trying to convince people she's a real animal living in Loch Ness and not a mythical beast.

NESSIE: I try everything. I pop my head up out of the water. I sunbathe on the beach. I order pizza delivered. Nobody spots me! I'm gonna have to post a selfie.

MOBY DICK (to DINKLE): So, how's it being a human again?

DINKLE: Good...it's nice to have fingers. But I have a problem. Abercrombie and I are supposed to be writing our story, but we can't decide what type of thing to write. I want to write fiction.

NESSIE: Fiction! Don't look at me. I'm a REAL LIFE, NONFICTIONAL beast.

MOBY DICK: What kind of fiction do you want to write?

DINKLE: Isn't there just one kind?

MEDUSA: You're joking, right? All of us Beasts come from stories in different genres.

DINKLE (bewildered): Genres?

Song 3

BEASTS:
How 'bout a horror story?
That genre is so fun
Like Frankenstein it'd be so fine
To scare them from page one.

A mystery'd be awesome
Commit a beastly crime
But you'll get caught, that's just the plot
It happens every time.

If you wanna be in fiction
You gotta know what kind
If you wanna be in fiction
You can't be ill-defined.
A fairy tale or western?
You gotta make that call
If you wanna be in fiction
The genre says it all.

MOBY DICK:
You might be realistic
A story full of strife
A great white whale, now there's a tale
That seems quite true to life.

MEDUSA:
A beast in myth or folklore
A gal with snakes for hair.

NESSIE:
Forget that mess–how 'bout Loch Ness?
Historical, I swear!

MEDUSA and MOBY DICK (shouted): Nessie!

CHORUS:
If you wanna be in fiction
You gotta know what kind
If you wanna be in fiction
You can't be ill-defined.
A fairy tale or western?
You gotta make that call
If you wanna be in fiction
The genre says it all.
If you wanna be in fiction
The genre says it all.

(BEASTS exit.)

(This concludes the first one-third of the script.)