Musical Play: “Vacation on Mars”

Complete Script & Audio: $45 (other items also available)

(8 customer reviews)
What is this?An easy, flexible, 25-minute musical play for grades 1-5. Comes with the script, audio recording (with both a vocal and instrumental version of each song), and a teacher's guide. No music or drama experience needed!
Story & ContentFunny script ✓ Catchy tunes ✓ Flexible casting ✓ Dumb jokes
Oops! Dad promised a trip to Mars, but Betty's Bargain Basement Tours sends the whole family on a tour of the entire solar system. Learn more!
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    • - The printed version is a spiral-bound book with audio CD inside.
    • - For the most flexibility, choose the duo version and get both formats at a big discount.

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    • Sheet music is optional, but it is essential if you plan to perform with a piano or guitar (or other!) accompaniment rather than using the audio recording.
    • - For this play, the sheet music is a Piano/Guitar Score (includes melody, notated accompaniment, and chord symbols).

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Synopsis

You know our solar system spins, but in our show it sings and dances too! When a family sets out for the vacation of a lifetime, they have no idea they'll soon be touring the whole solar system. The sun is used to being on center stage, and even the planets have attitude -- Jupiter boasts of his sixty-plus moons, Saturn polishes his rings, and Venus thinks she's so hot (900 degrees!). Even Pluto is there, wanting desperately to be a planet again. Will the family ever get to Mars? Cinch up your asteroid belt and come along!

Preview the script and songs!

Key Concepts

Vacation on Mars: The Solar System for Young Explorers is a great complement to your curriculum resources in elementary school science. And, like all of our plays, this show can be used to improve reading, vocabulary, reading comprehension, performance and music skills, class camaraderie and teamwork, and numerous social skills (read about it!) -- all while enabling students to be part of a truly fun and creative experience they will never forget!

Aligned with national standards! View the standards and vocabulary. 

Publication Info

Author: Ron Fink (Composer) and John Heath (Book and Lyrics)

ISBN:
978-1-886588-24-0

© 2002, 2022
Bad Wolf Press, LLC

8 reviews for Musical Play: “Vacation on Mars”

  1. Matthew Manera

    My third grade classes love this play. It is funny, has great jokes, and teaches all about the solar system!

  2. 31 Musical Fun! (verified owner)

    We are currently rehearsing Vacation on Mars and the kids are having a blast! They love the fun songs and characters. The show is great as there are so many small roles for each child to have a chance to shine, as well as plenty of chorus music so everyone is involved in the show from start to finish. Our last show was Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock and this show is proving just as popular with children, parents and teachers alike.

  3. Chris (verified owner)

    This is the second play from Bad wolf that I have performed! The skit has humor that both students and parents understand, it's educational, both of my own kids are in High School and still sing songs about plays they have done from Bad Wolf! The tunes are catchy ( a little corny at times) but the students always end up having a great time singing them and performing them! Each grade level has over 100 students, so I have to add some extra parts/split into more, but it always turns out amazing! The grade level staff loves that it covers curriculum and the students love acting, singing and dancing! Best bang for your buck by far!

  4. Heather (verified owner)

    Wonderful! My class loves the music, and the story is entertaining, engaging, and educational. We're so excited to perform this week. Thank you!

  5. Erika (verified owner)

    I love the music I purchased! I am the music teacher at an Expeditionary Learning school where the Arts are integrated through all of the content. I purchased the musicals about Mars and Geology. They both are rich in content and are so much fun for the the kids to sing! I will definitely purchase more with you in the future.

  6. Mrs. Reyes – SUSD (verified owner)

    Vacation to Mars musical has been a great culminating activity to support our ELA programs' "Space" theme. The skills required to bring a text into a polished performance has brought all learners closer to many of our goals in third grade.

  7. LadyDowns (verified owner)

    This is just one of the cutest plays I have ever done. The songs are so catchy, they sink into your brain, and cement the information there for good! Last year I taught 3rd grade and we did this play! Talk about AWESOME! This year I have fourth grade (I alternate back and forth between 3rd and 4th), and we were on a bus going to a field trip. In the seat behind me two of the boys started singing the songs, then the two next to them started singing them, and before the end of the second song, the whole group was singing the songs. Not just their parts from the play, but ALL of the songs. And YES, I was proud that they remembered it! 🙂

  8. Kara P (verified owner)

    We have performed Vacation on Mars for three years now and each year it has been such a success. The students love it and by the end of our rehearsals and show, they know all about the Solar System. Not only are the songs catchy and fun, but the dialogue is too. I can't tell you how many times I would say, "Okeydokie," and a student or two would say, "Who's traveling to Mars today?" Then we'd start reciting the lines. Parents loved it as well. So much fun! Thanks for a great play!

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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 Guides, Mechanics, Venettes, etc. 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:

Dad
Mom
Ariel
Josh
Guides
Moons (different phases)
Sun
Mechanics
Mercury
Venus
Venettes
Pluto
Earth
Jupiter
Moons of Jupiter
Rings of Saturn
Neptune Dad
Neptune Mom
Neptune Kid
and a CHORUS made up of all students who are not playing roles at the time.

Script

This is the first one-third of the script.

(Two kids are packing up suitcases without enthusiasm. There is a big dog sitting on top of one of the suitcases.)

ARIEL: I am NOT looking forward to our vacation this year.

JOSH (petting GUS, the dog): Me neither. Gus always gets car sick.

ARIEL: Something always goes wrong.

JOSH: Remember last year? We got lost in the Everglades.

ARIEL: How could I forget? I didn’t know alligators could move so fast.

JOSH (holding up GUS): Yeah. But I think Gus looks good without a tail, don’t you?

(from off-stage)

DAD: Are you kids ready to go?

JOSH (to ARIEL): Where are we going this year?

ARIEL: Mom said Dad was on the Internet all night looking for something special. Can you say "disaster"?

(MOM and DAD enter. music begins.)

MOM (excited): Hi kids! Your dad’s outdone himself this year. You won’t believe it.

ARIEL: We’re gonna get really really lost, aren’t we?

DAD: Not this time. Come on! We’re going to Mars!

ARIEL and JOSH: What?

Song 1

Listen to a sample!

MOM and DAD:
Mars Mars
We’re going to Mars
Grab Gus
And pack up the car.
Come on
We’re gonna see stars
Mars Mars.

MOM, DAD, and CHORUS:
Mars Mars
We’re going to Mars
Grab Gus
And pack up the car.
Come on
We’re gonna see stars
Mars Mars.

DAD:
There’s riverbeds where we can hike
Volcanoes for your mountain bike.

MOM:
The rusty soil makes things bright red
There’s polar ice-caps—grab your sled.

MOM and DAD and CHORUS:
Mars Mars
We’re going to Mars
Grab Gus
And pack up the car.
Come on
We’re gonna see stars
Mars Mars.

ARIEL:
Well I was hoping "Disneyworld"
To give Tomorrowland a whirl.

JOSH:
But on the bright side now I see
I bet there’s no humidity!

MOM, DAD, KIDS and CHORUS:
Mars Mars
We’re going to Mars
Grab Gus
And pack up the car.
Come on
We’re gonna see stars
Mars Mars.

Come on
We’re gonna see stars
Mars Mars.

(3 TOUR GUIDES enter. TWO of them carry 7 portable teleports that look a lot like doormats. THEY spread them out on the stage. The third GUIDE carries a little remote control box with a large spinning dial.)

DAD: Here are the tour guides now.

GUIDE #1: Okeedokee. Here we are. We’re your guides from Betty’s Bargain Basement Tours. Who’s travelling to Mars today?

MOM: We all are.

JOSH: And Gus.

MOM (to GUIDES, as she pulls food out of a large bag she carries with her at all times): Would you like a cookie?

(THEY shake their heads)

GUIDE #2: No thank you. The crumbs might mess up the teleports. Everybody step on up.

(DAD AND MOM DO; KIDS hesitate)

Come on now.

ARIEL: Are you serious?

GUIDE #3: Go on. These teleports are guaranteed. They’re the newest model: E52s!

DAD: Come on, kids. This is gonna be fun! What could go wrong?

(THEY all take places, including GUIDES.)

GUIDE #1: Okeedokee. Let me just set the dial here to "Mars" and we’ll be on our way.

(HE sets the dial on the control box, and there is a loud, ugly or funny NOISE.)

GUIDE #2: Ooh. That didn’t sound good.

GUIDE #3: Is it supposed to do that?

GUIDE #1 (shrugging shoulders): I’ve never seen an E52.

(3 MOONS enter, each representing a different phase of Earth’s moon: Full, New, and Quarter)

GUIDE #2: Yikes! This doesn’t look like Mars.

MOON #1: Of course I don’t. I’m the moon.

MOON #2: I reflect the light from the sun back to you on earth.

MOON #3: Just look at my different phases.

MOM: You are all very lovely—just like a banana cream pie.

(points to FULL MOON)

Fresh baked…

(points to QUARTER MOON)

…after Dad has had dessert…

(points to NEW MOON)

…and after Gus gets finished licking the plate.

MOON #1: It all depends on how much of my reflection you can see.

Song 2

Listen to a sample!

MOONS:
New moon
There’s not much to see
Real soon
There’s a slice of me
Full moon
Shine bright and round
Real soon real soon
I will shrink back down.
Real soon real soon
I will shrink back down.

New moon
There’s nothing to see
Real soon
There’s a sliver of me
Full moon
I just might burst
Real soon real soon
I’ll go in reverse.
Real soon real soon
I’ll go in reverse.

These are the simple lunar facts
I wax and wane and wane and wax
It takes me almost thirty days
I guess I’m in a lunar phase.

MOONS and CHORUS:
New moon
There’s not much to see
Real soon
There’s a slice of me
Full moon
Shine bright and round
Real soon real soon
I will shrink back down.
Real soon real soon
I will shrink back down.

(MOONS exit)

GUIDE #1: Okeedokee. Wasn’t that fun?

ARIEL: We are supposed to be on Mars.

GUIDE #2: Don’t worry. There’s only a slight extra charge for seeing the moon.

GUIDE #3 (fiddling with control box): Let me just set this thing for Mars. Everybody on your ports.

(THEY stand on them as before. Same horrible NOISE.)

DAD: What now?

JOSH: Dad, I think we’re on the sun!

GUIDE #1: Wow. I didn’t even know this thing went to the sun.

(SUN enters with very loud hiccups. JOSH sneaks around sun and jumps out at it trying to scare it.)

JOSH: BOO!

SUN (jumping in fright): Aaach. Don’t do that.

JOSH: Sorry. I was just trying scare the hiccups out of you.

SUN: Oh those? Don’t worry.

Song 3

Listen to a sample!

Pardon me
It will pass
You see I’m filled with gas.
If I burp
Watch your hair
Here comes a solar flare.

I am just an ordinary star
Ninety million miles from where you are
But I’m hot
To the core
I’ve got helium galore
I am just an ordinary star.

All my gas
Makes me bright
I give you heat and light.
Watch out folks
As I spin
I shoot out solar wind.

SUN and CHORUS:
I am just an ordinary star
Ninety million miles from where you are
But I’m hot
To the core
I’ve got helium galore
I am just an ordinary star.

(SUN exits)

GUIDE #1: Okeedokee. Don’t worry, folks. I’ve called in some teleport mechanics. They’ll have this thing fixed in a jiffy.

GUIDE #2: Here they come now!

(MECHANICS enter. THEY carry various tools.)

MECHANIC #1: So, the ol’ teleport is having problems, huh?

MECHANIC #2: Here, let’s have a look.

MOM (approaching THEM): Would you like a lemon square?

MECHANIC #1: No thanks, ma’am. Might get crumbs in the control box.
(grumbles as THEY look at control box)
Uh huh. Uh huh.

MECHANIC #2: Yep yep yep.

MECHANIC #1: Uh huh.

MECHANIC #2: Yep yep. Yep.

GUIDE #3: What is it?

MECHANIC #1: Happens all the time. This baby is an E52.

MECHANIC #2: Yep yep yep.

GUIDE #1: An E52?

MECHANIC #1: Sure. The E52 can only go through the solar system in the right order. You gotta start from the sun.

MECHANIC #2: Yep yep.

ARIEL: You mean we have to go through the whole solar system to get to Mars?

MECHANIC #1: Oh it’s not far at all. You’re already on the sun, see? The center of the solar system.

MECHANIC #2: So now just start with Mercury and head on out!

Song 4

Listen to a sample!

MECHANICS:
Mercury and Venus
Earth and Mars
Flying in their orbit
’Round a star.
Jupiter and Saturn
What a view!
Uranus and Neptune
What a crew.

Mercury and Venus
Earth and Mars
Flying in their orbit
’Round a star.
Jupiter and Saturn
What a view!
Uranus and Neptune
What a crew.

Solar solar solar system
Eight great planets
I can’t resist ’em.
There are meteors
CHORUS (echoes): Meteors
Comets and asteroids as well…
But I love those planets most—
Can’t you tell? Can’t you tell?

MECHANICS and CHORUS:
Mercury and Venus
Earth and Mars
Flying in their orbit
’Round a star.
Jupiter and Saturn
What a view!
Uranus and Neptune
What a crew.

Solar solar solar system
Eight great planets
I can’t resist ’em.
There are meteors
CHORUS (echoes): Meteors
Comets and asteroids as well…
But I love those planets most—
Can’t you tell? Can’t you tell?

(THEY do Mechanic Dance)

Uranus and Neptune
What a crew.
Uranus and Neptune
What a crew.
Uranus and Neptune
What a crew.
(MECHANICS exit)

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

The Songs

Click on any song to listen to a snippet. Click the cart icon to purchase any track for $1.

Standards

Common Core and Other National Standards

Science

Language Arts

  • Common Core Reading Standards for Literature: K, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th
  • Common Core Reading Standards: Foundational Skills:
    • K and 1st: Phonological Awareness, Phonics and Word Recognition
    • 2nd: Phonics and Word Recognition
    • 3rd, 4th, 5th: Phonics and Word Recognition, Fluency
  • Common Core Speaking and Listening Standards: Comprehension and Collaboration - K, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th
  • Common Core Language Standards: Vocabulary Acquisition and Use - K, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th
  • Common Core Standard 10: Range, Quality & Complexity: Range of Text Types for K-5th

National Core Arts Standards

Vocabulary

humidity
galore
bulging
starling
debris

Astronomical Terms
polar ice-caps

Lunar phases:
full
new
quarter

wax
wane
solar flare
helium
solar wind
meteor
comet
asteroid
planet
Fahrenheit
tides
Great Red Spot
space dust
methane
black hole
supernova
Milky Way
meteor shower
asteroid belt

Vocabulary From Stage Directions
enthusiasm
cringe
dejected
moping

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