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This magical foot-tapping musical for all the family features favourite characters from the stories of Dr Seuss – Horton the Elephant, The Cat in the Hat, Gertrude McFuzz, Lazy Mayzie, The Whos, and a boy with a big imagination—Jojo.    The blessings of friendship, loyalty, family and community are challenged and emerge triumphant in a story that will make you laugh and cry.

The opening song captures the show’s spirit of imagination which transports us to the Jungle of Nool, the Circus McGurkus and the invisible world of the Whos.

The story centers around Horton the Elephant, who finds himself faced with a double challenge–not only must he protect his friend  Jojo (and all the invisible Whos) from a world of naysayers and dangers, but he must guard an abandoned egg, left to his care by the irresponsible Mayzie La Bird. Although Horton faces ridicule, danger, kidnapping and a trial, the intrepid Gertrude McFuzz never loses faith in him, the only one who recognizes “his kind and his powerful heart.”   Here is a synopsis of the story in more detail.

SMASH’s production was at the Dovehouse Theatre
23-26th March 2011

This musical for all the family is about the invasion of a Somerset village by child evacuees from London – the Vackees – at the start of the Second World War.  When the local youngsters don’t take kindly to the “invaders”, a different type of war seems imminent.

Click on a thumbnail to see the full photograph.  Photographs by Catherine Ralph and Alan Faulkner.

View more details about the story, the characters, the songs.

Londoners
Kip (an East End evacuee)
Kip’s Mother
Mr Duncan Constance (A London schoolteacher)
Chuck; Mack; Eric; Arthur
Eileen; Kath; Nan; Elsie; Molly (London Evacuees)
Additional vackees

London mothers and fathers

In Darchett Village
Buzz Brown (leader of the Darchett gang)
Lance; Stan; George; Fred; Dot (members of the Darchett gang)
May; Nel; Alice
Additional gang members

Aunt Luce (the woman with whom Kip is billeted)
Ellen (her niece and ward)
Mrs Crabtree (Aunt Luce’s cook/housekeeper)
Grace (14 year old maid at Aunt Luce’s)

Laura Maybee (Village schoolmistress)

Mr Jack (man living in the woods)

Lady Holdmore (A Darchett landowner)
The Vicar
Billeting Officer
German Pilot
Land Girls

Stars of the silver screen:
Ginger
Gangsters
Starlets/movie characters

Prologue characters
BBC radio announcers, Seaside Landlady, Dancing couple;
Health and Education Official; Stenographer

Act One:
1 Wireless Music 1 (Instrumental)
2 London Kids (Darchett gang)
4 Moving On (London parents; Vackees)
5 Please Someone Choose Me (Darchett adults; Vackees)
5a Please Someone Choose Me (reprise) (Eileen; Kath)
5b Constance and Maybee’s Choose Me (Mr Constance; Miss Maybee)
6 When This War Is Over (Kip; company)
7 Morning Prayers (Kip; Aunt Luce; Mrs Crabtree; Ellen; Grace)
8 The Country’s The Country (Vackees and Darchett gang)
9 Looking To See (Kip; Mr Jack)
10 Our Rules (Vicar; Lady Holdmore; Vackees and Darchett gang)

Act Two
11 Wireless Music 2 (Instrumental)
12 Letter From The Front Line (Kip’s Mother; London parents)
13 Winning Through (Ellen; Aunt Luce; Lady Holdmore; Miss Maybee; Vicar; Kip; Chuck; Ellen; Mack; Buzz; George; Land Girls)
14 Warning: Man In Uniform (Miss Maybee; Land Girls)
15/16 If You Ain’t Ever Been To The Pictures /Glamour (Kip; Ellen; Chuck; Mack; Eric; Usherette; Ginger; Children; Gangsters; Stars; Starlets)
16a If You Ain’t Ever Been To The Pictures (Ellen)
17 Battle Of Darchett Hill (Mr Jack; Vackees, Darchett Gang)
18 Just For A Moment (Ellen; Grace)
19 Somewhere Behind (German Pilot)
20 Winds Of Change In Darchett (Grace; Dot; May; Vackees, Darchett gang)
21 Moving On (reprise) (Kip; Ellen; Company)

 THE VACKEES

Music by Carl Davis. Book & lyrics by Hiawyn Oram.
The story – an overview.   (Please note there are many more characters who are not mentioned here. SONGS are in capital letters)

As the story unfolds, it is interspersed with items of news about the war read by BBC announcers.

Kip, a tough East End evacuee and his friends are being evacuated to the country to escape bomb-blasted London. They are being billeted to Darchett, a small village in Somerset, south England. The Darchett gang – led by Buzz Brown – feel very threatened by the arrival of the cockneys. They think they are going to turn the town to ruins and take over the school playground. (LONDON KIDS)

Kip’s Mother back in London is very distressed to see Kip go off as an evacuee but understands it is for his own good (SENDING YOU TO SAFETY). Parents wave goodbye to the evacuees (the vackees) at the station (MOVING ON).

The Darchett adults express their surprise when they meet the evacuees to take them to their homes as they are not what they expected but the evacuees ask that PLEASE SOMEONE CHOOSE ME.  Kip (that “heathen-looking boy”) is chosen by Lucia Braithwaite (Aunt Luce) and is billeted in her house. Kip and the other evacuees dream what they will do WHEN THE WAR IS OVER.  Kip forms a close friendship with Ellen, Aunt Luce’s niece who lives with her. Aunt Luce has a young maid in training, Grace who becomes friends with Chuck, another evacuee.

Mr. Duncan Constance, Kip’s teacher tries to persuade Miss Laura Maybee, the local school mistress to allow the evacuees to share the school room with the Darchett children and young people. She eventually agrees. Mr Constance falls in love with Miss Maybee (but she doesn’t know it).

Aunt Luce is a formidable woman whose desire is to turn Kip into a respectable, clean and well mannered boy so she sets various rules, also insisting on MORNING PRAYERS.

The vackees are settling in and trying to understand the ways of the country and how it’s not like the town (THE COUNTRY’S THE COUNTRY).  The Darchett gang spot them on a bridge and Buzz Brown and his gang start to threaten the vackees. The vackees run off into the woods for safety.

In the woods, Kip meets Mr Jack (the “wild man of the woods”) who encourages him to open his eyes LOOKING TO SEE the wild animals and plants in the wood.

When the vackees and the Darchett young people share the classroom, their teachers try to hold two lessons at once resulting in complete mayhem.  The students and people from Darchett tell the vackees that they must keep OUR RULES.  The first act ends with the declaration of war between the people from Darchett and the Londoners.

 Act Two

Back in London the Blitz has started and the London parents describe its effects in LETTER FROM THE FRONT LINE.

Kip sees a German pilot jump out of his plane into the trees in the Darchett wood before the plane crashes.  He tries to tell the villagers but no-one will believe him.  Ellen lies and says that she saw the pilot jumping from the plane.

In the country, the Land Girls and villagers explain how important their work in growing crops is in WINNING THROUGH.

Mr Constance has joined the armed forces and wants to ask Miss Maybee to spend some time with him before he leaves.  She declines, but after he has gone realises the effect he has had on her heart – WARNING MAN IN UNIFORM.

Aunt Luce goes to check up on Ellen’s story supporting Kip’s sighting of the German pilot particularly as Ellen has sworn its truth on the Bible. To cheer up Helen, Kip and his friends disobey Aunt Luce’s strict instructions and take Ellen to the movies where they fall into the dream world of PICTURES AND GLAMOUR and meet stars such as Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire.

Aunt Luce has confirmed that Ellen has not only been lying but has also been to the pictures and confines her to her room.  Aunt Luce wants Kip sent back to London but he decides to run away.  Whilst he is leaving, he and the evacuees are confronted by the Darchett gang.

The London and Darchett gangs fight it out in a fierce BATTLE OF DARCHETT HILL.  The battle ends with Kip being knocked unconscious.

Grace and Ellen back in Aunt Luce’s house both recount the excitement of recent events and how their lives have been changed by the arrival of the vackees – JUST FOR A MOMENT.

Kip is found by the German Pilot who decides not to kill Kip but to protect him.  The pilot  sings of the futility of war SOMEWHERE BEHIND.
The villagers search for Kip, and the German pilot surrenders. Lady Holdmore takes the village to task for its attitude to the vackees and all agree to WINDS OF CHANGE IN DARCHETT.

Grace gets a promotion to work at Lady Holdmore’s and Ellen is allowed to travel back to London with Kip. Chuck and the others stay back in Darchett for a little while longer. After MOVING ON and getting back to London, Kip hardly recognizes any of the war-torn areas. On seeing his blown up street he searches for his mother.

 This new musical by Julian Woolford and Richard John recounts the adventures of three children over one summer when they have to move to the country as their father is wrongfully arrested. It  features heartfelt ballads, stirring choral numbers and tuneful melodies.

Our cast of 47 (and our audiences!) really enjoyed this show which has something for everyone.

Photos

from the technical rehearsal. Click on a thumbnail to see the full picture

Photographs courtesy of Bill Penny
(except photographs 4, 10, 14, 19 and 22 from Boot Ellis)

Reactions from the audience (received by email)

“I cried in both halves and not just at “Daddy, my daddy!” Bobby was soooooooooo good. Phyllis was “such a darling.” Perks and the Old Gentleman just as they should be. Mother was emotionally mature and sang so well. All the children in Posh Talk were assured, confident and acting their socks off.”

“It was great. I loved the big end to the first half where the children stop the train. The music, shouting, waving and train noise all built up the excitement excellently. What a great success!”

“Not sure what we were impressed with more – the children, costumes, music and singing or the train coming through the tunnel. The work leading up to and behind the scenes is unseen but without it, it wouldn’t be such a professional production. Well done to all involved.”

“The acting, singing, choreography, music, costumes and scenery, were all superb. The three main children’s characters gave a performance worthy of professionals. They were so natural and didn’t put a foot wrong all evening. Completely endearing. It could have been a West End show. Even the programme was beautifully presented.”

More about the show:

• The story of The Railway Children
• The Railway Children – list of characters
• The Railway Children – scenes and songs