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.

As usual it has a large cast of all ages. We were pleased to see 38 people at our workshop to find out more about the production on July 21st.  We reviewed the story,  listened to some of the music and tried out different characters and developed various scenes -  in London and in the country village to where the Vackees were moved.

If you would like further information please email smash@solihull-methodist.org.uk. View more details about the story, the characters, the songs.
STOP PRESS – the auditions will be held on October 7th and October 13th – more details here as soon as they are available.

Scene 1: The London House and Surrounding Streets
Song: Prologue (Perks)
Song: Christmas is here! (Family, servants, carol singers)
Song: You can never return (Perks)

Scene 2: Charing Cross Station
Song: Together (Mother, Bobbie, Peter, Phyllis)

Scene 3: The Cottage
Song: You may enter a tunnel (Perks)

Scene 4: The Hillside

Scene 5: The Station
Song: All on time (Perks, Villagers)

Scene 6: Inside the Cottage
Song: You might make a friend (Perks)

Scene 7: The Station Platform
Song: Posh talk (Bobbie, Peter, Phyllis, Perks’ children, village children)

Scene 8: The Cottage Garden and Kitchen
Song: Lullaby (in Russian! Szczepansky)

Scene 9: The Railway Carriage and the Hillside
Song: The Railway Children (Old Gentleman)

Scene 10: The Cottage Garden
Song: ‘Til the day (Mother)

Scene 11: The Hillside, Outside the Tunnel

ACT TWO

Scene 1: The Station Platform
Song: A once in a lifetime day (Perks, Engine driver, Bobbie, Peter, Phyllis, villagers)
Song: While you’re busy dreaming (Old Gentleman)

Scene 2: The Hillside, Outside the Tunnel
Dance: Paperchase ballet

Scene 3: Inside the Tunnel
Song: Nothing to fear (Bobbie)

Scene 4: The Cottage
Song: One voice (part 1) (Old Gentleman, Perks)

Scene 5: The Cottage Garden

Scene 6: The Train Carriage

Scene 7: A London Street
Song: One voice (part 2) (Mother, Bobbie)

Scene 8: The Cottage Garden
Song: One voice (part 3) (Customer, Lady, Gossip, Housewife, Vendor, ensemble, Mother, Bobbie)

Scene 9: A London Street

Scene 10: The Cottage Garden
Song: Who knows what you’ll find (Perks)

Scene 11: The Hillside
Song: Nearly autumn (Bobbie)

Scene 12: The Station Platform
Song: Finale (Bobbie, Old Gentleman, All)
Song: A once in a lifetime day (all)

Time: Christmas 1905 to September 1906

Father, a civil servant
Mother, his wife
Bobbie (Roberta) his daughter
Peter, his son
Phyllis, his younger daughter
Ruth, his maid
Cook, his cook
Carol Singers

Mr Barrie
Dr Forrest
Lord Fleet
Ethel
Flo
Mrs Ransome
Gert
The Perks family:
     Mrs Perks
     Colin Perks
     Elsie Perks
     Ginger Perks
     Patch Perks
Village Children

Old Gentleman
Rushing man
Szczepansky
Engine driver
Jim
Customer
Lady
Gossip
Housewife
Vendor

Storyteller/ Eldest magician – Alan Faulkner
Animals – Everyone

King Elephant – Graham Mackenzie
Queen Elephant – Sue Branson
Elephant 1 – Stuart Aldridge
Elephant 2 – Chris Tucker
Elephant 3 – Sheila Tallon
Elephant child – Ryan Carter
Adult elephants – Alice Brady, Andy Branson, Laura Browne, James Coleman, Richard Farndon, Simon Goodwin, Stuart Gordon, Andy Penhallurick, Colin Williams, Lindsey Williams
Kolokolo bird – Kirsteen Wray
Parsee – Sam Coleman
Cooking stove – Lindsey Williams
Rhino – Malcolm Evans
Cooking ingredients/chefs – Matt Austin, Charly Branson, Iona Cameron, Morven Cameron, Amy Cooper, Katie Dobson, Megan Hague, Liz Harding, Hannah Hughes, Andrea Lees, Sophie Lees, Megan-Rose O’Boyle, Eva Penhallurick, Sarah-Jayne Powell, Tom Robinson, Amy Roper, Zoe Ruiz, Laura Siddle, Charlotte Taylor, Jenny Turnbull
Giraffe – Laura Browne
Zebra – Alice Brady
Wildebeest 1 – Colin Willliams
Wildebeest 2 – Andy Branson
Wildebeest 3 – Stuart Gordon
Wildebeest 4 – Matt Austin
Wildebeest – Stuart Aldridge, Sue Branson, Richard Farndon, Graham Mackenzie, Andy Penhallurick, Tom Robinson, Sheila Tallon, Chris Tucker
Tap dancers – To be advised
Jaguar – James Coleman
Leopard – Simon Goodwin

Jungle light soloists – Charly Branson, Iona Cameron, Katie Dobson, Hannah Hughes, Amy Roper
Jungle Light chorus – All the cast

Pau Amma – Andy Penhallurick
Kangaroo – Richard Farndon
Dingo – Katie Dobson
Narrator (leaps and bounds) – Colin Willliams
Wallaby 1 – Sophie Lees
Wallaby 2 – Charly Branson
Wallabies – Matt Austin, Andy Branson, Iona Cameron, Morven Cameron, Amy Cooper, Stuart Gordon, Megan Hague, Liz Harding, Hannah Hughes, Andrea Lees, Megan-Rose O’Boyle, Eva Penhallurick, Sarah-Jayne Powell, Tom Robinson, Amy Roper, Zoe Ruiz, Laura Siddle, Charlotte Taylor, Jenny Turnbull, (other members of cast may be involved)
Crocodile – Chris Tucker

JUST SO Eldest Magician
THERE’S NO HARM IN ASKING Elephant Child
ANOTHER TEMPEST Elephants
PARSEE CAKE CAKE-WALK Parsee Man
THICK SKIN Rhino
WE WANT TO TAKE THE LADIES OUT Leopard and Jaguar
PICK UP YOUR HOOVES AND TROT Giraffe and Zebra
WAIT A BIT Kolokolo Bird
LEAPS AND BOUNDS Kangaroo and Dingo Dog
DOES THE MOMENT EVER COME? Elephant Child
LITTLE ONE, COME HITHER Crocodile and Elephant Child
IF Eldest Magician

Characters appearing throughout the whole show

Eldest Magician (male or female)

The Elephant’s Child (probably male) has an insatiable curiosity and is always asking questions.

The Kolokolo Bird (female) is a gawky, sparky flightless bird – with plenty of attitude!

Characters appearing in several scenes

The Parsee Man (male) is a zany character – a superb cook – who lives alone on a desert island apart from his most treasured possession, the long-suffering Cooking Stove (male or female).

The Rhino (male) is in the mould of a classic, greedy school bully who appears deliberately to embellish his own bad reputation. He cuts a swathe through anything that stands in his way. His skin appears painfully tight.
Pau Amma the Crab (voice (probably male) from off stage).

The Leopard and the Jaguar (both male and not very bright, acting like two London “spivs) are very hungry and have their designs on Giraffe and Zebra.
Giraffe and Zebra are two modern girls (with high heeled hooves) who think they can look after themselves as they have seen it all before!

Characters appearing in only one scene (but may have a major song to sing)

Dingo Dog (female) – the person who chases the Kangaroo.
Kangaroo (male) – when he first appears he is a broken, humbled animal, but for his song becomes a bumptious, vain Australian “superstar”.

The Crocodile (male or female) offers help to the Elephant Child but instead tries to eat him.

Chorus

The animals
Elephants
Boring Wildebeest
Wannabee Wallabies

ACT ONE

The Eldest Magician is very pleased with all the animals he has created, until he realises that they all look the same. He tells them to go forth and play at what they are so they can find out more about themselves. All the animals agree except for Pau Amma the Crab who vows to play alone in the deep water and never be obedient.

Soon Pau Amma has grown so huge that even the Eldest Magician can’t control him. Twice a day he goes out in search for food, flooding the land. One day as the Elephants are discussing what to do, the Elephant’s Child bursts in full of questions. When the other Elephants decide to head for higher ground, the Elephant’s Child decides to find the Crab and make him stop. The Eldest Magician encourages the flightless Kolokolo Bird to join him on the journey to the Limpopo River, and gives them a boat to help them on their way.

Blown off-course, they wash up on an ‘uninhabited’ island where the Parsee Man and his beloved Cooking Stove reside. Unfortunately, because of the Crab, the Parsee Man has no ingredients to cook with. Nevertheless he is eventually persuaded to use his emergency rations to cook a special cake as a gift for Pau Amma. But as the completed cake emerges, the Rhinoceros rushes off with it. Parsee Man vows revenge as the Elephant’s Child and Kolokolo Bird set sail.

The little boat reaches Africa. On the High Veldt, Giraffe, Zebra and Wildebeest lounge around whilst Leopard and Jaguar make advances. When Elephant’s Child asks the cats for help in finding Pau Amma, the ferocious felines agree, in exchange for help finding Giraffe and Zebra. Instead the Elephant’s Child persuades Giraffe and Zebra to escape into the jungle with himself and Kolokolo Bird.

But in the Jungle the Giraffe and Zebra stick out like sore thumbs, so together with the Eldest Magician the Elephant’s Child finds a way to disguise them. Just as everyone is celebrating, Pau Amma appears. The Elephant’s Child politely asks him to stop playing with the sea, but the plan backfires. Kolokolo Bird and Elephant’s Child set off once again towards the Limpopo River.

ACT TWO

The Elephant’s Child and Kolokolo Bird are lost and start to row, eventually choosing to go their separate ways. In the Howling Desert, the Eldest Magician tries to teach the Elephant’s Child a lesson by telling the story of how the Kangaroo got its huge hind legs.

Meanwhile in the Jungle the Kolokolo Bird is trying to overcome her fear of flying when she’s caught by the Jaguar and Leopard. The Elephant’s Chi!d comes to her rescue with the help of the camouflaged Giraffe and Zebra. In order to insure his safe passage with the Kolokolo Bird, the Elephant’s Child teaches the two cats how the trick of camouflage is achieved.

At that moment the Parsee Man and Cooking Stove appear in a boat made from an upturned crab shell, the Rhino chasing them. They explain how the Parsee Man got his revenge on the Rhino by putting cake crumbs in his skin Eventually they agree to be friends and walk off, leaving the Parsee Man’s boat behind.

At last the Elephant’s Child has reached the Limpopo River. The Crocodile offers help but instead tries to eat him. The Kolokolo Bird `flies’ to the rescue, and the Elephant’s Child escapes with a newly enlarged nose.

Now the two friends are finally reconciled they notice the Parsee Man’s abandoned crab-shell boat, which gives them a clue as to how they might defeat Pau Amma. With the help of the Eldest Magician they put their plan into action, and at last all the animals are safe from the Crab’s meddling.