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The Water Babies

A play by Willis Hall with songs by John Cooper
Based on the story by Charles Kingsley
Royalty Theatre - 25 July (62 perfs)

Synopsis

Charles Kingsley's well-loved story of the Water Babies is enchantingly brought to life in this adaptation by Willis Hall. The tale of young Tom, apprentice to the unpleasant chimney-sweep Mr Grimes, and his underwater journey to the End-Of-Nowhere is interspersed with delightful songs by John Cooper. In the original professional touring production, puppets were used to represent the Water Babies and underwater creatures, but small children could be used to play these parts in, for example, schools' productions. Again, in the touring production, several of the roles were doubled as the cast was limited to nine actors and actresses, but of course, each role can be filled individually if numbers permit.

The Cast:

19 characters (can be played by M3 F6). Extras

Thomas Grimes: chimney-sweep.
Potman.
Tom: chimney-sweep's apprentice.
Irishwoman.
Gamekeeper.
Sir John Hartover.
Housemaid.
Ellie Harthover: Sir John's daughter
Nurse.
Gardener.
Old Woman.
Male Water-Otter.
Female Water-Otter.
Lobster.
Doctor.
Mrs Bedonebyasyoudid.
Mrs Doasyotiwouldbedoneby

1st and 2nd Prison Warders; Water Babies; Fishes; Villagers.

The Scenes

Various simple interior and exterior settings

NB: There are no orchestral parts available