Submitted by Nora Hampton
Idea posted April 21, 2003
Here is a description of our Lighten Up show (from Music K-8, Volume 12):
Set - bare stage, like at a comedy Club. A large smile backdrop labeled Taylor Comedy Club (we're Taylor School). Just two mikes at the front of the stage. I had two red wooden boxes sitting behind each mike about three feet. On each box was a 'skimmer' hat. Each narrator picked up a hat and put it on before they spoke.
Opening - two emcees, and one boy soloist in all black, with a blue face, multicolored clown wig, and large clown bowtie. He sang the solo. Speakers during the song came up to the mikes as needed.
Blarney - four kids were the school kids' parts each wearing a funny kid-type hat. Blarney wore a green dino costume from my church.
Theme From Crocodile Guy - wore khaki shorts and shirt like Steve Irwin, and had a long beanie baby-type rattle snake draped across his shoulders. We had the Boomwhackers® and other instruments for the song. He danced during the song... like the macarena and his own version of the moonwalk.
Theme From Who Wants To Be A Really Rich Person? - Asparagus - wore all green. Her hair was in a pony tail on top of her head... tried to look like the top of asparagus. We put one of those curly package bows in front of the pony tail. She also wore two mismatched socks and shoes. Phlegis - wore a nice suit and tie... a la Regis Philbin. At the end when he announced she was a winner, a boy ran on from off stage and tossed a handful of confetti over her head.
Carmen Banana's Song - I had two Carmens. We borrowed some costumes from an old production of The King And I for them to wear so they would match. Each Carmen had a fruit hat from Oriental Trading. The boom chick boomers wore a flapper style head piece our art teacher made. Took a length of tulle and tied it so one piece stuck up, and another piece hung down. On the down piece, he hot-glued some Christmas ornaments that were fruits... bunches of grapes and bananas. It was cute.
That's Easy For You To Say - The classroom teachers said the tongue twisters. They had a ball, and the kids and audience loved it. As an aside, it gave them an interesting perspective on what we ask our kids to do on stage.
Knock Knock - The art teacher made a cardboard theater with a door that opened. We tied a chair to the back to stand it up. For each Knock Knock, the door was opened to reveal the kid behind the door with the joke.
We were able to have each child in the program (all 70 of them) each do something in the program.
We did not have one emcee, rather it changed between each song and during the songs, also, so we could use everyone.