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The Velveteen Rabbit
A Play with Music
Based on the Original Story by Margery Williams Book and lyrics by Adam Tobin
Music by Deborah Wicks La Puma
Premiered at Palo Alto Children’s Theatre, California Thursday November 30, 2023
CAST:
NARRATOR NANA
VELVETEEN RABBIT (“VR”) / WILD VELVETEEN RABBIT JAMIE
SILK HORSE MONKEY TRAIN
WIND-UP BEAR TOY SOLDIER CLOWN
JACK-IN-THE-BOX TOP
BALL
JEWELRY BOX BALLERINA / FAIRY OF NURSERY MAGIC DOCTOR
WILD RABBIT 1
WILD RABBIT 2
WILD RABBIT 3
SONGS:
I SAW THREE SHIPS – Ensemble VERY VERY CROWDED HERE – Toys
WHEN YOU’RE REAL – Silk Horse and Toys WE RABBITS ARE RIOUTOUS – Wild Rabbits
WHEN YOU’RE REAL REPRISE – Velveteen Rabbit and Nursery Fairy I SAW THREE SHIPS REPRISE – Ensemble
WHEN YOU’RE REAL FINALE - All
LOCATIONS:
The Nursery, the Garden outside the Nursery, and the Field
SCENE 1 - The Nursery
[MUSIC CUE A]
A FRIENDLY NARRATOR comes out and addresses the audience.
NARRATOR: Oh, hello there. I was just going to read a favorite story of mine, the Velveteen Rabbit. Velveteen? What in the world is Velveteen, you ask? Well, it’s very soft to hold, like one of your favorite stuffed animals. And rabbit, well, you all know what a rabbit is. But this rabbit is very special. Would you like to hear the story?
[MUSIC CUE B]
It all started one Christmas morning …
The ENSEMBLE sings as they enter the theater and exit via the wings.
B. I SAW THREE SHIPS
ENSEMBLE:
I SAW THREE SHIPS COME SAILING IN ON CHRISTMAS DAY
ON CHRISTMAS DAY
I SAW THREE SHIPS COME SAILING IN ON CHRISTMAS DAY IN THE MORNING
AND WHAT WAS IN THOSE SHIPS ALL THREE ON CHRISTMAS DAY
ON CHRISTMAS DAY
AND WHAT WAS IN THOSE SHIPS ALL THREE ON CHRISTMAS DAY IN THE MORNING
I SAW THREE SHIPS COME SAILING IN ON CHRISTMAS DAY
ON CHRISTMAS DAY
I SAW THREE SHIPS COME SAILING IN ON CHRISTMAS DAY IN THE MORNING
NARRATOR: Once there was a Velveteen Rabbit, and in the beginning, they were really splendid. Their fur was combed perfectly and they had a ribbon tied on just so.
NANA enters and puts a small stuffed-animal Velveteen Rabbit into a stocking as the performer VELVETEEN RABBIT (VR) comes onto the opposite side of the stage and nestles into a large blanket.
NARRATOR (cont.): On Christmas morning, they sat wedged in the top of the child’s stocking, with a sprig of holly between their paws, and the effect was charming. Do some of you know what it’s like to meet a new stuffed animal friend? It feels a little like this…
JAMIE comes in and sees the small toy rabbit.
JAMIE: Nana, is that for me?
She nods, pleased. The child lifts it with joy, reaches up and twirls … As they do, Velveteen Rabbit on stage stands out of the blanket, reaches and spins along.
As Jamie hugs, VR gestures as if being hugged. As Jamie tosses it in the air, VR leaps and flops across the stage.
JAMIE: A rabbit! Made of velvet, it’s so soft!
NANA: Well, Velveteen, actually. Not so expensive as all that…
JAMIE: I’ll take them everywhere! (Jamie pulls it by its ear. VR tilts to one side, dragged by their ear.) We will go on great adventures! … (Notices something off-stage:) Wait, what are those?
NANA: Those are your presents in the living room. There’s a train and a spinning top, and many more. Come and see.
JAMIE: Presents?! I love presents!
[MUSIC CUE C]
Jamie drops the rabbit to the floor and VR flops down. The humans exit, and as Jamie mentions their new toys off-stage, each one comes on stage.
JAMIE: (off-stage) Oh wow!
[MUSIC CUE D]
JAMIE: (cont.) The train rolls! (TRAIN rolls on stage) The spinning top spins! (TOP spins on stage) The monkey crashes its cymbals! (MONKEY crashes its cymbals. The other toys cover their ears.)
NANA: (off-stage) Come now, there’ll be time to play later. It’s time for Christmas cookies!
JAMIE (off-stage): But I want to … Christmas cookies?! I love Christmas cookies!
[MUSIC CUE E]
NARRATOR: And so it was that the new toys, along with some older toys, were left alone in the nursery. … That’s a special time for toys, some call it nursery magic, and it’s wondrous in many ways. For one thing, when left alone, the toys are free to speak their own minds. Can you believe that?! And these new toys had a LOT to say.…
Narrator exits.
SCENE 2 - The Nursery
The SILK HORSE, the oldest and wisest of the toys, wakes up and looks both ways.
SILK HORSE: All right, toys, they’ve gone. Come on out.
New toys, like TOY SOLDIER, JACK-IN-THE BOX, and WIND-UP BEAR come on stage. Older toys, like SILK HORSE, CLOWN, BALL join. (And still VR, TRAIN, TOP, and MONKEY)
CLOWN: So many new toys coming in! It’s like Christmas around here! BALL: It is Christmas, Clown!
TRAIN: Choo-choo! It’s as crowded as Grand Central Station! We need a conductor or we’ll have a pile-up!
MONKEY: (crashing cymbals) Coming through! I’m coming through! WIND-UP BEAR: We know! We can hear you!
SPINNING TOP: Me too! Me too! Me too!
CLOWN: Everybody quit clowning around! That’s my job!
TOY SOLDIER: Not to worry, troops! I will take charge of the situation! Now, let’s … CHARGE!!!! (Toy Soldier runs off with its sword raised, no one follows.)
CLOWN: That toy’s a little funny. I like it.
TOY SOLDIER: (returning) Toy? I am not a toy! I am a soldier in the Monumental Fifth Mounted Brigade!
BALL: (shaking head) New toys. Always so sure of themselves.
TRAIN: Well I’m not a toy. I am a real train. I have wheels and can move.
This makes VR perk up.
VR: Excuse me? What do you mean real? What is … real?
JACK-IN-THE-BOX: Real is real. It means you’re the thing you are, not just a toy. TOY SOLDIER: Like I’m a soldier.
TRAIN: And I’m a train.
WIND-UP BEAR: And I’m a dancing bear.
VR: Well, I think I’m the thing I am. I’m a rabbit. A Velveteen Rabbit. CLOWN: Are rabbits made of Velveteen?
VR: I don’t know. I’m the only one I know.
WIND-UP BEAR: And what’s that you’ve got inside you? VR: Sawdust? It fills me up.
MONKEY: (laughing) Sawdust?! Sawdust is not real.
JACK-IN-THE-BOX: Well technically sawdust is real, but it’s very old-fashioned. It’s not wow-’em-sock-’em pop-out-at-’em like me!
SILK HORSE: Now, now, toys. It’s time for us to put ourselves away – the child will be back soon.
CLOWN: The child never plays with anybody for very long. They play a little and then move on.
BALL: So?! I don’t need them – I can bounce and play all by myself!
WIND-UP BEAR: I’ve got a handle and things inside me that buzz. I can dance! JEWELRY BOX BALLERINA: Me too!
TRAIN: I roll!
TOY SOLDIER: I march!
MONKEY: My hands have – TOYS: CYMBALS, WE KNOW!
Monkey crashes the cymbals again. The toys all shake from the loud sound.
VELVETEEN: But … I can't play alone.
TOY SOLDIER: Well, what do you do, Private?
VELVETEEN: I don’t know. I can sit. (The toys look, not impressed.) When the child was here, they held me and hugged me and tossed me about. It was fun.
SILK HORSE: A child playing with you is indeed a great joy. Now, enough of this. They’ll be back soon. We’ve got to get in the toy cabinet. As many of us as will fit.
CLOWN: It’s the same every Christmas and birthday! More toys but not any more room in the toy cabinet!
SILK HORSE: We’ll just have to make room.
All the toys look into the space they’re supposed to go in.
TRAIN: In there?
WIND-UP BEAR: All of us?
SILK HORSE: Now, now. There’s plenty of room if we just …
As they all try to squeeze into the toy cabinet, it’s just too crowded.
MONKEY: I don’t know …
[MUSIC CUE F]
TOP: There’s not enough topography for a top like me!
F. VERY VERY CROWDED HERE
TOY SOLDIER:
I CAN’T MANEUVER, RUN FOR THE HILLS!
MONKEY:
OUR TOY HOTEL HAS GOT NO FRILLS!
JACK-IN-THE-BOX:
THIS JACK CAN’T GET INTO HIS BOX!
CLOWN:
AND WHAT’S THAT SMELL? ARE THOSE OLD SOCKS?
TOYS:
WE CAN’T GET IN, WE CAN’T GET OUT
WE SCRUNCH, WE SQUEEZE, WE DUCK, WE SHOUT! WE’RE CLOSE, WE’RE CRUNCHED, YOU’RE IN MY EAR! WE’RE VERY VERY CROWDED HERE!
EVERY CHRISTMAS IT’S THE SAME
OUR HOME BECOMES A NUMBERS GAME THE NEW TOYS AND THE OLD AGREE IT’S WAY TOO TIGHT,
DON’T EVEN SNEEZE!
The Bear sneezes. They all look at it.
BEAR (spoken): Sorry.
Musical Interlude
TOYS:
THE TOY BOX IS A LOVELY PLACE
WHEN YOU’RE NOT SMASHED UP FACE-TO-FACE TRUST US, WE ARE QUITE SINCERE
WE’RE VERY VERY CROWDED HERE!
CAN’T GET IN, CAN’T GET OUT
SCRUNCH AND SQUEEZE, DUCK AND SHOUT! CLOSE AND CRUNCHED, IN MY EAR!
VERY VERY VERY VERY
TOYS 1: TOYS 2:
EVERY CHRISTMAS THE TOY BOX IS A LOVELY PLACE
IT’S THE SAME WHEN YOU’RE NOT SMASHED UP FACE-TO-FACE
OUR HOME BECOMES TRUST US, WE ARE QUITE SINCERE
A NUMBERS GAME WE’RE VERY VERY CROWDED HERE!
THE NEW TOYS AND CAN’T GET IN, CAN’T GET OUT
THE OLD AGREE SCRUNCH AND SQUEEZE, DUCK AND SHOUT!
IT’S WAY TOO TIGHT CLOSE AND CRUNCHED, IN MY EAR!
VERY VERY VERY VERY
VERY VERY VERY VERY
SILK HORSE:
IF THAT’S THE CASE, THEN SETTLE DOWN, CURL UP MY FRIENDS, FIND COMMON GROUND INSTEAD OF FIGHTING, GET SOME REST,
AND TRY GOODNIGHTING IN OUR CHEST.
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