| Written by Rabbi Richard Agler and Cantor Stephanie Shore |
| PRELUDE |
| CinderEsther enters, screaming… Runs across stage, stops, screams, runs to other corner of stage, stops, screams: CinderEsther: Help… help… It's after me! Narrator: What's after you? CinderEsther: It's a rodent… with a long tail, and whiskers, and sort of pinkish ears… It's so small I can barely see it… and it's after me! Narrator: It sounds like it's just a mouse. Why does it frighten you so badly? CinderEsther: Oh my goodness… I hate mice … but especially these little tiny ones. It's so incredibly small … it's – oh my goodness – it's a mini-Mouse! CinderEsther screams again and exits. Narrator: Oy vey. I have a feeling it's going to be a long night. OPENING NUMBER Full cast enters from both sides of stage. SONG: "OUR SHOW" To the tune of "Heigh Ho" Ensemble: Our show, our show This is our Purim show Whistle Our show, our show Our show, our show It happened long ago Our show, our show Cast remains on stage. Narrator: Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, and Mouseketeers of all ages… welcome to our 2012 Congregation b'nai Israel Purim Shpiel! Kids, if you don't know what a Mouseketeer is, ask your parents. Actually, you might need to ask your grandparents. In any case, we're glad you're here at what tonight is surely the Happiest Place on Earth – Shushan Kingdom! And just what is Shushan Kingdom? Why, it's a magical place where dreams come true and there's a happy ending in store for everyone – unless your name happens to be … Haman! SONG: "NOW YOU'RE IN SHUSHAN" To the tune of "Zipadee-doo-dah Ensemble: Now you're in Shushan, a land far away For tonight we are all here to stay Lots of excitement comin' your way Now you're in Shushan All shout hurray! We've got Kings and Queens and villains Mordechai and Esther Wait until they try to test her Now you're in Shushan, a land far away Lights, camera, action, all shout hurray! Now you're in Shushan, a land far away For tonight we are all here to stay Lots of excitement comin' your way Now you're in Shushan All shout hurray! We've got Kings and Queens and villains Mordechai and Esther Wait until they try to test her Now you're in Shushan, a land far away Let's get it started, all shout hurray! Scene 1 - Mordechai's House CinderEsther and Mordechai enter. CinderEsther: What was all that hullabaloo about? Dancing and singing and carrying on. I've never seen such a hoopla. Where am I, Disney World? Mordechai: No, CinderEsther… you're in Shushan… just like you are every day. We don't have enough shekels to travel to a faraway place like …Florida. No, we must muddle along here in Shushan, making a living as best we can and practicing our faith – even though we're surrounded by Persians. CinderEsther: Persians aren't very nice, are they, Uncle Mordechai? Sometimes they threaten us just because we're Jewish. Mordechai: It's true, my dear. Sometimes they're not nice. They can be mean and ugly and have very bad manners. They're worse than the Pirates of the Caribbean, if you know what I mean! But they're not all bad. King Ahashverosh is a pretty good guy overall. I mean, he's no Moses, but he's no Captain Hook, either. CinderEsther: I wish I could meet the King. Heck, I'd settle for a prince – as long as he's charming. But that sure isn't very likely. I've just got to be happy with my ordinary hard-knock life – scrubbing floors, shampooing magic carpets, polishing lamps… Sings: Someday my prince will come. I hope he's not a bum. I would like it if he's a Jew, But the king of Shushan will do… Mordechai: Be careful what you wish for, CinderEsther. Remember, this is a magical place where dreams come true… They exit. Narrator: We're going to leave CinderEsther and Mordechai for a bit and take you to the big castle on the other side of Shushan where King Ahashverosh lives. It's not real easy to get there, by the way. You have to go by boat, or take the monorail – or, of course, you can take the bus if you're staying at one of the Shushan Resorts like the Mediterranean Beach or the Grand Arabian. There seems to be some sort of hullabaloo going on over there, too. Scene 2 - Outside the Castle Several women chorus members enter from left. Vashti enters from right, carrying a suitcase. Woman 1: Queen Vashti, why are you carrying a suitcase? Don't you have servants for that? Vashti: I used to have servants – until the King banished me from the castle – and from Shushan! Woman 2: Banished… that's terrible! Why did he banish you? Vashti: I suppose it's my own fault. He wanted me to dance for him and a bunch of strange little men who were visiting from another kingdom. They had funny names, too. I think one of them was called Sneezy, because he kept "aahchoo-ing" all the time. I wish I could remember all of them. Gumby… Grizzly… Yogi… It was humiliating. Woman 3: That's just awful, Vashti. What are you going to do now? Vashti: Why, I'm going to do what any woman with a shred of pride left in herself would do at this point in the show. I'm going to sing my big number! SONG: "WOMEN'S LEAGUE" To the tune of "Bare Necessities" |
Shushan Kingdom
