FADE IN:
EXT -- IN FRONT OF A SMALL THEATRE -- NIGHT
(People gather outside a theatre, waiting in line to buy their tickets. The bill reads "PIPPIN: HIS LIFE AND TIMES". Among the people in line for tickets is a young man, a drifter with nowhere else to go for the evening. He uses what little money he has to buy a ticket and goes inside.)
INT -- THE LOBBY INSIDE THE THEATRE -- CONTINUOUS
(The young man enters the theatre where the roar of conversations is heard. He looks around, feeling unsure of himself.)
INT -- BACKSTAGE -- CONTINUOUS
(Backstage several players who will perform in the show are gathered before a mirror putting the finishing touches on their make-up. Their costumes are simple black tights. They are joined by the leading player but she has not come to put on make-up.)
LEADING PLAYER (urgently)
Five minutes to curtain. Let's move it, people.
(The players finish up and head out of the backstage area. The last one to pass the leading player on the out is the player who will come to be known as Pippin. He looks nervous, but the leading player reassures him with a smile. The smile, however, has a somewhat sinister feeling to it.)
INT -- THE AUDITORIUM OF THE THEATRE -- CONTINUOUS
(The young man walks slowly down the isle of the noisy auditorium and is greated by an usherette.)
USHERETTE
Ticket, please.
(He hands her the ticket. She looks at it breifly, then tears it and hands him the stub.)
USHERETTE
This way, sir.
(He finds his seat in the first few rows and sits. The shot switches to behind the closed curtain. The players get into their places. Last, the leading player takes her spot center stage. The shot switches back to the young man in the audience as the lights begin to go down. The audience becomes quiet. The show is about to begin. A long high pitched note rings out as the curtain is opened and only glowing hands are visible against the darkness on stage. The hands seem to float is a strange macabre limbo. The leading player begins crooning and finally, she steps out of the darkness to sing.)
LEADING PLAYER +
Join us -- leave your feilds to flower.
Join us -- leave your cheese to sour.
Join us -- come and waist an hour or two.
Doo-dle-ee-doo.
Journey -- journey to a spot ex-
Citing, mystic and excotic.
Journey -- through our anecdotic revue.
We've magic to do -- just for you.
We've got miracle plays to play.
We've got parts to perform -- hearts to warm,
Kings and things to take by storm
As we go along our way.
(As the next lines are sung, the respective players step out of the darkness.)
FASTRADA +
Intrigue -- plots to bring disaster.
LEWIS +
Humor -- handled by a master.
AN ATTRACTIVE MAN +
Romance -- sex presented pastorally.
LEADING PLAYER +
(Sliding her finger down his body)
Dee-dle-ee-dee.
A FEMALE PLAYER +
(Unseen as a male player lipsincs)
Illusion -- (steps out from behind him) fantasy to study.
CHARLES +
Battles -- barbarous and bloody.
LEADING PLAYER +
So join us -- sit where everybody can see.
(Lights up on all players.)
ALL PLAYERS +
We've magic to do -- just for you.
We've got miracle plays to play.
We've got parts to perform -- hearts to warm,
Kings and things to take by storm
As we go along our way.
(Dance sequnce involving magic tricks. During one, the leading player disappears. As the singing resumes is lowered from the flies wearing a costume that is more indicative of her character than the black tights in which she began.)
ALL PLAYERS
We've magic to do -- just for you.
We've got miracle plays to play.
We've got parts to perform -- hearts to warm,
Kings and things to take by storm
As we go along....
(As the following round progresses, the young man's imagination begins to take over. At it's conclusion, the players are dancing around him in a dark circular room.)
We've got our way.
magic to do We got Magic to do.
Just for you, we got Magic to do Magic to do.
magic to do Just for you, we got ma- Magic to play.
Just for you, we got gic to do We got
magic to do Just for you, we got foibles and fables to
Just for you magic to do portray
As we go along As we go along As we go along
our way. our way. our way.
EXT -- IN FRONT OF A SMALL THEATRE -- NIGHT
(People gather outside a theatre, waiting in line to buy their tickets. The bill reads "PIPPIN: HIS LIFE AND TIMES". Among the people in line for tickets is a young man, a drifter with nowhere else to go for the evening. He uses what little money he has to buy a ticket and goes inside.)
INT -- THE LOBBY INSIDE THE THEATRE -- CONTINUOUS
(The young man enters the theatre where the roar of conversations is heard. He looks around, feeling unsure of himself.)
INT -- BACKSTAGE -- CONTINUOUS
(Backstage several players who will perform in the show are gathered before a mirror putting the finishing touches on their make-up. Their costumes are simple black tights. They are joined by the leading player but she has not come to put on make-up.)
LEADING PLAYER (urgently)
Five minutes to curtain. Let's move it, people.
(The players finish up and head out of the backstage area. The last one to pass the leading player on the out is the player who will come to be known as Pippin. He looks nervous, but the leading player reassures him with a smile. The smile, however, has a somewhat sinister feeling to it.)
INT -- THE AUDITORIUM OF THE THEATRE -- CONTINUOUS
(The young man walks slowly down the isle of the noisy auditorium and is greated by an usherette.)
USHERETTE
Ticket, please.
(He hands her the ticket. She looks at it breifly, then tears it and hands him the stub.)
USHERETTE
This way, sir.
(He finds his seat in the first few rows and sits. The shot switches to behind the closed curtain. The players get into their places. Last, the leading player takes her spot center stage. The shot switches back to the young man in the audience as the lights begin to go down. The audience becomes quiet. The show is about to begin. A long high pitched note rings out as the curtain is opened and only glowing hands are visible against the darkness on stage. The hands seem to float is a strange macabre limbo. The leading player begins crooning and finally, she steps out of the darkness to sing.)
LEADING PLAYER +
Join us -- leave your feilds to flower.
Join us -- leave your cheese to sour.
Join us -- come and waist an hour or two.
Doo-dle-ee-doo.
Journey -- journey to a spot ex-
Citing, mystic and excotic.
Journey -- through our anecdotic revue.
We've magic to do -- just for you.
We've got miracle plays to play.
We've got parts to perform -- hearts to warm,
Kings and things to take by storm
As we go along our way.
(As the next lines are sung, the respective players step out of the darkness.)
FASTRADA +
Intrigue -- plots to bring disaster.
LEWIS +
Humor -- handled by a master.
AN ATTRACTIVE MAN +
Romance -- sex presented pastorally.
LEADING PLAYER +
(Sliding her finger down his body)
Dee-dle-ee-dee.
A FEMALE PLAYER +
(Unseen as a male player lipsincs)
Illusion -- (steps out from behind him) fantasy to study.
CHARLES +
Battles -- barbarous and bloody.
LEADING PLAYER +
So join us -- sit where everybody can see.
(Lights up on all players.)
ALL PLAYERS +
We've magic to do -- just for you.
We've got miracle plays to play.
We've got parts to perform -- hearts to warm,
Kings and things to take by storm
As we go along our way.
(Dance sequnce involving magic tricks. During one, the leading player disappears. As the singing resumes is lowered from the flies wearing a costume that is more indicative of her character than the black tights in which she began.)
ALL PLAYERS
We've magic to do -- just for you.
We've got miracle plays to play.
We've got parts to perform -- hearts to warm,
Kings and things to take by storm
As we go along....
(As the following round progresses, the young man's imagination begins to take over. At it's conclusion, the players are dancing around him in a dark circular room.)
We've got our way.
magic to do We got Magic to do.
Just for you, we got Magic to do Magic to do.
magic to do Just for you, we got ma- Magic to play.
Just for you, we got gic to do We got
magic to do Just for you, we got foibles and fables to
Just for you magic to do portray
As we go along As we go along As we go along
our way. our way. our way.