Little Bo Peep

Characters

SIR BARNABAS BELCHER, BART  A Vile Villain
FAIRY BLARNEY  An Emerald Enchantress
TOMMY TUCKER 
A Cheeky Chatterbox
MARY MUFFET 
A Modest Maiden
GEORDIE "BOY BLUE" 
Our Humble Hero
OPHELIA PEEP 
A Winsome Widow
SIMPLE SIMON 
Her Flighty Fledgling
BUNTY "LITTLE BO" PEEP 
Her Dainty Daughter
THE TOWN CRIER 
The Peripatetic Press
CONSTABLE DUMPLING 
The Populace's Popular Policeman 
NEFARIOUS NICK 
A Malicious Malefactor
REPREHENSIBLE ROB 
A Peccant Profligate
MILDRED THE COW 
A Bovine Ballerina

CHORUS OF FAIRIES, TOWNSPEOPLE & CO
(Many of the minor roles can be played by Members of The Chorus)

Sample Scene

We believe that Pantomime Villains should be fun to play... Downright nasty, but with a wicked twinkle in the eye. One of our favourite villains is Baron Belcher. In this short scene, he sneakily tries to worm his way into our Heroine's affections...

ROMANTIC MUSIC

BO PEEP  Foolish Geordie! Imagining that I would marry a Prince... when I'm deeply in love with you! (sighs) Whene'er I sit in the meadow, you fill my daydreams. I dream of you holding my tiny hand, telling me its frozen, gazing into my eyes and whispering "I love you"!

The GIRLS sigh

BO PEEP  Dearest, darling Geordie! I'd willingly marry you, if only you'd ask...

SONG : LITTLE BO PEEP & GIRLS

After the Song, the GIRLS run off. Thunder and lightning. BELCHER enters

BELCHER (Yelling above the Sound Effects)  Shaddap!

The thunder and lightning abruptly stops

BELCHER  Honestly! Ask for special effects and they simply go beresk... Where was I? Ah, yes. Ahem! Little Bo Peep! Me heart's desire awaiteth me! The perfect opporchancity! 'Tis time, methinks, to give me troth a quick plight... (to her) Good morrow, fairest of dainty damozels!

BO PEEP  Why! Sir Barnabas Belcher, Bart... you quite startled me!

BELCHER  Good... I mean, sorry. Dearest child, I espy that ye appear to be on thy tod. No wooers in the woodwork? No winchers in the whereabouts?

BO PEEP  (Avoiding his gaze)  No, sir. I am quite alone.

BELCHER  Then may one beg thy indulgence for a few moments, prithee?

BO PEEP  (Puzzled)  By all means, Baron.

BELCHER (Curtly)  Ta! Ahem... Music, please!

MUSIC : "Hearts and Flowers"

BELCHER (Sadly)  You see before thee a very lonely man, Miss Peep. I have a reputation for wickedness through no fault of me own. 'Tis the name, you see. Nobody loves you when you're a Belcher. Sadly, me ancestors hailed from Windrush... Hatred and vilification have followed me all my miserable, wretched life! Vicious dogs whimper whene'er I approach... and Postman Pat always bites me! All, all this because of me wretched accursed name!  Oh, infamy! Infamy!

ALL CAST MEMBERS & ACCOMPANISTS  They've all got it "infamy"!

BELCHER  Oh, despair! Despair! I have opened up me black heart to ye because I want you to see that I'm not as evil as I'm painted. I'm not yer ordinary run-of-the-mill Panto villain, honest! I've just never been given the chance of being good! (hangs his head and "sobs"

BO PEEP  (Deeply moved)  Oh! You poor, poor man! (aside) Methinks I may have misjudged him!

BELCHER (Aside)  Tee-hee... She believed me! (sniggers)

BO PEEP  Pray, do not distress thyself.

BELCHER (Eagerly)  Then, will ye...?

BO PEEP  Will I what, Baron?

He falls to his knees

BELCHER  Oh, Little Bo Peep! Be mine, be mine! Here, at thy dainty feet, a humble suppliant, I kneel! I have a long-felt want! Marry me!?

BO PEEP (Not unkindly)  I cannot marry thee, sirrah. My girlish heart is promised to another.

He stands up, annoyed

BELCHER  To whom, pray?

BO PEEP  Well, if you must know... Geordie!

BELCHER (Furious)  Haughty, foolish child! Ye dare spurn me! 
Ye love yon well-groomed wimp? I disagree!
Though salt tears down thy apple cheeks may course,
I'll make thee marry me, proud wench... BY FORCE!

He seizes her. She struggles

BELCHER  The fire of love rageth within me! Peradventure, I may quench the flame by the moisture of thy ruby lips? Nay! I am resolved! 

BO PEEP  Unhand me, cruel one! I am but an innocent village maiden!

GEORDIE bursts in and slaps his thigh

GEORDIE  Methought I heard the plaintive cry of a Damsel in distress!

BO PEEP (To him)  Stop slapping your thigh and help me!

GEORDIE  Villain, desist!

BELCHER releases her and she runs to GEORDIE

BELCHER  Curses! Foiled again!

BO PEEP (To GEORDIE)  My hero! (to BELCHER) You... you... tainted Tartar!

BELCHER  Ooh, saucy! Oh, fool! To shun delights that never cloy!

GEORDIE  Go, leave thy deadly work undone!

GEORDIE  Away, away, ill-favoured one!

BELCHER (To GEORDIE)  Look, sunshine! Here I am, indulging in a bit of melodramatic pathos, and you just have to keep sticking yer oar in! Kindly mind yer own business, ye puny, protracted, pusillanimous, pimply, pathetic, post-modern, polyunsaturated, Principal Boy, ye!

BO PEEP  Oh, reprobate! Geordie is kind, brave, upright, honest and handsome.

GEORDIE (Aside)  Methinks she doth love me... (sighs)

BELCHER  Honest, is he? Well, me proud beauty, before the sun sets on Loose Chippings! (or Local Reference) I shall prove to all just how dishonest he is!

BO PEEP  That, sir, you can never do! (flounces off)

BELCHER (Mimicking her) "That, sir, you can never do!" We'll see about that! (shouts after her) I hope yer jelly babies get the measles! (sulks)

GEORDIE  Come, Baron! Must one indulge in childish insults?

BELCHER  Why don't you shut yer face! (aside) Calls himself a Principal Boy? With legs like those? (to him) Had a visit from the Cellulite Fairy, have we?

GEORDIE (Aside) That men is definitely not nice! And now to find my Little Bo Peep! She will doubtless be distressed and distraught after her experience with Belcher! Her legs will be like a jelly, but she'll be alright in a trifle... Oh, I do hope so! (runs off, calling) Little Bo Peep! My beloved! Wait...?

BELCHER (Livid with rage)  Oohh! I shall demand a steward's enquiry!

SONG : SIR BARNABAS BELCHER, BART  

BELCHER  I tried to win her love fairly, now didn't I? Oh, yes I did!

Audience Participation ad-lib   

BELCHER  'Twould seem that all me silver-tongued eloquence were in vain...Was in vain. So, I shall just have to resort to foul methods. I only hope I don't "lay an egg" before me schemes come "home to roost"! (laughs at his appalling puns) Oh, I'm on form tonight! (triumphantly) Beware, O Little Boy Blue! The big, bad, Baron's out for... BLOOD!

Does Belcher get his wicked way or does true love triumph? Of course, the answer's to be found in the complete script!

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