Details 

Elves & the Shoemaker 

 

Elves & the Shoemaker

by Kevin M Reese]

Video Promo Available Soon

Detailed Plot:
After a silly preshow (ONCE UPON A TIME) by the two actors who will be playing the elves, we meet the poor Shoemaker and his... demanding... wife. Times are tough when you don’t have enough money to buy the leather you need to make shoes– and the stress is taking its toll on their lives (I’M A SHOEMAKER). He stays up late to make a shoe out of his last piece of leather and soon fall fast asleep. Enter Ricci and Nicky, the two Elves. They are two of Santa’s Elves who have been re-assigned to “Good Deed Patrol” because they are constantly arguing. The “Big Guy” told them they could return to they regular Elf duties only after they learn to work together and help someone in need. They have learned of the Shoemaker’s difficulties and are here to help. They set in to make him a pair of shoes– after all, how hard can it be? (WE GOTTA WORK). Proud of their accomplishment, and confident they will soon re-join their regular Elf crew, the two depart just in time for the Shoemaker to awaken the next morning. He discovers the two shoes and is amazed– until his wife arrives. The problem, as his wife so pointedly points out, is that there are two left shoes! The next night, the two elves return to fix their mistake (as usual, arguing the whole time). They endeavor to make yet another pair of shoes (WE GOTTA WORK AGAIN). Again, they leave just in time for the Shoemaker to awaken. He is at first happy– until his wife points out (again!) that there is a problem with the shoes. This time, the left and right shoes are two different colors! His wife is so upset, she packs her bags to go stay with her mother. The shoemaker decides to stay up all night to see who is making the shoes. When the two elves arrive to try to again fix their mistake, he catches them in the act. With the help of the shoemaker, the two elves make another pair of shoes– this time, they succeed (WORKING TOGETHER). Before they leave, the elves grant the Shoemaker a wish: he wishes his wife could be happy again. They reluctantly grant his wish and exit, fully confident they will soon be back in good standing with Santa. The next morning, the Shoemaker’s wife enters. She has thought it over and decided not to leave! After she sees the new shoes, they both marvel at the quality. After the Wife exits, the two elves arrive one last time to say goodbye, they are on their way to the North Pole to join their Santa’s Elf Unit. The Shoemaker thanks them for putting the spell on his wife. They reply that they didn’t use any magic– once the stress of not having any shoes was removed, she became nice all by herself (ONCE UPON A TIME).

Sets:
Most of the action takes place in the Shoemaker's shop: Workbench CS, bench SL, lots of empty shelves. The Elves' crossover scenes take place either in front of the curtain or in an aisle of the audience.

Original Cast: 4:   2 Men, 2 Women played 4 characters

Theme:
Responsibility, Unnecessary Worry, Tolerance.

Running Time:  40 Min.  

Target Audience: Ages 2 - 10, Families.

Characters:  4
Ricci
Nicky
Shoemaker
Wife

Short Description:
The poor Shoemaker and his very demanding wife are going through rough times. Then one night they are visited by two silly, bumbling elves. Their assignment is to help the Shoemaker make shoes. The results are as silly as the elves.

MUSIC:
1: ONCE UPON A TIME - Narrators (Elves)
2: I'M A SHOEMAKER - Shoemaker
3: WE GOTTA WORK - Elves
4: WE GOTTA WORK (AGAIN) - Elves
5: WORKING TOGETHER - Elves & Shoemaker
6: ONCE UPON A TIME (Finale) - All

Original Production/strong>
THE ELVES & THE SHOEMAKER was first presented by the Wichita Children's Theatre for the Once Upon a Time series. It opened January 23, 1997, and played seven performances. It was directed by John (JB) Boldenow, choreographed by Barb Schoenhofer, and costumed by Audra Wiese.