Shows A

ANNABELLE BROOM, the UNHAPPY WITCH Book by: Eleanor Harder and Ray Harder: Lyrics by: Eleanor Harder and Ray Harder: Music by: Eleanor Harder A musical especially designed for children which blends charm and wit with clever catchy songs. Annabelle Broom is a non-conformist witch who would rather help than hinder. Her good deeds bring her into dispute with her superior witches and she nearly loses her union card through helping two lost children. But Annabelle and virtue triumph over the forces of darkness proving that chicanery doesn't pay. STORY Act I - Forest, early evening. There is an air of sadness about this spot. A circle of ghostly trees wail and bend under their leafy burdens. It is here that Annabelle, the unhappy witch, has come to brood. She enters, weeping, dressed head to toe in her old, black, ill-fitting witch's uniform. Under her arm she carries a gaily-coloured fashion magazine and a flowing pink handkerchief. Looking at the magazine, she cries that she is "last year's cobweb." She has nothing new and fashionable to wear. She is delighted when she sees the audience and tells them all about herself. She discloses that she is really a very nice witch who is forced to wear a terrible black outfit all the time. She wishes more than anything that she could wear a nice new pink outfit designed in the latest fashion. Suddenly, thunder is heard and Mabel, president of the witches’ union, appears. Annabelle knows that Mabel won't be happy with her since she is supposed to be home practising her evil eye. Mable is a large woman dressed in an impressive steel-grey witch's uniform. She loves practising her favourite stunt - yelling, "silence" and listening appreciatively to the thunder that follows. She sees Annabelle and reprimands her. Mabel presents a list of Annabelle's faults and demerits for the week: she slept all night in a barn which she was told to burn down; she asked Mrs. Jones the place where she bought her shoes instead of putting a hex and evil eye on her, and so on. She finally pulls Annabelle's report card out of her pocket and gives it to the troubled witch. It appears that Annabelle has failed virtually all of her witch classes - everything from spell making to general meanness. The only A+ she got was in Toadstool Turning. Before Mabel leaves, she gives Annabelle a list of work for the evening. No sooner is Mabel gone, than another witch, Lydia, enters dressed in a dark green uniform. She is elated at finding Annabelle with her long instruction list. Lydia is the assigned treasurer for the witches' union and has come to collect the full moon dues - thirteen dragon's teeth. Annabelle gives her the dues and then looks at her assignment list. Her evening assignment is to frighten two lost children. She thinks about it for a moment and then realises that this assignment could be fun. In another part of the forest, a much happier and brighter part, Peter and Judy enter, singing and playing follow-the-leader. Peter is about nine years old and his sister, Judy, is about eight. They are well-scrubbed, happy, delightful children. They hop through the forest having a delightful time and dissolve into a fit of laughter. When they recover, they realise that they are lost. Peter can't quite figure out the way home because bramble bushes cover the path that should lead them home. He tells Judy that he once heard that witches put bramble bushes in the path of anyone lost in the forest. Judy gets scared, but Peter calms her down, telling her that they must be brave. They try calling to someone for help, but no one answers them. They go over to a large tree, lie down beneath it, and fall asleep. Annabelle enters reading her instruction sheet and finds the children. Judy and Peter wake up, but stay very still, pretending to sleep. Annabelle's first job is to sprinkle them with some enchanted powder, which will fill their dreams with monstrous nightmares; however, before she is able to do this, she notices what a fresh and lovely complexion Judy has. She wonders just how Judy keeps her skin so soft and fresh. Seeing a jug of milk

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