NOTES ON COSTUME AND SETTING
The children are dressed in peasant costumes, the girls in bright skirts and stockings, white guimpes, black velvet bodices, and Normandy caps; the boys in full trousers, bright stockings, vests of green or blue, fastening in the back, white shirts with full sleeves, and toboggan caps. Toinette wears shoes with buckles; the others may wear the same, or sabots.
Mother. Plain dark dress, with full skirt; kerchief on her shoulders, and a white cap.
The magic "Cloak of Darkness" brought by the Elves for Toinette, is a long cape, with hood attached, made of light gray canton flannel.
The Fern-seed Bag may be made of a bit of the same material, or of the colors of Hollyberry's costume.
The Elves wear harlequin costumes in two shades of the same color, with tall pointed hoods, and long shoes with toes turned up. Gilt bells on all points of collar, jacket, and hood. See illustration. Sateen is perhaps the best material for these little suits, as it comes in a great variety of rich shades, but cheaper goods may be found.
Hollyberry. Dark red and scarlet. He carries a holly branch in lieu of a wand.
Mistletoe. Brown and yellow. In Act II he carries an odd box supposed to be full of fern seed.
Evergreen. Dark and light green. In Act II he produces the holly stick for stirring the broth.
Icicle. Dark and light blue. In Act II he carries a small jar or pitcher,—something curious or unusual in appearance,—which is supposed to contain the honey-dew.
Instead of the gilt bells, the points of these suits may be trimmed with bits of holly, mistletoe, evergreen, and glass icicles, as indicated by the names.
In setting the stage, it is effective to make small windows, with diamond-shaped panes, and white sash-curtains, placing small pots of scarlet geraniums on the sills.
The song is "Good News on Christmas Morning," from St. Nicholas Songs (Century Company).
Where music is indicated through the play, any part of the carol is sung, except the last verse, which is used only once, just before the last curtain. For the Elves' dance, the Pizzicato from the ballet "Sylvia" by Delibes, Dvorak's "Humoresque," or a waltz, very lightly played, may be used.
[TOM’S PLAN]
IN TWO ACTS