NOTES ON COSTUME, SETTING, AND PRESENTATION

Costumes

Pepper. Scarlet coat, khaki trousers, high black boots. Silk hat. He wears a mustache, and carries a long whip with a scarlet bow.

Acrobats. (Hopkins and Limber Jack.) Long stockings, puffed trunks, and running-shirt, or undershirt, dyed to match. White bathing-shoes, or "sneakers." Any colors may be used. Light blue for Jack, and yellow for Hopkins are effective. Hopkins's ballet dress is made of innumerable skirts of white tarletan, sewed to a low-necked and short-sleeved waist of same material as his trunks, bespangled with tinsel. This should be carefully put together and equipped with buttons and button-holes, to slip on over the acrobat's clothes, so that Hopkins's "lightning change" can really be made in the least possible time. Woman's light yellow wig (or, if the boy is fair, a dark wig), dressed in the extreme of style.

Clowns. Pierrot costumes. White with red spots, and yellow with blue. Faces whitened with the usual red marks. Heads bald and white. White soft Pierrot hats. They may provide themselves with "slapsticks," and other properties incidental to their tricks and jokes.

Minstrel. Usual minstrel make-up. Black-face, large collar, gaudy tie and vest. Flowered or large-checked trousers and dress-coat.

Dutch. Khaki hat and trousers, shirt-sleeves, velvet vest, stuffed to make him very rotund. Should be a short, roly-poly boy. He carries by a strap over his shoulders a tray with bags of peanuts, rolls of popcorn, etc. (Which will probably need to be kept under lock and key until time for its use.)

Animal-Trainer. Dress suit and silk hat. Carries a riding-whip.

Tim. Red flannel shirt, old trousers, very old felt hat, boots. May double with

Farmer Simpson. Old overcoat and straw hat. Red hair and chin beard.

Dog and Monkey. It is best to rent these costumes from a costumer, though, if preferred, close-fitting suits of brown and black canton flannel, with long tails, may be made, and the heads only, rented. Chain for monkey, leash for dog.

Bub and Sonny. Overalls, sneakers, and big straw farm hats.

Setting

Tent. A most effective circus-tent can be made by fastening strips of unbleached muslin above the stage-arch, and sloping them down to a wire stretched five feet above floor at back of stage, then dropping straight to floor. Back the entrances to the other tents with more canvas, to represent a straight-sided passage.

The Circus Performance

A great deal of liberty may be allowed here. This play having been written for a boys' club, the boys were intrusted with the duty of working up the individual "acts," which they did very successfully, with a little oversight and revision from those in charge.

The tricks by the Dog and Monkey were seesawing, boxing with gloves, dancing, fighting a duel, etc., etc.

The Clowns introduced an "elephant walk," a race, juggling with balls, and other tricks.

The Minstrel collected the latest and snappiest stories he could find, and told them with zest.

The boys' own list of acrobatic feats, which will be understood by boys doing work in a gymnasium, was as follows:

They also included turning flip-flaps, walking on the hands, swinging clubs, etc. The Pyramid, at the end, was formed by the whole troupe, on hands and knees, the lightest boys on top, and at a given signal all fell flat on the mattress.

The bareback riding of Hopkins and the dance of Zarah are fully described in the text.

Music

A good two-step, rapidly played, will serve for the galloping horse, and Zarah can adapt herself to any modern dance-music.

For this play a carol or hymn is not appropriate, but rather a jolly song embodying the idea of "Christmas comes but once a year."

[MINTY-MALVINY’S SANTA CLAUS]

PLAY IN ONE ACT