Woodcutter. Fur cap, warm gloves, high boots. Carries an ax. Is young, wholesome, rosy with work, and happy.
Star Child. (Child of seven or eight, who can sing.) White gown, hanging straight from neck to ground, with flowing sleeves. Carries a gold wand with a star on the end, and wears a star on the forehead. If taken by a boy, he should wear a short white sleeveless tunic, white stockings, and sandals.
Fritz and his sisters and brothers, children from twelve years down to six, are dressed in ordinary outdoor winter costumes, with as much as possible of bright color about them.
St. Nicholas differs somewhat from the accepted idea of Santa Claus, being dignified, benign, and kindly, rather than lively and jolly. Costume about the same,—long coat, high boots, fur cap, flowing white beard.
Note for Snow Scene. If not feasible to have a winter scene for the back drop, cover the back wall with white, and fasten drooping branches of evergreen at sides, to suggest the limbs of trees just out of sight. The wings may be treated in the same way,—or screens, if given in home or schoolroom. Cover the floor with white, piling with cushions beneath in some places to give an irregular surface, and to make the bank (R. Center), where Friedel lies down. Four or five evergreen trees will make an effective forest, and if quite small, they should be raised to different heights, and banked about with white. Leave opening between them (Back Center), in which the Star Child should appear, coming and going very silently and slowly. Cotton snow upon the little trees and "diamond-dust" over all, help to make this a very pretty scene.
For chimes, play the music of the carol "[Oh, Happy Night]" on a xylophone, behind the scenes.
[TOINETTE AND THE ELVES]
IN TWO ACTS