The Cat and Fiddle Book.

by Lady Florence Bell and Mrs. Herbert Richmond.

_SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR THE "PRODUCERS" OF THESE PLAYLETS_

In every case the tune of the nursery rhyme, the dramatized version of which is about to be acted, should be played through twice on the piano before the curtain is raised: the first time without singing; the second time the audience, of which the majority presumably will be children, should be asked to join in and sing it too, led by the performers singing it behind the scenes. At the close of the piece, when the curtain has fallen at the place indicated in the text it should (if justified by applause) be raised again, discovering the performers standing in a row. These should sing the rhyme through again to the piano accompaniment, the audience joining in as before, after which the curtain is finally lowered.

The scenery can in nearly every case be arranged by using folding screens. In one or two pieces, such as _Goosey-Goosey-Gander_ and _Ride-a-c.o.c.k-horse_, it would be improved by being a little more elaborate. But even in these, if there is no artist in the family who can paint a Banbury Cross or a farmyard in the background, a large label can be hung up to show in what kind of surroundings the action is taking place. As to costume, the period of none of the plays, fortunately, is precisely known, and the performers therefore can be dressed up as they choose. Where animals' heads are required, such as the COW, DOG, and CAT in the _Cat and the Fiddle_, the GOOSE and DRAKE in _Goosey-Gander_, and the c.o.c.k in _Ride-a-c.o.c.k-horse_, these will not be found very difficult to make out of cardboard, not too stiff, bent to the shape required and roughly painted.

In one or two of the plays there are speaking parts which can be taken by quite little children, such as the DISH and SPOON in the _Cat and the Fiddle_, the latter especially being within the grasp of the smallest performer able to speak distinctly enough for the words to be recognisable. The part of POLLY in _Polly Put the Kettle On_ can be played by any intelligent child of five. In _Oranges and Lemons_, _Humpty Dumpty_, and _Ride-a-c.o.c.k-horse_ there are possibilities of a crowd in which any number of children available can "come on" and so take a share in the performance.

The writer ventures to suggest that the preface of a book ent.i.tled _Fairy-Tale Plays_ (Longman) contains detailed directions which may be found helpful for rehearsing with children. The great thing for the "Producers" to remember is not to cast a gloom over the proceedings by being depressed or losing their tempers when the performers still don't know their parts on the day of the performance, when their "business" at that performance is exactly opposite to that inculcated at rehearsals, and when they invent on "the night" an entirely new series of mistakes.

It does not matter if they do. The audience, which will probably largely consist of the relations of the performers, will be just as pleased whatever happens, and so will every child-lover who is looking on. So will the actors, whose enjoyment is a.s.sured if they are acting and dressing up. And the spectator who does not like seeing their enjoyment does not deserve to have any himself, so we need not take him into account.

Neither the writer nor the producers of these absurd little plays, therefore, need have much fear of failure. They are spared the acute preliminary--and subsequent--agonies of those who produce plays of a larger size and a better quality than those contained in this little book.

_May 1922._ FLORENCE BELL

THE CAT AND THE FIDDLE

SCENE

_A room in Mrs. MOOCOWS Boarding House. A chair R.C., a settee, or another chair, up stage R. At back L.C. two ordinary folding screens about 2ft. 6in. apart, a curtain hung across the s.p.a.ce between them.

A picture of a full moon painted on a large piece of cardboard must be propped up behind the opening between the screens, so that when the curtain is drawn back the moon is seen on the horizon_, i.e. _its lower edge on the level of the ground._

CHARACTERS

_In order of their appearance_

THE COW THE DOG THE CAT THE DISH THE SPOON

COW. Dog!

DOG. Yes?

COW. Do you like the cat?

DOG. No, I don't. Do you?

COW. Of course not.

DOG. Why _did_ you have her to lodge with you?

COW. I really don't know. I thought it would be nice to have someone who was fond of music.

DOG. _I'm_ fond of it, but not of the cat's music.

COW. No, her music is a disappointment.

DOG. I don't care about that great lumpy fiddle of hers, either.

COW. And she _will_ accompany herself on it when she mews.

DOG. And then, she's so vain.

COW. Yes! She told me she could jump better than I could.

DOG. Oh, how absurd.

COW. She says I can't climb a tree.

DOG. And can you?

COW. I've never tried it--I don't want to. She says _you_ can't climb a tree.

DOG. Well, what then? I can stand at the bottom of it and bark. Can she do that?

COW. Of course not. And I told her that if I liked I could jump over the moon.

DOG [_rather incredulous_]. Could you, Cow? Could you?

COW. If it were near the ground.

DOG. But is it ever near the ground?

COW. Certainly, when it is quite low down and looks all big and red.

DOG. Oh yes, to be sure.

COW. And then, the cat gives such a lot of trouble. She must have her dinner on a dish every day, all mixed up with a spoon.

DOG. Such a fuss! Why can't she just have a bone on the drawing-room carpet--nothing nicer than that.

COW. Or some gra.s.s in the field--so simple? The Dish and the Spoon don't like having to come down from the dresser so often. They like being quiet. [_Mewing heard._] Not much chance of being quiet with a cat who practises all day.

[_Enter CAT L., mewing. She is carrying a 'cello or a violin, preferably the former. She sits down on chair R.C. and pretends to tune her instrument, mewing the note and turning the pegs. If a grown-up who can play the tune on one of these instruments is not available for the part of the cat, the child who acts it can be taught, while mewing the tune through after tuning, to draw the bow across the open D string and A string on first beat, provided the instrument is not too precious for such handling._

COW. May I ask, Cat----

CAT. Don't interrupt, please, when I'm practising. I'm going to mew at a concert to-night. [_Goes on._