Hay Presto: An Ex-strawdinary Musical Nativity
At an estimated 35 minutes, this is perfectly pitched for the suggested five to nine age group, with the action being broken up into eight scenes and a prologue, each roughly the same length. As expected, the narrator parts carry the bulk of the lines, though the four ox characters come a close second. I was always one of the go-to narrator for my school's plays and I would have loved one of these roles. There's a nice spread of characters, with some of the supporting characters only having a single line so it's more than feasible for you to have a mixed age group and for each child to feel adequately challenged. With 56 speaking parts, it's perfectly suited for getting a few year groups involved, though there are adaption notes that give tips from the creators as to how the parts can be split out or merged, so it will work with both huge groups and small ones. For an additional fee, you can purchase an editable version of the script to make this easier.
Also contained in the front of the book are a number of notes for the songs and staging, as well as some ideas for using the musical as the basis for further learning opportunities. In this one, the suggestions include discussions around why we mark Advent and the role of Christmas in the UK today.
The story is, as expected, a version of the nativity so there aren't any major surprises – you've got Mary and Joseph, the inn, the shepherds, and the angels, as well as a smattering of townsfolk and animals. That said, the writing really sparkles, and it definitely does its own thing within the limits of the material, managing to be respectful to the original story while working in humour to emphasise the important messages of Christmas. If you couldn't tell from the two puns in the title alone, this musical delivers more than a few dad jokes, though it's all done well. I think a few of them might go over younger children's heads (due to their complexity, nothing untoward!) but older ones and especially parents will be greatly amused. If you've got a few students who have a decent sense of comic timing, then these parts will cast themselves.
When it comes to the songs, they are a lot of fun and students will get plenty of enjoyment from them. Towards the back of the book, you'll find the sheet music – it would be nice for this to be detachable though the margins are big enough that you can prop the book open quite easily and still see everything. There's nothing overly complicated in either the piano or the vocal line though I personally found a few of the chord changes a bit awkward on guitar so make sure to give it a go by yourself before. If you've not got access to a suitable instrumentalist, then the backing CD is perfectly adequate. There are two versions of each track, one with vocals and one without – the former gives a good idea of how it should sound. The quality of the recording is good and providing you have a decent PA it will sound wonderful. My personal highlights are ‘These Three Kings’ which would make for a great trio performance, and the last song ‘The Wonders of Christmas’ – if done right, this would make for quite a euphoric ending.
If your school does nativities, then I think this will exceed everyone's expectations and provide you with some ear worms to carry into the new year! I wouldn't be surprised if you get younger students wanting to do it again next year with themselves in the bigger parts.
Niki Davies is a stalwart when it comes to producing Christmas musicals and this one is another sensation. This is also a retelling of the story of the birth of Jesus but pitched at a slightly younger audience compared to Hay Presto, with a recommended age of 3 to 7Taking place largely inside the world's most famous stable, a large proportion of the named cast members are animals, with the story having the animals play a role in helping the family settle in to the stable. As such, many of the roles have more physical aspects to them (think exaggerated flapping of arms, mooing and so on) than actual words – the cast list actually makes a note in bold text to mention that some of the lines are only a word or two in length. There are 25 speaking roles listed and though the book says that it is possible to do the play with up to 80 children (by having them as additional animals or shepherds) the suggested cast size is 50 which feels about right to me.A small point but I really liked that both this musical and Hay Presto list the names of the three Magi – Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar – if only because I think they are amazing names. In some parts of the world, it's traditional for young children to knock on the door of their local church on the Epiphany (6 January) and the priest gives them a present – usually sweets or confections – if they can name all three.
Higgledy Piggledy Nativity
Because this aimed at a younger group, the music is kept quite simple and short though it by no means suffer as a result of this. Of the seven songs, most come close to 90 seconds, though a couple are closer to the two-minute mark. The sheet music is all fairly straightforward and easy to read. A few of the recordings have some of the songs using percussive elements which aren't scored, so do have a listen to the backing tracks and see if you might be able to get a few of the more confident students to play along with wooden blocks or similar to add a bit of texture to things. If you take a look at the song guide, you'll find a whole range of tips like these for each song, allowing you to make the performance as simple or as complex as it needs to be.I enjoyed ‘We Are Angels from Heaven’ due to its sweet melody – it's uplifting and celebratory which adequately captures what the arrival of Jesus on earth represents to believers. Overall, this is a lovely set of songs, backed up by a perfectly pitched script, which makes for a real delight.
The Mouse in Santa's House
The third of this year's new Christmas musicals from Schools Musical Company is also stunning. This one isn't a nativity but instead tells not only the story of Tommy who wants a mouse for a present, but also the mouse who finds himself in Santa's sleigh. As it's an original story, there's a lot of flair and it's not shy to do its own thing – given the number of clichés around Christmas, the narrative manages to deliver a nice level of sentimentality while feeling fresh. There's a positive and uplifting moral core to the story
The narrative is handled by four Christmas crackers who speak mostly in rhyme so would be great for students who have a sense of rhythm to allow them to deliver the lines confidently. Outside of this, there's a clutch of other meaty parts and a small number of additional roles to allow for a nice spread. My impression is that it is better suited for a smaller cast but the notes suggest ways that you can divide up parts – again, the option of an editable script would be a sensible investment here.
Tommy's sung Christmas letter ‘Dear Father Christmas’ is a great tune, drawing from New Orleans jazz and blues to really convey the passion that Timmy feels – the song notes for this do say to avoid going into an American accent which might prove difficult as the melody constantly demands that you drawl a few of the syllables. The various vocal slides will sound amazing if you've got a disciplined group of singers. There's also an optional song, ‘A Very Small Mouse’, which is better suited for younger children should you be working with quite a big age range. Towards the middle, the narrative has Tommy's family drop in and launch into ‘We Wish You A Merry Christmas’ which begs for audience participation – no excuses!
A fantastic story that manages to fit a lot into a tiny package. When it comes to Christmas, what more could you ask for?
