Les Miszoobles (7/01/06)

For one of our Zoobilee Zoo tours, I wrote a musical called "Les MisZoobles" in which Van Go Lion and I (Bill der Beaver) help Whazzat Kangaroo, who is feeling out of place and unimportant, to remember what makes her so special. In the end she rediscovers her uniqueness, learns to fly and all is well. In spite the name, the only thing this show really had in common with "Les Miz" was that they were both musicals. With regards to length, if you started both shows at the same time, we'd be half out of our make-up before the first note of "One Day More" even started. But, regardless of its length, it certainly made a good point and, based on the reaction of the thousands of children who we were delighted to share it with, it had a truly positive impact which, as writers and performers, is all we can ever hope. I like to think that anything I write, whether it be children's theatre, adult faire, or even a blog here on Tribe, can hopefully have an impact and move the reader (or viewer) in some way.

And for a while I thought I was doing that here, finding new ways to proclaim my love of a woman while voicing my continued disdain for those who have ever hurt her. And these blogs, which have been following my life, have somehow also taken on the form of a romantic play...

Act One in which we meet the two protagonists, both unloved and unappreciated, both searching for that which they had never had - romance, respect, compassion, devotion - and then, by chance, finding each other and falling in love. But like all romantic tales, good and bad, there needs to be a conflict and that's where Act Two comes in, an act about two lovers separated by cruel distance and stalled talks and prolonged by a man too angry and stubborn to let go and move on. The problem with this act is that it never seems to end (if it were on stage even the "Les Miz" creators would by now be squirming). My character, although very much in Act One (and very much looking forward to a major final confrontation scene in Act Three), has sadly little to do in Act Two (except pine and roar) so I write and hope that somehow by harping on the same basic themes that the antagonist will finally get it and allow us all to move on to Act Three. But I obviously forgot the number one rule for any writer or actor (any communicator really), "know your audience", and have made the mistake of writing about concepts totally foreign to the one I was most hoping to reach, like romance, fidelity, compassion, maturity, loyalty, honesty, forgiveness, etc. Sadly it seems I would have had the same effect if I just wrote "blah blah blah Slug blah blah blah Sword Slipped", and in trying to help move things along it seems the opposite has happened, for my writings are now being used as yet another excuse NOT to move on. Well, enough is enough.

See, I really want us to get to Act Three for I know that this final confrontation between good and evil, albeit a bit anti climatic perhaps, will be most satisfying none the less. So, in an effort to help things along, I'm not going to write anymore on this topic until it's resolved. For even though I'm not sure how we will ever get to that moment, I do know, without doubt, how this play will end. The lovers WILL be together. This I swear. And on that day I will happily write a bit more about all of this, announcing our wedding day.

In the meantime, here are the lyrics to our closing song from "Les MisZoobles"; "Shine" by my dear friend the lion, Forrest Gardner:

VAN GO
'Til you believe it, I'll believe without a doubt
Fairy tales are born when you shine

BILL
'Til you remember every hope I could forget
Hopes to be around when you shine

BOTH
We've been counting every reason
Why our hearts become a home
When you shine

CHILDREN CHOIR
For every good deed gone by

VAN GO
That's when you shine

CHILDREN CHOIR
A song in your heart is your guide

BILL
Trust and in a while
You'll shine

VAN GO
Paint a picture
Straight from Irish hills of green
Straight from school to home
When you shine

BILL
Build your invention
Prove the mighty strength of dreams
Mighty quick to laugh
When you shine

(repeat chorus)

WHAZZAT
Shine! Where the rainbow leads me

CHILDREN CHOIR
Shine! When I follow

WHAZZAT
For when I sing I find my place

CHILDREN CHOIR
That's when you take your wings

(Bill and Van Go attach two large wings to Whazzat. )

WHAZZAT
(Spoken)
Look Van Go! Bill! I'm shining!

CHILDREN CHOIR
You shine!

VAN GO/BILL/CHOIR
For every tear you cry

CHILDREN CHOIR
Shine!

VAN GO/BILL/WHAZZAT/CHOIR
For every good deed gone by

CHILDREN CHOIR
(Whispering)
That's when you shine...

ALL
You shine!

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