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‘’Brand New Day’’ opens this ‘hare’-raising musical and after Evergreen Valley is filled with music, the tortoise family introduce themselves before talk turns to the upcoming election for the new mayor; the battle is between Harvey Hare and Henry Hedgehog. ‘’Daddy Tortoise’’ follows as Toby tries to convince his children of the advantages of being a tortoise.

The following scene sees the Hare family sitting around their breakfast table which is full of sumptuous food. Harvey oozes confidence for the election but it soon becomes apparent that he is not popular with the younger hares in his family; they think he’s pompous and arrogant. Unfortunately their dislike for their elder brother will work against Harvey later...

The audience then discover that Harvey is not only arrogant but also scheming, as he meets with Phil and Fred Fox who help him to steal a prize sunflower from Lady Lucinda’s garden. Their plan is to ‘plant’ the sunflower in Henry Hedgehog’s briefcase so he is caught and expelled from the election; ‘‘A Couple of Evil Doers’’ follows appropriately!

The stage then transforms into a busy office at ‘‘Hare And Co.’’ as the animals prepare for the election conference. Although all seems to be going well, it’s not long before the plant is discovered and despite Henry’s protests that it wasn’t him, Harvey appears victorious. That is, until Toby overhears Harvey laughing at the success of his scheme, and a confrontation between the two leads results in them both agreeing to have a race the following day; Harvey bets everything he owns – including the title of mayor, against everything that Toby owns.

That night, Toby begins to have doubts about his abilities, but his wife, Shelly, gives him confidence as she sings ‘‘Believe in Your Dream.’’ Meanwhile, the tortoise children rush to get the help of Harvey’s younger siblings, Hip and Hop, who are eager to work against their brother; and boy does Toby need their help!

‘‘The Race’’ signals the start of a battle between Harvey and Toby but whilst the tortoise plays fair, the hare is back up to his old tricks which include dynamite, glue and fake signposts! Luckily, the children are always one step behind him, clearing up his dirty tricks before Toby suffers the consequences. So even when Toby has doubts during ‘‘So Much More’’ his determination pays off because unaware that the tortoise has not suffered from any of his tricks, Harvey decides to take forty winks which is perhaps one wink too many because Toby ends up winning the race!

After the children reveal the Hare’s dirty tricks, the foxes and the Hare are taken away by local policemen, allowing the tortoise family and all their friends to rejoice and celebrate together; ‘‘Daddy Tortoise’’ ends the show.

 

Click the "Script & Songs" tab to read the script, look at the score and listen to the songs.